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

The International Master's in Economy, State and Society is a unique, innovative, dynamic yet firmly established postgraduate programme offered by a consortium of leading European universities. It leads to the award of a highly prestigious double degree. All students will spend their first year at UCL SSEES and their second year at a partner university of their choice.

Covid-19 programme updates

Due to COVID-19, there may have been updates to this programme for the 2020 academic year. Where there has been an update, these are indicated with a red alert and a link which will provide further information.

Key information

Programme starts

September 2020

Modes and duration

Full time: 2 years

Application dates

All applicants
Open: 1 November 2019
Close: 11 August 2020
Scholarship applicants
Close: 27 March 2020
Notification
Due to the large number of applications received, this programme is no longer accepting applications for 2020/21 entry. We apologise for any inconvenience caused. Applications for 2021/22 entry will open later in the year.

Tuition fees (2020/21)

UK/EU:
£10,876 (FT)
Overseas:
£19,356 (FT)


Note on fees: The tuition fees shown are for the year indicated above. Fees for subsequent years may increase or otherwise vary. Further information on fee status, fee increases and the fee schedule can be viewed on the UCL Students website. The tuition fees shown are for the year indicated above. Fees for subsequent years may increase or otherwise vary. Further information on fee status, fee increases and the fee schedule can be viewed on the UCL Students website. Fees for this programme are set by agreement with IMESS Management Board.

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

Entry requirements

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

English language requirements

If your education has not been conducted in the English language, you will be expected to demonstrate evidence of an adequate level of English proficiency.

The English language level for this programme is: Good

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

International students

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.

Select your country:

About this degree

The programme combines rigorous research methods training, discipline-based and area studies training and intensive language tuition. Students 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 expanding European region. All students will spend their first year at UCL SSEES and their second year at a partner university of their choice.

Students 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 their chosen institution.

Upon successful completion of 240 credits, you will be awarded a MA (International) in Economy, State and Society: Politics and Security.

Covid-19 study abroad updates
For this academic year, if you were due to study abroad, you should have been contacted by your department with more information. Further guidance can be found on FAQs for 20/21 Study Abroad students about coronavirus (COVID-19).    If you are planning to study abroad in 2021/22, UCL and your department will be in contact with you at the start of the upcoming academic year with information on the application process.      If you plan to study abroad in future years, UCL and your department will provide relevant information and guidance nearer to the time.   

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 is subject to change.

Year one compulsory modules

  • Political Analysis (6 ECTS) and one of the following modules:
  • Understanding and Analysing Data (6 ECTS); Qualitative Methods (6 ECTS); or Introduction to Discourse Analysis (6 ECTS)
  • Language*

*If not taken in year one, a Language module is compulsory in year two.

Optional modules include

36 ECTS or 48 ECTS if no language taken in year one

  • Anthropology, Politics, Intimacy
  • Baltic Politics and Society
  • Comparative Analysis in Social and Political Research
  • Causes, Consequences and Control: Corruption and Governance
  • Democracy and Authoritarianism in Post-communist Europe
  • Informal Practices in Post-communist societies
  • Interdisciplinary Area Studies
  • The Making of Modern Ukraine
  • Political Sociology
  • Post-Soviet Politics
  • Russian Foreign Policy
  • Russian Politics
  • Security, Identity, Polarity: The Contemporary Debates
  • Understanding 'Transitional Justice'
  • Migration in the European Union
  • Nations, Identity and Power

Year 2 modules will vary depending on second year destination choices. Please visit the IMESS website for further information. 

Covid-19 module updates
Due to COVID-19, there may be updates to the modules for your chosen programme of study this year. Some modules may not be available or may need to be moved to a later term or year of study. These updates are relevant for 2020-21 academic year only.  The full list of modules will be available in the module catalogue from late August.  From the first week of September, you will be invited to complete module selection from Portico, our student record system. There may need to be additional updates or changes to modules during the academic year to allow for new guidance from the UK Government and Public Health England. Your department shall keep you updated of these changes as they become available.

Dissertation/report

All students undertake an independent research project in their second year, which culminates in a dissertation of approximately 20,000–25,000 words.

Teaching and learning

The programme is delivered through a combination of lectures, seminars, tutorials and research supervision. Assessment is by written examination, coursework and dissertation; language courses involve an oral examination.

