EUROPEAN POLITICS AND SOCIETY (EPS)

More information - European Politics and Society: Vaclav Havel Joint Master Degree

European Politics and Society: Vaclav Havel Joint Master Degree (EPS)

Programme Duration: 2 years

Language of Instruction: English

Coordinator for Study Affairs: Mgr. Eliška Tomalová, Ph.D., eliska.tomalova@fsv.cuni.cz

Administrative Coordinator: PhDr. Martin Mejstřík, martin.mejstrik@fsv.cuni.cz

Admission Administration: admissions@fsv.cuni.cz    

The European Politics and Society (EPS): Vaclav Havel Joint Master Programme is a multidisciplinary two-year programme linking the fields of European politics, contemporary history and culture, economy, international relations and policymaking. The key role of the programme is to identify and analyse challenges Europe faces today (migration, security, populism). The first semester of EPS is based on Master level introductory courses (in Prague); the second semester focuses on EU related courses (Krakow, Leiden). In the third and fourth semesters, the programme offers four different study tracks reflecting the diverse expertise of the Consortium members (Prague, Krakow, Barcelona, and Leiden). Each track combines various elective courses, research methods training, an internship and language tuition with an advanced research dissertation supervised by key staff from each Partner University.

EPS gives its students the possibility to acquire high-profile pluridisciplinary knowledge and skills. The first goal of EPS is to prepare a new generation of managers, policymakers and research leaders. The excellence of the programme is based on a central focus on the societal, political, economic and cultural processes that have formed contemporary Europe and its role in the international environment, the programme also fosters exchange among diverse European and non-European cultures, and offers a unique learning experience to both EU and non-EU students. EPS thus contributes to build a real trans-European community of students, experts and academia that deal with current European challenges.

The EPS Programme got the Erasmus Mundus funding. There are 18 Full Scholarships for selected students plus monthly living allowances already for the academic year 2017/18.

Programme structure

EPS is a two-year Master programme divided into four semesters. All students spend their first semester in Prague. Before the beginning of the first semester, students participate in a Prague Introductory week, where they meet the academic coordinators and faculty staff. During the first semester, they enrol only in compulsory courses. This semester serves as an Introduction to the Master programme. It is based mainly on methodology and an introduction to key academic disciplines relevant to the study of the European political, social, cultural and economic space. At the end of the first semester, students choose the topic of their Master thesis with the assistance of academic coordinators from Charles University; they write the first version of their Master thesis project.

For the second semester, the students have two options: Leiden or Krakow. This semester is also based on compulsory courses that cover different areas of the EU studies. In addition, students can build their own structure for the semester in accordance with the offer of facultative courses. At the beginning of the second semester, all students participate in a three-day Barcelona Research Seminar. This event has multiple objectives. First, second year students meet first year students. This encounter encourage them to share their experience. Second, first year students present their MA thesis projects and get the feedback from all students and academic experts. All students also participate in an intensive training in research methods.

For the second year of EPS, students may choose among all the universities that constitute the EPS consortium: Charles University in Prague (Czech Republic), Jagiellonian University in Krakow (Poland), Leiden University (Netherlands) and Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona (Spain). Their choice of preferences must already be specified in their application before they enter the programme.

During the two final semesters, students have a variety of choices of facultative courses that reflect the added value of each member of the consortium – areas of academic expertise where these universities are excellent in terms of course offerings and research. These fields are the following: Transformation and Development in Contemporary Europe (Prague), Policymaking in the EU (Barcelona), Central and Eastern Europe and International Relations (Krakow) and Europe in the International Environment (Leiden).

Students devote their final semester to the Master thesis. This is why they attend MA thesis seminars both semesters and work closely both with the MA thesis seminar teacher and their academic supervisor. In April, second year students participate in the Oxford Spring School. Thanks to the partnership with Europaeum, the students are invited to take part in this unique student event and academic experience. They will visit Oxford in the fourth semester and will have the possibility to participate fully in academic events organized by Europaeum, one of the main EPS Associate Partners.

Credit structure

The number of credits (ECTS) students must obtain in order to obtain the Master diploma is equally divided among four semesters: the total of ECTS for the programme is 120, 30 ECTS per semester in the first year and 30 per semester in the second year. The following table shows the credit structure of EPS:

Study prerequisites

Applicants will need to have obtained their BA certificates by the time of the start of the first semester of their studies (end of September every year). Having some background in international relations, political science, European studies or other related disciplines will prove advantageous for the students during the course of the programme.

Tuition fees

Tuition fees are 8000 EUR per year. Please note that these fees cover only the cost of instruction and examinations, and that students are responsible for paying their own living expenses (food, lodging, etc.). There will be extra costs (travel expenses) related to supplementary events of the programme.

There are 18 Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degree Scholarships each year covering the whole 100% of the tuition fee and offering to students extra 1000 EUR per months as living allowances.  

Excellence Scholarship Award: Two best self-funded students from the first year per each intake will be awarded by the ‘Excellence Scholarship Award’ (covers 50% of the Tuition Fee for the second year of their study).

Application requirements

The application process for the academic year 2017/2018 is still open. The special deadline has been extended to 31st July 2017. (Please check your VISA eligibility and time framework. You are supposed to have a valid VISA by the start of the programme at 1st October 2017. On-line application is closed, so please send all necessary documents regarding the EPS programme application directly to:  eps@fsv.cuni.cz

All applications must include the following:

  • Copy of a diploma to show completed Bachelor's or Master's studies, or confirmation of ongoing studies in the academic year that those studies will be completed.
  • Copy of a second diploma (second completed Bachelor´s or High School diploma)
  • Transcripts of marks and academic results from both of the previous studies
  • CV
  • Motivation letter
  • 2 letters of recommendation
  • English Language Certificate (TOEFL, FCE, IELTS or similar) corresponding to B2/C1 level
  • Completed supplementary questionnaire indicating study track preferences

Language tests

For the EPS Joint Master Degree an applicant’s competence in English should correspond to at least the C1 level, CAE, IELTS 7.0 and TOEFL over 95. For TOEFL please use our institutional code 6633 if you wish for your results to be sent directly to us. For IELTS please select our institution (Faculty of Social Sciences, Charles University) from the list of score receiving institutions if you wish for your results to be sent directly to us. Evidence of this competence is necessary only for non-native English speakers.