MA in Contemporary European Studies:
Politics, Policy and Society
Euromasters & Euromasters with Trans-Atlantic track
What Euromasters graduates say about the programme...
"The Euromasters program brought me a wealth of insights that broadened my intellectual horizon, and it improved my fluency in several European languages. Starting my professional career as a regulatory expert and in-house counsel with Deutsche Telekom AG, I felt the Euromasters experience facilitated cross-cultural exchange with colleagues from other countries. Surely it will also be useful in my new job as a research associate with the Centre for European Policy (CEP) in Freiburg, Germany. As a politically liberal think tank, the CEP provides concise analyses of EU legislative projects for national politicians, enterprises and researchers. This helps people to have a much better informed view on what 'Brussels' is up to, where the EU oversteps its boundaries, but also where it deserves support."
Dr. Dieter Wolfram
"Since completing the Euromasters Programme in 2004, I have worked in three different sectors on three different continents: first for an international exchange programme in the US, then for a leading international public health NGO in Paris, and now in an international business consultancy based in India.
Having such names as University of Bath and Sciences Po Paris on one's CV will certainly catch the eye of any informed HR executive. However, what I gained by participating in Euromasters goes far beyond a fancy degree. Participating in the programme gave me the opportunity to collaborate with top students and professors from a variety of academic and personal backgrounds. This has helped me to adapt to new cultural and professional situations and has provided me with both the confidence and the intercultural skills that employers in today's highly-competitive global market look for in young potential employees."
Margot-Marie Bigg
"…the last year was one of the best of my life. I learnt a lot and grew up quite a bit. The programme definitely is worth the money and deserves its excellent reputation… Euromasters has the reputation of being a demanding programme which expects students to have good skills already….. [but] the staff in Bath found a wonderful way to treat the students as adults and still have someone to help us whenever we needed help… Bath had amazing equipment. Lots of computers, a good range of books in the library and a number of Ingenta journals which the university subscribed to… Coming from Germany and the German university system where everything is free, I expected to get something very special in Bath, paying all that money. My expectations were met… When I went home for Christmas after studying in Bath, I told my family that I had learnt more in those three months than I had learned during the four years I had spent at a German university. Lectures were amazingly instructive and gave a very good foundation… Everyone was griping about the workload and lots of deadlines in Bath. Yes, there was a lot to do, but I want to point out here that it was just right! I did not only learn a lot during the lectures but also by writing essays and I wouldn’t have wanted to miss any of that."
Birte Müller-Heidelberg, Germany.
After doing the Core Module in Bath she did the National Module in Prague and the Specialist Module in Berlin. This is her assessment of the Euromasters experience, especially of the Core Module in Bath.
“Undertaking the Euromasters program was a great opportunity. It has been a great and very valuable experience which has opened a whole new spectrum of possibilities for me.
After leaving Bath, I started an internship in Paris at the Assembly of the Western European Union. Next, I was selected for the (highly competitive) internship program at the EU Institute of Security Studies, also in Paris. After that, I received an offer from Royal Holloway (University of London) of a three year scholarship for a PhD and an Assistant Professor position of EU Politics.
I guess I am trying to say that the program has been of an enormous value to me, in the widest sense. I am extremely thankful to the Programme Director and the entire ESML department.”
Luis Simon, Spain
The Euromaster Programme will expose you to a broad variety of social science approaches in the study of contemporary Europe as well as to a large group of European and non-European fellow students whose attitudes and opinions will challenge your expectations and current state of mind. Furthermore, the programme takes place in the only English city with Mediterranean flair that I would be aware of.
"Euromasters was a fantastic experience: the modules, led by excellent teaching staff, were academically challenging and thoroughly interesting. Added to this the opportunity to study in different countries with fellow students from a multitude of countries makes it rather unique! During my time studying in Berlin, I interned with the German Green Party, and following Euromasters I remained in Germany for over three years, working at a political consultancy company and the European Central Bank. I’ve returned to Britain to take up a position on the British Civil Service Fast Stream Programme, where my background means I’m well placed to get involved with the European side of things. My experiences and the great friendships I made through Euromasters will stay with me for a long time to come."
Kathrine McAleenan
"I would say Euromasters is a global learning experience that really goes far beyond academic considerations. I realise only now what a variety of things were concentrated into one and the same year."
Gwenaelle Baise, Belgium
"Looking back, I feel that Euromasters was a unique programme of study that provided me with an unparalleled command of both the political and institutional, and the socio-cultural European framework. Thanks to the international experience offered by Euromasters I was able to choose from a variety of job offers, and finally decided to work with an international consulting firm in Frankfurt."
Julia Ries, Germany
"I believe I have gained skills and knowledge which are thoroughly transferable and which would enable me to work in many fields, such as business, industry or academia, to name just a few. Since graduating, I have been employed by a television production company in Germany, and am now working for the European Commission in London. I believe the ease with which I found employment afterwards can, to a large degree, be put down to the experience I gained from the Euromasters course."
Damon Allen, UK
"What I personally found extremely interesting and worthwhile was the concept of selecting one topic and inviting speakers/lecturers from different countries to talk about it. This gives a better understanding of how a particular issue is perceived in different parts of the world."Catherine Korsgaard, France
What Euromasters Employers say about the programme...
Catherine Korsgaard graduated in 1997 and was offered a job with AXA Sun Life Services. Peter Clark, Chief Actuary and Finance Director expressed his support of the Euromasters programme as follows: "Catherine Korsgaard is now working for AXA Sun Life as part of our International Project Team. The Euromasters programme is a tremendous spring-board in preparing students to deal with the cultural, political and economic spectrum within the expanding European Union. The course is a significant achievement for the European universities involved, and I do wish them every success for the future."
Mimosa Spencer joined the International Herald Tribune in the Editorial Department in the Fall of 1998, after completion of her Euromasters studies. Commenting on Mimosa's skills and aptitudes, Elisabeth Hopkins, Manager of Editorial Services, said "It is obvious that her studies in the frame of the Euromasters program have prepared her to be alert and efficient in what makes the International Herald Tribune such a special environment for these young persons: expertise in French language, knowledge of French and European affairs, ability to analyze and compare American and European politics, ability to deal professionally with different nationalities, at either executive or employee level."
Magdalena Diaz, who also graduated in 1998, went on to work for an organisation closely involved in European issues, Iniciativas y Projectos Europeos. The Director of this entreprise, Charles Janssen, writes "During the period that Ms Dias Gorfinkiel and my team have been working together, she has clearly demonstrated very good language skills, outstanding research and writing skills and a profound knowledge of the European integration process and its social implications. Working on international research assignments, she adapts easily to changing environments and requirements, fully appreciates cultural differences and integrates well into our multicultural and multidisciplinary team. I am convinced that her international background and, in particular, the experiences obtained during Euromasters have strongly contributed to her aforementioned skills and adaptability."
Contacts for Alumni please e-mail: euromasters@bath.ac.uk