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Economy, State and Society: Politics and Security MA (International)

London, Bloomsbury for year one and either Belgrade, Budapest, Helsinki, Moscow, Kraków, Prague or Tartu for year two

Our International Master's in Economy, State and Society is a unique, programme offered by a consortium of leading European universities, leading to the award of a highly prestigious double degree. You will spend your first year at UCL SSEES and your second year at a partner university in the SSEES region.

UK students International students
Study mode
Full-time
UK tuition fees (2025/26)
Fees to be confirmed
Overseas tuition fees (2025/26)
Fees to be confirmed
Duration
2 calendar years
Programme starts
September 2025
Applications accepted
Applicants who require a visa: 14 Oct 2024 – 04 Apr 2025
Applications close at 5pm UK time

Applications open

Applicants who do not require a visa: 14 Oct 2024 – 29 Aug 2025
Applications close at 5pm UK time

Applications open

Apply for this course

Entry requirements

A minimum of an upper second-class Bachelor's degree in a relevant discipline from a UK university or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard.

The English language level for this programme is: Level 2

UCL Pre-Master's and Pre-sessional English courses are for international students who are aiming to study for a postgraduate degree at UCL. The courses will develop your academic English and academic skills required to succeed at postgraduate level.

Further information can be found on our English language requirements page.

Equivalent qualifications

Country-specific information, including details of when UCL representatives are visiting your part of the world, can be obtained from the International Students website.

International applicants can find out the equivalent qualification for their country by selecting from the list below. Please note that the equivalency will correspond to the broad UK degree classification stated on this page (e.g. upper second-class). Where a specific overall percentage is required in the UK qualification, the international equivalency will be higher than that stated below. Please contact Graduate Admissions should you require further advice.

About this degree


You will undertake rigorous research methods training, discipline-based and area studies training and intensive language tuition. You will develop cultural and linguistic knowledge of Eastern and Western Europe, and acquire the skills to identify and critically analyse key factors shaping the economies, states and societies of the SSEES region. 

Further details on structure and modules can be found in the Programme Handbook

Who this course is for

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Our programme is designed to attract and challenge the brightest students, as well as professionals wishing to retrain to acquire European expertise, and meet the challenges of the changing global environment. Evidence of English language ability is essential but there are no other language pre-requisites.

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Read about what it takes to study for a Master's at UCL

What this course will give you

Our International Master's in Economy, State and Society offers you a unique opportunity to study the economies, states and societies of the wider European region in both London and the SSEES region.

You will benefit from an integrated study programme, with the first year spent at UCL School of Slavonic & East European Studies (SSEES) and the second year at one of our partner universities in the Czech Republic (Prague), Estonia (Tartu), Finland (Helsinki), Hungary (Budapest), Poland (Kraków) and Serbia (Belgrade).

You will have access to our specialist library, which is unrivalled in the UK, and our central London location provides an ideal environment for research. Our close contacts with employers, policymakers and alumni provides you with excellent opportunities for networking and career development.

Read about what you'll get out of a graduate programme

The foundation of your career

Graduates of the programme have taken leadership positions in distinguished private and public sector organisations (including the IMF, EBRD, OSCE, NATO, United Nations, in risk control, banks and financial institutions, diplomacy and media, and the civil service) and many have also continued to doctoral studies. Scholarships, internship opportunities and excellent links with other universities in the region provide further benefits.

Employability

Our graduates progress to careers in governmental or international organisations, and many specialise in finance, commerce, analysis or consultancy. Others begin careers in diplomacy, journalism, or in non-governmental organisations. Others have continued to further study with many students undertaking PhDs.

Networking

SSEES scholars have developed strong links with a range of institutions in London, including the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, EBRD (European Bank for Reconstruction and Development), Roubini Global Economics, NGOs such as Health Prom, Amnesty International and others through the BEARR Trust, Chatham House (Royal Institute of International Affairs), as well as with the European Commission. SSEES also cultivates connections with the London embassies of the region, which regularly co-sponsor round-table events and lectures by leading international figures relevant to our area interests.

Teaching and learning

You will be taught via a combination of lectures, seminars, tutorials and research supervision.

You will be assessed by written examination, coursework and dissertation; language courses involve an oral examination.

For a full-time postgraduate course at UCL, we recommend around 20-25 hours of independent study per week. Contact hours may vary depending on module choices, but full-time students will have approximately 8-10 contact hours each week during term time, spent in lectures and seminars.

Those undertaking language modules may have additional contact hours. There is minimal teaching during Term 3, as students focus on the dissertation and assessments.

Contact hours at partners may differ-please contact us for further information.

Modules

You will undertake modules to a total value of 300 UCL credits/120 ECTS, with 150 UCL credits/60 ECTS taken in year one at UCL and 60 ECTS taken in year two at your chosen institution.

