European Studies

This programme aims to deepen graduates understanding of contemporary European politics, history and society. As an interdisciplinary programme, it draws on the expertise of five highly ranked departments at King's and a vibrant research community, designated as a Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence.

KEY BENEFITS

• As an interdisciplinary programme, this MA enables students to study contemporary Europe from a variety of perspectives.
• European & International Studies staff are ranked in departments that are amongst the top four in the country according to the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise.
• Vibrant research community, designated as a Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence in European Law and Governance.

PURPOSEThe programme is ideally suited to anyone with a degree in European Studies, politics, international relations or international political economy. We also welcome recent graduates from other disciplines in the humanities, the social sciences and law, as well as those from a professional background.

DESCRIPTION

MA European Studies attracts a mix of highly capable students from around the world who value the academic, social, economic and cultural appeal of one of Europe’s most dynamic cities. The MA is taught by research-active staff with a passion for knowledge and critical thought. In addition to its core staff from the Department of European & International Studies, it is able to draw upon the expertise of academics from several leading departments, such as War Studies, Geography, the Dickson Poon School of Law and History. European & International Studies staff were ranked in departments that are amongst the top four in the country according to the 2008 UK Research Assessment Exercise. In 2009 we were designated by the EU as a Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence and the department currently holds a Jean Monnet Chair in European Political Economy.

The programme offers an in-depth analysis of major scholarly debates in history, politics, political thought, political economy and international relations, both within and beyond the European Union. Students will study a range of approaches on one of the two core modules (European Identities and the EU; or European Union: History, Institutions, Politics) and then choose from a wide range of specialist modules covering specific regions or issues relating to contemporary Europe (such as EU foreign policy, immigration, economic governance, law, political economy, lobbying and policy making, nationalism and the EU, Russia, the EU and Asia). MA European Studies provides students with substantial opportunities to deepen their expertise by choosing particular modules. Students can simply choose the modules they are interested in or choose to specialise in four distinct areas.

Students opting for the General Pathway study throughout the year at King's; those opting for either the French or German Pathways will spend their second semester at either the Institut d'Etudes Politiques (Sciences Po) in Paris or the Humboldt Universitat in Berlin.