Admission requirements

For the research master’s programme European Studies enrolment takes place on the basis of your quality and suitability. For this your motivation, prior qualifications and your (professional) experience are important.

All candidates should meet the general requirements:

submit your curriculum vitae,
write a letter of motivation,
submit two writing samples,
demonstrate proficiency in English.

Please check below whether additional requirements apply to you.

Also check the required documents under Admission and registration

Graduates from a relevant university bachelor's programme

You are eligible for admission if you have graduated in a relevant bachelor's degree in: European Studies, Social or Political Science, History, Economics, International Relations, Law, or a similar field. Provided that the Bachelor’s programme included sufficient Europe-oriented component.

You must have strong academic abilities, not be afraid to work hard, and have a keen interest to pursue research in the field of European integration.

Please note. There are additional requirements when applying for the double degree track.

General requirements

1. Submit your curriculum vitae

All candidates must provide a cv. Please list your education, relevant extracurricular activities and internship/professional experience.

2. Write a letter of motivation

All candidates must write a letter of motivation. Please provide good arguments about why you want to do this master's programme at Maastricht University and why you believe that you can successfully complete the programme.

Address the following subjects:

Why are you interested in the Research Master European Studies at Maastricht University?
Which of the following three themes you are most interested in: 1) the history of the European integration process; 2) governance and representation in the European Union; 3) Europe and the world (see here for a description of these themes). Please give examples of research questions that appeal to you within these themes
What kind of training have you had so far in research methods? Are you most experienced and/or interested in qualitative or quantitative research methods?

3. submit two writing samples

All candidates should submit two essays on a topic preferably related to European Studies. You can use a copy form earlier studies or another occasion. In English, written by you.

4. Demonstrate proficiency in English

This master is taught in English. You must therefore have a thorough active and passive command of English.

No additional evidence of sufficient command of the English language is required if you meet any of the following criteria:

you are a native English speaker
you have completed an English-taught Bachelor or Master

If you do not meet any of these criteria, you have to provide evidence of sufficient command of the English language by either an IELTS, a TOEFL or a Cambridge test. You have to prepare and register for these tests yourself.

Plan your test in time. It can take some time before you get the results.

Read more about the tests

IELTS
TOEFL
Cambridge English

The required scores are

IELTS test: minimum score overall 7.0 and writing minimum score 6.5
TOEFL test: overall, internet-based minimum score 100 and writing mimimum score 25
TOEFL test: overall, paper-based minimum score 600
TOEFL test: overall, computer-based minimum score 250
A Cambridge certificate: C or higher for the CAE (Certificate in Advanced English).

Additional requirements when applying for
the double degree track

If you wish to enrol in the double degree track, you need to indicate this in your motivation letter when applying. Your application will be assessed by the Boards of Admissions of both Maastricht University and the University of Cologne.

If you apply for the Double Degree, you should specialise in either research theme 2 (“Governance and Representation in Europe”) or research theme 3 (“Europe and the World”).

Please complete the Double Degree form and upload it in MyUM under Double Degree.

Tuition fees

Tuition fees for the Double Degree Programme

Year one

In year one you have to pay the regular UM tuition fee. You are enrolled at UM but also at the University of Cologne, though no tuition fees are charged in Cologne.

However, all students of the University of Cologne must pay a social contribution of approximately € 270 per semester. This is not a tuition fee but a solidarity payment. It also includes the cost of the semester ticket for free public transportation.

If you are not interested in using the German’s transportation system, you can get back a part of the money for the semester ticket (approximately €170 euros per semester). The request for the reimbursement of the money for the semester ticket is only in the first year and has to be done within four weeks after the beginning of the lectures of the University of Cologne.

Deadline for application is 15 May 2018. The deadline for students who have required their bachelor’s degree outside of Germany and not at Maastricht University need to apply additionally via uni-assist before 30 April. They charge a handling fee of 75€.

Year two

In year two you have to pay the regular tuition fee at University of Cologne. You are enrolled at the University of Cologne. You do not need to register at Maastricht University at the start of the academic year. However, in order to graduate at Maastricht University, you need to register for the month of August only and will have to pay 1/12 of the applicable tuition fee.

The admissions office of the UM will contact you in May of your second year to inform you on the registration procedure at UM.

For questions please contact fasos-masteroffice[at]maastrichtuniversity[dot]nl

Non-EEA students must pay a €100 handling fee

Non-EEA students who apply for this master's programme will have to pay a handling fee. Your application will not be taken into consideration without the required fee of €100 (excl. bank costs) which you will have to pay when you apply.
The handling fee is to cover certain administrative costs in relation to your application.