Year one: compulsory modules (60 UCL credits/24 ECTS), and optional modules (90 UCL credits/36 ECTS).

Year two: dissertation (30 or 40 ECTS) and optional modules (20 or 30 ECTS).

Further details on structure and modules can be found in the Programme Handbook

A note on ECTS credit conversion for the IMESS programme

Since 2015-16 UCL has moved to the ECTS credit system practiced by other UK Higher Education Institutions, where 2 UCL credits = 1 ECTS.  This differs from the approach to teachign and awarding qualifications in the rest of Europe.  To ensure the interests of all partners, the IMESS Consortium continues to operate based on the ECTS credit system practiced in the rest of Europe, ie 2.5 UCL credits = 1 ECTS.  To reflect these differences, the UCL transcript includes two additional columns showing ECTS-converted credits, one using a UK/UCL conversion rate and one using an EU/IMESS conversion rate, with an explanatory note.

Compulsory modules



Optional modules






















Please note that the list of modules given here is indicative. This information is published a long time in advance of enrolment and module content and availability are subject to change. Modules that are in use for the current academic year are linked for further information. Where no link is present, further information is not yet available.

You will take modules to a total value of 120 ECTS, with 60 ECTS taken in year one at UCL and 60 ECTS taken in year two at your chosen institution. Upon successful completion of 120 credits, you will be awarded an MA (International) in Economy, State and Society: Politics and Security.

Accessibility

Details of the accessibility of UCL buildings can be obtained from AccessAble. Further information can also be obtained from the UCL Student Support and Wellbeing Services team.

Fees and funding

Fees for this course

UK students International students
Fee description Full-time
Tuition fees (2025/26) Fees to be confirmed
Tuition fees (2025/26) Fees to be confirmed

Fees set by agreement with IMESS Management Board.
The IMESS programme is excluded from the Study Abroad 15% fee rules.

The tuition fees shown are for the year indicated above. Fees for subsequent years may increase or otherwise vary. Where the programme is offered on a flexible/modular basis, fees are charged pro-rata to the appropriate full-time Master's fee taken in an academic session. Further information on fee status, fee increases and the fee schedule can be viewed on the UCL Students website: ucl.ac.uk/students/fees.

Additional costs

For Full-time and Part-time offer holders a fee deposit will be charged at 10% of the first year fee.

Further information can be found in the Tuition fee deposits section on this page: Tuition fees.

You will need to budget for living costs for both your first year at UCL and the second year abroad, which may vary depending on which country you study in. Visa costs should be factored if applicable. If you need any guidance please email ssees-intma@ucl.ac.uk.

UCL’s main teaching locations are in zones 1 (Bloomsbury) and zones 2/3 (UCL East). The cost of a monthly 18+ Oyster travel card for zones 1-2 is £114.50. This price was published by TfL in 2024. For more information on additional costs for prospective students and the cost of living in London, please view our estimated cost of essential expenditure at UCL's cost of living guide.

Funding your studies

We offer a number of IMESS scholarships, available to Home and International students. All applications received by 23 March will be automatically considered for the IMESS Scholarship.  For funding opportunities please visit the IMESS website.

For a comprehensive list of the funding opportunities available at UCL, including funding relevant to your nationality, please visit the Scholarships and Funding website.

See all the ways you can fund your studies

Next steps

Students are advised to apply as early as possible due to competition for places. Those applying for scholarship funding (particularly overseas applicants) should take note of application deadlines.

There is no application fee for this programme.

When we assess your application we would like to learn:

  • why you want to study Economy, State and Society at graduate level
  • why you want to study Economy, State and Society at UCL
  • what particularly attracts you to this programme
  • how your personal, academic and professional background meets the demands of a challenging and truly international academic environment
  • where you would like to go professionally with your degree

All applicants are required to complete the IMESS Supplementary Questionnaire in place of the personal statement. This can be downloaded from the IMESS website: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/ssees/study-us/imess-international-masters-economy-state-and-society/imess-how-apply.

Please note that you may submit applications for a maximum of two graduate programmes (or one application for the Law LLM) in any application cycle.

Choose your programme

Please read the Application Guidance before proceeding with your application.

Year of entry: 2025-2026

Apply for this course

Got questions? Get in touch

SSEES - School of Slavonic and East European Studies
SSEES - School of Slavonic and East European Studies

maadmissions@ssees.ucl.ac.uk

UCL is regulated by the Office for Students. Charles University, Czech Republic is regulated by Czech Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport; Corvinus University of Budapest, Hungary is regulated by the Hungarian Ministry of Education; Helsinki University, Finland is regulated by the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture; Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland is regulated by the Polish Ministry of Science & Higher Education; Higher School of Economics, Moscow, Russia is regulated by the Ministry of Science & Higher Education of the Russian Federation Moscow; University of Tartu, Estonia is regulated by the Estonian Ministry of Education and Research.