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Career prospects

The master's programme in European Studies prepares students for various policy-oriented and administrative positions with a European or international dimension. It prepares and equips students to work in:

• national or international administration
• European or other international institutions
• non-governmental institutions and think tanks
• diplomatic service and foreign affairs
• consultancy and public affairs
• international journalism
• academia and public policy research

The academic year 2011-2012 is the seventh year in which the programme has been running. There are currently over 350 alumni from the MA ES programme, many of whom work in Brussels, as well as national capitals, and further afield. We encourage current and former students to play an active part in the alumni network. Alumni meet up regularly in person and are also well connected via social networking sites such as Facebook.

The MA ES prepares many students for policy-oriented professions of middle-management rank or higher; with a strong European and/or international dimension. It combines academic analysis with practical skills trainings. The MA ES trains students for an array of international / European careers involving policy analysis, administration and research.  A survey of January 2012 provides the following breakdown of career destinations (100%).

• Government & Politics / Governance (national, provincial and local) 28%
• European Commission / European Union / European institutions 17%
• Marketing and communications 8%
• Education and Teaching 7%
• NGOs 6%; Research 6%; Consultancy 6%; Sales 6%
• Journalism & Information 4%; Film & Media 4%
• IT & Computers 3%
• Legal Affairs 2%; Business & Finance 2%; Management & Administration 1%

MA ES graduates are able to secure professional opportunities closely related to their studies soon after graduating. Often this is as policy officer, project officer/coordinator, journalist/editor, consultant, communications officer, manager etc.

Although the MA ES qualifies graduates to work in a broad range of Europe-related fields, job type may differ per specialisation, in line with the intellectual interests and career aspirations of the individual. The following are examples of possible career destinations per specialisation.

• Specialisation 1: students might work in external relations, diplomacy / foreign affairs, for an international organization (e.g. EU, UN. NATO, WHO etc), in import/export and international trade.
• Specialisation 2: students might work in regional, national or international administration/ civil service, European Commission, non-governmental institutions; think-tanks, consultancy and public affairs.
• Specialisation 3: students might work in international development, international journalism/media, NGOs, international watchdogs, and the charity/humanitarian aid sector.