Master's Degree Programme
| About the programme Language: English (See language requirements) | Place of study: Aarhus | Commencement: August / September (no winter intake) |
At the Master’s degree programme in European Studies, you work with European affairs within politics, culture and history. You engage with European diversity and with everything that connects Europeans. You learn to analyse the many challenges and opportunities in European cooperation and in Europe as a whole. You study the EU’s institutions and work with the analysis of cultural, social and political processes in Europe, as well as with the question of what Europe actually is.
European Studies is an international master’s programme where you have fellow students from all over the world. This also means that teaching takes place in English, like the other master’s programmes at AU, and that you will be speaking quite a lot of English both inside and outside the classroom. This international environment provides you with a dynamic learning experience, where you, together with students from diverse cultural and academic backgrounds, engage in discussions on topics such as democracy and international relations and continuously contribute new perspectives.
With a Master’s degree in European Studies, you gain an international profile, and throughout the programme you develop strong intercultural competences.
Graduates in European Studies typically find employment in companies with a European or international profile, public institutions, NGOs, EU institutions, embassies, etc., and work in areas such as cultural communication, European affairs, project coordination, or intercultural communication. You also have the opportunity to pursue an academic career and apply for a PhD.
In this section you can learn more about the admission requirements relevant to the master's degree programme in European Studies. Depending on your educational background and your qualifications, there are different ways to meet the admission requirements:
This section is relevant for you, if you have:
The two sections listed below are relevant only for students with a bachelor's degree from a Danish institution:
Below these sections, you can learn more about the English language requirement. You can also find out which ranking criteria we use to assess your application when prioritizing among the submitted applications.
If you have an international educational background, you must meet both the general admission requirement and the specific admission requirements:
You must have a bachelor's degree or equivalent that is comparable to a Danish bachelor's degree in both level and duration (180 ECTS).
For more information about how your bachelor's degree is assessed, please see the national database.
If you meet the general admission requirement, the university will continue on to assess whether or not you meet the specific admission requirements.
You can be admitted to the master's programme if the university assesses that your education has a level, scope, and content that corresponds to the academic requirements specified below.
| Subject area | Number of ECTS |
| Cultural, historical or social subjects/areas | 100 |
We cannot assess in advance whether your specific degree will meet the above requirements. Therefore, we recommend that you apply for the programme if you believe that you meet the academic requirements. In this regard, it is a good idea to compare your degree with the programmes that provide direct admission.
No Bachelor's degree programme(s) from Aarhus University entitles applicants to an offer of admission to the Master's degree programme in European Studies.
Certain Bachelor's degree programmes from Aarhus University and various other Danish Universities have been determined to meet the admission requirements to this Master's degree programme in European Studies:
All Master’s degree programmes at Aarhus University have limited intake. This means that you are not guaranteed admission even if you meet the entry requirements. When we prioritize among applicants, we assess your application based on a set of fixed ranking criteria, which you can see below.
If you have a legal right of admission, you are guaranteed a place in the programme and do not need to consider the ranking criteria.
Ranking criteria:
1. Grade level from qualifying degree programme
2. Grades achieved in relevant subject areas:
Cultural Studies
International Studies or European Studies
Sociology
Anthropology
History
Political Science
3. Relevant subject areas (expressed in ECTS credits). This assessment does not include ECTS credits, which are part of the admission requirements described under 'Other degree programmes that may give access'.
Cultural Studies
International Studies or European Studies
Sociology
Anthropology
History
Political Science
Please note that grades achieved after the application deadline are not included in the assessment.
In order to be admitted to this programme you must meet the university's English language requirements.
Students with bachelor's degree from Aarhus University with a so-called 'Legal right of admission' are exempt from the English language requirement.
Unfortunately, Aarhus University is not able to assess your qualifications beforehand. In order for your qualifications to be assessed you must apply for admission. To learn more, please go to Assessment of your qualifications.
As a student, it is important to know the regulations for your chosen degree programme: what is the content, how is it structured and what does it require from you.
You can find this information in the academic regulation for your degree programme:
The degree programme has been approved with English as the language of teaching. This is the language in which the programme is generally taught.
To read the individual course descriptions, click on the courses in the study diagram for the Master’s degree programme in European studies.
Students of European studies can specialise by choosing a profile course, a project placement, or a period of study abroad:
Monday:
8-12 Study group
12-15 Class in Political Institutions of the EU
Tuesday:
8-12 Reading
12-13 Lunch
14-17 Class in European Identities
Wednesday:
8-12 Reading
12-16 Study group work
Thursday
8-16 Reading
Friday
8-11 Reading
11-14 Class in Applied Qualitative Research Methods
The Master’s degree programme in European studies is a full-time course of study corresponding to 37-40 hours of work a week. Even though you may not have to attend lectures or classes every day, you should expect to spend quite a lot of time preparing for the teaching and meeting your study group.
Most of the teaching takes place in the Nobel Park, where there are plenty of international students speaking English, Russian, Chinese and many other languages. Previously, students from the European studies programme have volunteered for the Harvard WorldMUN in both the Hague and Taipei, and you are welcome to supplement your degree programme with additional experiences and competences.
Kim Bæksgaard Hansen, Master’s student on the European studies programme
I’ve got a Bachelor’s degree in history, and European studies helps me to gain a more diverse understanding of European development in a political, historical and cultural sense. I really love the international angle – plenty of my fellow students come from outside Denmark. The cultural differences between the students often generate alternative approaches to specific issues, and this has definitely helped to develop my academic competences.
Internship in Ankara
A typical day largely consists of teaching and independent study in a reading room. But this semester has been very different: I’ve done an internship in the political/financial department of the Danish embassy in Ankara. This has given me the chance to test my academic skills in a practical setting. The things I’ve learned on the European studies programme have definitely created the knowledge base needed to do my job at the embassy.
- experienced, photographed and filmed by the students themselves.
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Anette Dincher Nielsen, coordinator of volunteers in Aarhus Municipality
My job involves supporting the work done by volunteers with elderly citizens in Aarhus Municipality. I recruit volunteers for a range of tasks at our local centres for the elderly, as well as making sure that the framework for their efforts is constantly expanded and improved. For instance, I apply for grants, launch new projects and check that all the needs of our volunteers are being met. European studies has given me a very broad range of skills which I actually use on a daily basis.
European Studies gives you an interdisciplinary profile, where you combine knowledge of European politics, history, culture, and social conditions with strong analytical and communication skills. You learn to understand complex European issues, work in English, and translate knowledge of the EU and Europe into analysis, communication, and project work.
Your career opportunities depend, among other things, on your bachelor’s degree, elective courses, student jobs, and the experience you build during your studies. With a Master’s degree in European Studies, you can work in public institutions, international companies, NGOs, cultural institutions, public affairs agencies, and companies working with European markets or EU regulation.
Former students of European Studies, for example, work as:
Arts Career offers inspiration, guidance, and sparring on your career opportunities while you study. You can find more examples of job opportunities with a Master’s in European Studies in the Arts Career Career Catalogue.
