EPS structure
The EPS Programme 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. Moreover, students take part in our Academic Writing Course as a prerequisite for all classes in winter term.
First Year
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 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 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 encourages them to share their experience. Second, first-year students present their MA thesis projects and get feedback from all students and academic experts. All students also participate in intensive training in research methods.
Second year
For the second year of the EPS Programme, 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.
In the third semester, students travel to Brussels, for the Brussels Field Trip to meet experts from EU institutions, think tanks and other relevant organizations located in Brussels who discuss their JMD topics with them. This offers students the chance to get in contact with stakeholders in the core of EU decision making and to better understand the day-to-day operations of the “EU capital”.
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).
Master thesis
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, selected 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. Find more information in the EPS MA thesis handbook.
Courses
To complete the European Politics and Society Joint Master Programme, students must acquire a total of 120 ECTS credits and defend their Master Thesis. The following compulsory courses represent 95 ECTS credits.
If you want to learn more about the compulsory and facultative courses, download this file with a detailed overview. You can also consult the EPS Handbook containing all the useful information about the EPS Programme for the first-year and second-year students.
If you want to learn more about the evaluation grids, minimal results required to pass and final evaluation, consult this file with more information.
Students are subject to the regulations, policies and procedures of the Partner University of their stay, including those related to attendance, student discipline, complaints and appeals against the decision of the examiners, and the academic regulations of each Partner University. Here are the local regulations: Prague, Barcelona, Leiden and Krakow.
Find here the example of the EPS diploma and EPS joint diploma supplement.
Last updated 28. 6. 2022.
