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European Studies: Modern European Studies MA

London, Bloomsbury

UK students International students

Study mode

UK tuition fees (2024/25)

£15,100

£7,550

Overseas tuition fees (2024/25)

£31,100

£15,550

Duration

1 calendar year

2 calendar years

Programme starts

September 2024

Applications accepted

Applicants who require a visa: 16 Oct 2023 – 05 Apr 2024

Applications closed

Applicants who do not require a visa: 16 Oct 2023 – 30 Aug 2024

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 4

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

The Modern European Studies pathway focuses on the emergence of modern Europe, the political implications of integration, and its transition from competing nation states and forms of governance to an expanding political and economic union. Students take complementary optional modules, which may be national, regional or European in scope. Supervision and teaching is available from world-leading researchers from SELCS and CMII, with 83% of SELCS-CMII research activity being graded 4* ‘world leading’ and 3* ‘internationally excellent’ in the REF 2021.

Who this course is for

The programme is designed for students who wish to pursue a wide range of interests within a flexible combination of core and optional modules. The interdisciplinary structure of the degree will appeal to students who wish to be introduced to new and intellectually demanding areas of European Studies.

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

What this course will give you

The Centre for Multidisciplinary & Intercultural Inquiry (CMII) at UCL offers graduate students the opportunity to investigate Europe in its entirety, from European integration and public policy to European cinema and poetry.

The central London location offers easy access to the British Library, British Museum, Institute of Germanic and Romance Studies, German Historical Institute, Goethe Institut, Institut Français, and other similar research and cultural centres.

Less than three hours away from Brussels and Paris, and with such a wide range of resources, this is a highly favourable location for the study of Europe.

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

The foundation of your career

Previous graduates of this MA have used their extensive knowledge and understanding of European institutions, policies and society to obtain positions within the European Union. The high level of interdisciplinary training and research skills offered by the programme have equipped others for positions as researchers in UK and European universities, museums and non-governmental agencies. The emphasis on written and verbal communication, collation and presentation of research and analysis have provided transferable skills for the fields of accountancy, law and PR. CMII graduates go on to work in varied roles across the public, private and charitable sectors, as well as working as consultants, teachers and in the fields of arts, heritage, publishing, media and policy.

Employability

MPhil and PhD degrees often follow on from a Master's programme; both the Taught and Research pathways of the MAs offered by the Centre for Multidisciplinary & Intercultural Inquiry (CMII) are intended to allow this type of progression, as well as standing as degrees in their own right. Outside academia, potential careers may include politics, business, commerce, teaching, public relations, or journalism. Our graduates are highly valued by employers for their interdisciplinary skills and linguistic and cultural knowledge. Transferable skills include intercultural understanding, communication skills, and analytical rigour.

Networking

Our location offers students access to special collections at UCL and other world-class libraries nearby such as Senate House and the British Library. These resources, besides their collections of books, articles, videos, sound recordings and non-public online resources, offer a wide range of seminars, lecture series and other opportunities to exchange ideas. Other libraries and research centres within walking distance of campus include the British Museum, Institute of Languages, Cultures and Societies, Institute of Historical Research and The Warburg Institute.

UCL Careers also offers a range of services, providing access to skills development, recruitment and networking events.

Teaching and learning

The programme is delivered through a combination of lectures, seminars, tutorials and private study. The third term is devoted to revision sessions and the dissertation project. Through feedback sessions on presentations and essays, students are encouraged to reflect on, and improve, their own work.

Students are assessed by a variety of methods, which may include coursework, presentations, written essays, unseen examinations and the research dissertation. Teaching sessions are interactive, with a limited amount of lecturer presentation and an emphasis on student participation and critical discussion. Assessment is through a combination of coursework essays, unseen written examinations, and the dissertation.

For a full-time postgraduate course, 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.

For a part-time postgraduate course, contact hours would usually be 4-6 hours per week across 2-3 days and we recommend around 10-12 hours of independent study per week. There is minimal teaching during Term 3, as students focus on the dissertation and assessments.

A Postgraduate Diploma, two core modules (60 credits), four inter-faculty optional modules (60 credits), full-time nine months or part-time two years) is offered.

