The European Studies Transfer minor will provide you with the skills and conceptual tools to gain an in-depth understanding of the complexities of European policymaking, in order to address the cross-border, societal challenges our society is facing today.

After the transfer minor you are able to start the Master of European Studies. Climate change, cyber security, migration, and the energy transition: the grand challenges society faces today are not limited to borders. They require international collaboration, and the European Union (EU) is a key player in fostering such cooperation – shaping policies and driving innovation to tackle these issues collectively. But how do you navigate the complexities that arise in the context of European policymaking? How do you reach effective decision-making with multiple member states and institutions involved? And what are the implications of technological advances for governance on an international scale? You will learn to deal with these and many more questions. You can also opt for a two-year Master's degree programme Comparative Public Governance offered jointly by the University of Twente and the University of Münster, leading to a double Dutch-German degree after this minor.

The European Studies Transfer minor consists of two parts: a part with practical tools you need, like Academic Writing and Research methodology, and a part with a subject directly from European Studies: Fulltime modules like Societal Challenges (about immigration) or Public Management (about how the public sector should do the right things the right way in the right time).

This transfer minor dominantly aims at preparing you for the master of science (MSc) programme European Studies and upon successful completion of this minor, you can have direct and unconditional access to this Master’s Programme including the two-year variant in collaboration with University of Münster (see also Entry requirements below).

With a Master’s degree in European Studies from the University of Twente, you are equipped with a broad understanding of the inner workings of Europe and you are prepared for a wide range of jobs in government, the private sector or non-governmental organizations such as Greenpeace.

You will have understood that:

-         Problems and possible solutions require thorough analysis
-         Complex problems cannot be solved by a single discipline
-         Problems are increasingly international (cross-border)

To successfully implement policies, government (the public sector) needs to cooperate with companies, NGOs, educational and research institutes, housing corporations, healthcare organizations etc.

This minor aims to attract students from universities of applied sciences (HBO) who have the adequate motivation and capacities to complete an English-taught degree programme on university level.

The University of Twente assumes that students who start this transfer minor possess sufficient prior knowledge in mathematics (preferably Wiskunde –A on so-called VWO-level) and that they are sufficiently proficient in English (benchmark score in this regard: IELTS 6.0 or TOEFL 80). Students are supposed to assess themselves whether their competencies in this respect match with the recommended levels.

You need to have completed 120 EC’s from your current related bachelor’s studies before starting this transfer minor.

You need to fulfil all the requirements of the minor of 30 EC within one year to gain access to the master European Studies.

In order to determine whether your current studies is sufficiently related to European Studies, please check: www.doorstroommatrix.nl  and check the  European Studies programme’s website www.utwente.nl/master/es.

Note:
For those whose current bachelor’s studies involves a non-related programme, admission is determined on an individual basis by the European Studies Admission Board

Literature in the field of European Studies and social methodology, e.g.:

-  Earl Babbie, The Practice of Social Research, 14th edition
  (look for the student edition available at the study association).

-  Ossewaarde, M. (2013) Theorizing European Societies. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

-  Volti, R. (2024), Society and Technological Change, 9th edition. New York: Worth Publishers.

To be made available before the start of the semester. You are expected to be in Enschede most working days of the week. Our semesters are scheduled as two blocks of 10 weeks.

Courses of the minor:

5 EC Research methodology and descriptive statistics

5 EC Academic Writing

5 EC Introduction to European Studies (semester 1) or Introduction to Public Policy (semester 2)

15 EC Module Societal Challenges (semester 1) or Module Public Management (semester 2)

Assessment:

-  Assessment of research methodology is a written exam and a practical exercise

-  Assessment of Academic writing is a comprehensive literature review based on scientific articles

-  Assessment of intro to ES and intro to PP is a written exam

-  Assessment of the modules is a combination of written exams, individual practical exercises
   and group work. Both modules are combined with an advanced statistics course.

N.B. The learning agreement signed by the student and his Examination Board must have reached the UT-contactperson before the enrollment ends.