In addition to meeting the General CEU Admissions Requirements, applicants must submit a one-page statement of purpose, and a 500-word essay. The statement of purpose should describe the applicant’s previous studies and/or research undertaken. It should also include some explanation as to how this has motivated the application to IR, as well as how the MA potentially fits into future work or studies. The focus of the essay should demonstrate knowledge on a specific topic; for example, a particular writer’s work, a theory or school of thought, or an empirical case, and demonstrate how this topic, from the perspective of international relations or a related social science discipline, would relate to the applicant’s future studies and research in the department.
Accepted applicants come from a wide variety of academic backgrounds, although preference is given to students with a degree in the social sciences (including history, political science, law and philosophy). However, others with a demonstrated interest in international affairs and public policy may also be strong candidates for admission.
The one-year MA program builds on the strong tradition of international relations scholarship in North America, the UK, and Western Europe. The aim of the program is to enable students to both explain and understand material, military, economic as well as ideational factors for continuity and change in the international political system. In doing so, although therefore necessarily global in its outlook, the department is also committed to a particular focus on the European context. In addition to exposure to the main areas of teaching in the program, students will also receive thorough preparation in academic writing and research design.
IR Track System
Courses at the Department belong to three different tracks: European Studies Track, International Relations Track, and International Political Economy Track. In each semester students are required to take courses from at least two tracks, while over the course of the academic year students are required to take courses from all three tracks. The track system is thus designed to provide students with a specific course of study, while also offering a more general grounding in the department’s expertise.
Sample Curriculum (Fall Semester)
IR Track
International Relations Theory; East Asia in International Relations; Public International Law; International Security Studies; The State, the Society and Politics in the Middle East
ES Track
EU Enlargement and Neighborhood Policy; The Cold War; European Integration; EU Law; The Political Economy of the EU; EU Security and Defense Policy
IPE Track
Global Economic Inequalities; Political Economy of Global Finance; The Political Economy of the EU; Transnational Corporations and National Governments