Modules

Full-time structure for taught pathway:

During the academic year, you will take compulsory modules which are designed to work as a postgraduate-level foundation and provide you with the specific skills to research and write essays and the dissertation. You will also choose optional modules from the suggested list (see Optional modules). These modules will broaden your understanding of modern Europe from political, historical and social perspectives. During Term 2, in addition to your taught modules you will start formulating your dissertation proposal. This work will continue into Term 3 and across the remainder of the academic year. You will develop your dissertation outline and structure with support from your supervisor. You will give a presentation to your peers and tutors on your dissertation to help cement your argument and subject area to cover. This is a non-assessed compulsory element of the MA. You will then spend the summer researching and writing your 12,000 word dissertation on a topic to be determined in discussion with your academic supervisor.

Full-time structure for research pathway:

During the academic year, you will take compulsory modules which are designed to work as a postgraduate-level foundation and provide you with the specific skills to research and write essays and the dissertation. You will also choose optional modules from the suggested list (see Optional modules). These modules will broaden your understanding of modern Europe from political, historical and social perspectives. During Term 2, in addition to your taught modules you will start formulating your dissertation proposal. This work will continue into Term 3 and across the remainder of the academic year. You will develop your dissertation outline and structure with support from your supervisor. You will give a presentation to your peers and tutors on your dissertation to help cement your argument and subject area to cover. This is a non-assessed compulsory element of the MA. You will then spend the summer researching and writing your 18,000 word dissertation on a topic to be determined in discussion with your academic supervisor.

Part-time structure for taught pathway:

In Year 1, you will take two compulsory modules, which are designed to work as a postgraduate-level foundation module and to provide you with the specific skills to research and write essays and the dissertation. These modules set the foundation for the whole MA, preparing you for further learning and for your dissertation. In Year 2, you will take optional modules to develop your broader understanding of modern Europe from political, historical and social perspectives, and to develop key concepts learnt in Year 1. You will also formulate and develop your dissertation outline and structure with support from your supervisor. You will give a presentation to your peers and tutors on your dissertation proposal to help cement your argument and subject areas to cover. This is a non-assessed compulsory element of your MA. You will then spend the summer of Year 2 researching and writing your 12,000 word dissertation on a topic to be determined in discussion with your supervisor.

Part-time structure for research pathway:

In Year 1, you will take two compulsory modules, which are designed to work as a postgraduate-level foundation module and to provide you with the specific skills to research and write essays and the dissertation. These modules set the foundation for the whole MA, preparing you for further learning and for your dissertation. In Year 2, you will take optional modules to develop your broader understanding of modern Europe from political, historical and social perspectives and to develop key concepts learnt in Year 1. You will also formulate and develop your dissertation outline and structure with support from your supervisor. You will give a presentation to your peers and tutors on your dissertation proposal to help cement your argument and subject areas to cover. This is a non-assessed compulsory element of your MA. You will then spend the summer of Year 2 researching and writing your 18,000 word dissertation on a topic to be determined in discussion with your supervisor.

Compulsory modules

Questions of European Integration

M.A. Dissertation

Optional modules

Theoretical Issues in History and Literature

Topics in Cultural Studies

Theoretical Issues in History and Literature

Topics in Cultural Studies

Global Politics

Politics and Ethics

Multidisciplinary Social Research

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.

Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits. Two pathways are offered: Taught and Research. Upon successful completion of 180 credits, you will be awarded an MA in European Studies: Modern European Studies. Upon successful completion of 120 credits, you will be awarded a PG Dip in European Studies: Modern European Studies.

Accessibility

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

Fees and funding

Fees for this course

UK students International students

Fee description	Full-time	Part-time
Tuition fees (2024/25)	£15,100	£7,550
Tuition fees (2024/25)	£31,100	£15,550

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

All full time students are required to pay a fee deposit of £1,000 for this programme. All part-time students are required to pay a fee deposit of £500.

Additional costs may include expenses such as books, stationery, printing or photocopying, or conference registration fees and associated travel costs.

The department strives to keep additional costs low. Books and journal articles are usually available via the UCL library as hard copies or via e-journal subscriptions.

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

Funding your studies

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 an application processing fee for this programme of £90 for online applications and £115 for paper applications. Further information can be found at Application fees.

When we assess your application we would like to learn:

why you want to study Modern European Studies at graduate level
why you want to study Modern European Studies at UCL
what particularly attracts you to this programme
how your personal, academic and professional background meets the demands of this programme
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.

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.

This programme requires two references. Further information regarding references can be found on this Selecting your references page.

Choose your programme

Please read the Application Guidance before proceeding with your application.

Year of entry: 2024-2025

MA European Studies: Modern European Studies, Full-time

MA European Studies: Modern European Studies, Part-time

PG Dip European Studies: Modern European Studies, Full-time

PG Dip European Studies: Modern European Studies, Part-time