Covid-19 contact hours on campus
In Term One, while campus will be open, all the learning activity for the core content of your modules will take place online – including lectures, tutorials, seminars and assessments. By “core content” we mean everything you need to learn to complete the module successfully. In addition to these online contact hours, we will be offering some face-to-face educational activities for students on campus, and we will provide alternative online activities for those students unable to join us on campus. These activities, which will include contact with academic staff, will be relevant to your programme of study may include seminars, academic and employability skills workshops, small-group or individual tutorials, lab and practice-based teaching. UK Government safety guidelines will limit the amount of ‘in person’ activity we can offer and while it will vary from programme to programme, is likely to be no more than 1-2 hours per week. This will vary across departments, particularly if your programme includes laboratory/practical/studio/workshop sessions. You will be updated with more specific details as they are available and your timetable will indicate which sessions will be on campus and which will be available online.
Covid-19 face-to-face teaching updates
All lectures and seminars in Term 1 will be undertaken online. Learning will be supplemented by face to face academic activities including personal tutoring, study groups, book discussion groups, and small group work. However, if you are unable to join on campus in Term 1, you will be able to fully carry out your studies remotely wherever you are in the world. Your department will keep you updated on face-to-face activities and any changes will be communicated to you as soon as they are available.  
Covid-19 assessment updates
There may be changes to the format of assessments for modules in this programme due to COVID-19. These will be summarised for each module on the module catalogue from 17 August 2020.   If any changes to assessments need to be made during the academic year due to updates in government guidance, these will be communicated to you as soon as possible from your department.    
Communicating further Covid-19 mitigation plans
We are continuing to follow UK Government guidance, as well as the expertise of our researchers, including specialists in health, education, human behaviour and infection prevention, to make sure UCL is as safe as possible during the COVID-19 pandemic. If it becomes necessary to make further changes to your programme as a result of new guidance/regulations, UCL and your department will communicate these as soon as this becomes clear. We will keep you up-to-date with our plans throughout term one, so you have the information you need to be able to take decisions that are right for your circumstances. Please ensure that you keep in touch with your department by regularly checking your UCL emails, Moodle courses, the Coronavirus FAQs for Students page and any UCL online groups or social media you follow.

Additional costs

Students will need to budget for living costs for both their 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-imess@ucl.ac.uk

For more information on additional costs for prospective students please go to our estimated cost of essential expenditure at Accommodation and living costs.

Accessibility

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

Detailed module information

See full details of modules for this programme.

Funding

IMESS Scholarships for Home/EU and Overseas applicants are available. 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.

Careers

Graduates of this programme are qualified to progress to doctoral research in the European area; others may advance to careers in governmental or international organisations, and may specialise in finance, commerce, analysis or consultancy. Other destinations include careers in diplomacy,  journalism, or in non-governmental organisations. Indeed, the scope of IMESS is broad and so too, correspondingly, are the post-IMESS possibilities.

Employability

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.

Why study this degree at UCL?

The International Master's in Economy, State and Society a great programme for students with a serious interest in the economies, states and societies of the wider European region.

Students 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 the partner universities in the Czech Republic (Prague), Estonia (Tartu), Finland (Helsinki), Hungary (Budapest), Poland (Kraków), Serbia (Belgrade) and Russia (Moscow).

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

Department: SSEES - School of Slavonic & East European Studies

What our students and staff say

Staff view

"UCL is an energetic place that is clearly on an upward trajectory, bustling with original thinkers doing cutting-edge work and incredibly talented students from all over the world. Definitely the place to study and do research at the beginning of the 21st century."

Professor Jan Kubik


UCL School of Slavonic & East European Studies

Application and next steps

Applications

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.

Who can apply?

This programme is designed to attract and challenge the brightest European Union and international 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.

Application deadlines

All applicants
11 August 2020
Scholarship applicants
27 March 2020

All applicants must complete the IMESS Supplementary Questionnaire which substitutes the personal statement. Applicants in the final stages of their undergraduate degree may apply but must present their transcript of marks no later than 31 August for the year of entry.


For more information see our Applications page.

Apply now

What are we looking for?

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

Together with essential academic requirements, the personal statement is your opportunity to illustrate whether your reasons for applying to this programme match what the programme will deliver.

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.

Page last modified on 13 August 2020