Master of Science in European Politics and Governance

Overview

The aim of the MSc in European Politics and Governance Program is to provide a course of advanced study to those who aspire to become effective leaders in European affairs in both the private and public sectors. The MSc in European Politics and Governance curriculum is designed to explore the essential elements of EU policies and to prepare students for increasingly complex responsibilities in diplomacy, international organizations and the public sector, local government, and research and non-profit organizations. The core curriculum emphasizes both the skills and knowledge required to effectively manage EU affairs and to understand the larger international, European and national settings in which policy is developed and tasks are defined and assessed.

The program provides up-to-date knowledge in a number of diverse disciplines that make up the field of European Studies such as business/ economics, politics, and law. In addition, the MSc in European Politics and Governance equips students with analytical, accountability and leadership skills, enhances their decision-making ability and promotes organizational well-being within the context of a continually changing and competitive European environment.

A fundamental philosophy of the MSc in European Politics and Governance is its empirical approach to the study of governance, where the students’ newly acquired knowledge and skills are blended with their professional experience and are applied to real-life cases.

This approach broadens and deepens student understanding of cross-border issues and policy processes, fosters skills of research, analysis, synthesis, and creativity and encourages innovation and awareness of the role of competing international actors; finally, it develops awareness of social, cultural, and global issues affecting policy decisions.

Admission Requirements

The necessary supporting documents to be submitted with the application include:

• Officially authenticated certificates of academic qualifications of university-level (degree etc.).
• The satisfactory knowledge of the English language is essential. The minimum requirement is the possession of a B1 level English language certificate of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages or a degree of a corresponding level.
  • By decision of the Director of the MSc in European Politics and Governance, special exams or any other test may take place for those candidates who do not have a degree of the abovementioned level so that their ability to meet the standards of the Postgraduate Program is verified.

• Certificates of English Language and the minimum required grade
  • After admission, by the decision of the Director of the MSc in European Politics and Governance students are likely to participate in additional English language courses in order to improve their ability to write their course work, written assignments and the dissertation.

• A statement of personal interest.
• Two reference letters, at least one of which should be of academic character.

Teaching, Learning and Assessment Methods

The MSc in European Politics and Governance teaching methodology involves a combination of lectures, tutorials, seminars, examinations, projects, presentations, assignments, case-study applications, and independent research. In addition, it is designed to provide an academic experience going beyond that of the traditional classroom, in which the flow of information is primarily from the instructor to the student. The intention of the MSc in European Politics and Governance is that each participant will contribute to the education of the entire class through active participation in the learning procedure. This will establish the understanding that an MSc in European Polıtıcs and Governance requires a holistic and interdisciplinary approach.

Each course is evaluated through the completion of one midterm assessment which is explicitly mentioned in the study curriculum and the study guides (essays, literature critiques, article manuscript for the university’s student journal) during the semester and final examinations at the end of the semester. Should a student not attend the examination, or has failed to take a winter or spring semester examination, he or she is entitled to re-sit the examination.

Midterm assessment can take various forms as described earlier like essays, research articles, presentations, literature critiques, book reviews etc, during the semester and corresponds to 40% of the final grade, while the final exam is 60%. For the student to succeed in a course, he/she must take both on the final grade and the midterm assessment a grade of at least 50%. The interactivity and formative assessment form part of the learning and teaching methodology.

In the third semester students complete their Dissertation which corresponds to 30 ECTS. The length of the thesis depends on the type. In the case of a bibliographic thesis, it cannot be less than 12,000 words and more than 15,000 words. The bibliography, the annexes and the abstract are not included. After submission, the supervisor submits a written and reasoned report, with the student’s consent, to the members of the committee. Support for the thesis is done publicly or via an electronic videoconference before a three-member committee.

Advantages of the Program

• The international prestige and recognition of the Neapolis University of Pafos.
• Excellent academic staff with strong expertise in the taught subjects.
• International collaborations with many Universities.
• The use of advanced technology and resources.
• High Academic Calibre of the teaching staff.
• Competitive tuition fees.

Program Structure

Duration - 1.5 academic years (3 academic semesters, 90 ECTS)

In accordance with the relevant announcements made by the Agency of Quality Assurance and Accreditation in Higher Education, students have the opportunity to complete their postgraduate studies in two academic semesters (12 months) as long as they start the conduction of their Master’s Dissertation during the first or second semester of their studies, including the summer period. In this case, the completion of the Master’s Dissertation may be prolonged during the summer period, for one or two months. In any case, the total ECTS remain 90.

The duration of these studies is three semesters. Entries for the MSc in European Politics and Governance are held in September and February/March of each academic year. Each course lasts an academic semester. All students enrolled in the MSc in European Politics and Governance, either in the winter semester or the spring semester can choose the courses offered in the relevant semesters. For successfully completing their studies, students need to accumulate a total of 90 Credits (ECTS).

In accordance with the relevant announcements made by the Agency of Quality Assurance and Accreditation in Higher Education, students have the opportunity to complete their postgraduate studies in two academic semesters (12 months) as long as they start the conduction of their Master’s Dissertation during the first or second semester of their studies, including the summer period. In this case, the completion of the Master’s Dissertation may be prolonged during the summer period, for one or two months. In any case, the total ECTS remain 90.

In the first semester, students are required to choose one compulsory course METH600 and 3 out of 9 elective courses. In the second-semester students are required to choose 4 out of the remaining 6 elective courses. In the third semester, the students prepare their dissertation (see, section 5). Each of the courses corresponds to 7.5 Credits (ECTS). The credits for each course are distributed as follows: 2 for attendance and participation in the courses, 2 for the completion of midterm assessment during the semester, and 3.5 for the final examination. The sequence of elective courses offered per semester is determined by the University at the beginning of each academic year.

In order to obtain their Master’s degree, students are also obliged to conduct a master’s dissertation. The research proposal is submitted by the student, who may request one of the tutors as a supervisor. The thesis can be submitted for up to one academic year after the successful completion of the second semester of study. The dissertation should be relevant to the content of the postgraduate student’s studies and should be original.

Students can write master dissertations and midterm assessments in English regardless of the language of the MSc in European Politics and Governance.

Schedule

The Course Structure of the MSc in European Politics and Governance is as following

Semester: 1&2

• In the first semester, students are required to choose one compulsory course METH600 and 3 out of 9 elective courses.
• In the second semester, students are required to choose 4 out of the remaining 6 optional courses.
• The sequence of elective courses offered per semester is determined by the University at the beginning of each academic year.

• METH600 Research Design and Empirical Methods in the Social Sciences
• HIST610 History of European Integration
• MPA585 European Governance and Negotiations
• MEP400 Theoretical Approaches to European Integration
• MEP300 European Political Economy
• MEP500 Foreign Policy, Security and Defense in the European Union
• MEP600 European Banking System
• MEP700 Special Topics on Police and Judicial Cooperation in the European Union
• IRSS621 Contemporary Issues in Global Politics
• IRSS622 Special Topics in the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East Security

Semester: 3

• DIS800 Dissertation