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Migration

 

Master in European Migration Policies                                       

Obtaining an Masters degree whilst having a full-time job?
The European Institute of Public Administration (EIPA) and
Maastricht Graduate School of Governance (MGSoG),
Maastricht University offer a two-year Masters programme in
European Migration Policies, starting in September 2008. The
programme offers policy makers and other public officials in the
European Union and its partner countries the opportunity to
participate in seminars and workshops and to receive interactive
training in the field of European migration policies. It equips
students with the knowledge and skills necessary to formulate
and implement migration policies effectively. The programme is
designed to fit the needs and possibilities of policy makers with
a daily job and optimises the conditions allowing participants to
combine their careers with obtaining a Masters degree. The key
lecturers of the programme are leading scholars in the broad
field of migration policies. Their input in combination with the
support and expertise from Maastricht University and EIPA
guarantees the high quality of the programme.

Student profile
The Masters programme is primarily aimed at public officials
from national, regional and local authorities of the EU member
states, officials from the EU institutions, professionals in the
private sector, law enforcement officers, consultants, staff of
NGOs, institutes, Think Tanks, and others working on European
migration policies. We also welcome practitioners of supranational
organisations and bodies working on security and
external border management.
The participants in the programme are academically interested
public officials looking to combine their regular jobs with a
Masters programme. Ideally, the participant’s employer supports
the activities by allocating some time and cooperation for
the purpose of assignments. Given the broad scope of the
programme, we welcome participants from various disciplines
(e.g. law, economics, political sciences, social sciences) with at
least a BA degree or a comparable level of education.

Career perspectives
The multifaceted approach of the MA programme allows
participants to obtain the necessary skills needed to function
as a professional in a challenging environment. The MA in
European Migration Policies enables participants to develop
their professional careers in a great variety of policy areas, such
as positions in national, regional and local authorities, but also
for positions at EU-institutions, staff positions at Think Tanks,
NGO’s and private enterprises.

Content
The programme is designed to meet the needs of policy makers
and other public officials in the European Union and its partner
countries by offering them the required knowledge and skills
to effectively formulate and implement migration policies.

 It provides graduates with a comprehensive and comparative
understanding of European and national laws and policies in
the field, also touching upon the different economic and
cultural aspects of migration. The focus of the programme is
the core policy issues raised by migration, examining in detail
cross-border cooperation and the functioning of the various
European networks.
The full programme spans two years and has the following
characteristics:
• The programme consists of eight modules, including a skills
training and a Masters thesis
• Each module centres around a three-day seminar hosted in
Maastricht, with two days of advanced lectures and a workshop
with group interaction and individual contact during the
third day.
• Prior to the seminar, initial assignments will be developed
in virtual collaboration and discussion with other group
members, and supported by individual feedback on the
progress of the assignments by staff members.
• Following the seminar, the module continues with the
writing of a final assignment which is tailor-made to the
interests of the participant. The final assignment is in line
with the contents of the module and can be either in the
form of a case study or a small research project.
• The workshops in each module will be used for the following
objectives:
• to learn from each other by taking advantage of the
diversified background of the participants, both disciplinary
and in their national and cultural variety,
• to provide ample opportunities of having close contact
with prominent thinkers and decision makers in the field.
• The skills training focuses on the Masters thesis and can also
be used to tend to specific, individual needs that are not
covered elsewhere in the programme.
• The Masters thesis is written on a subject chosen by the
participant and closely supervised by a staff member of
Maastricht University.
The programme is facilitated by:
• The extensive experience of both the EIPA and the Maastricht
University in an electronic learning environment.
• The multidisciplinary approach inherent to Maastricht
University’s unique Problem Based Learning teaching system.
• The participation of staff members from at least four
different faculties of the UM, in cooperation with the EIPA.
• The extensive library facilities provided by Maastricht
University.
All elements of the Masters programme require the active
contribution of the staff members of Maastricht University and
the EIPA, and also from the key experts in the policy fields and
from partner institutions. The various activities encourage
contact between the Master participants and enable them
to learn from each other, utilising the electronic learning
environment and the facilities provided at the seminars.
The programme provides a stimulating and challenging
atmosphere to facilitate this.