6 Professional Humanities MA Degree Programs

The MA in International Relations and Regional Studies master's programme combines a comprehensive study of international relations as an academic discipline and political practice with an in-depth understanding of particular geographic regions, including the European Union, Russia and Eurasia, and the Baltic Sea region.

The Master’s programme in the interdisciplinary field of human rights, with a profile within the humanities, combines historical, philosophical, political and legal perspectives on the complex phenomena that human rights represent in our world. Our teaching faculty reflects the academic width of the Master’s programme. We are committed to the view that human rights need to be regarded and studied not only as ethical principles or grounds for law and policy but also as part of the infrastructure of a democratic society. Students have the opportunity to complete an internship, fieldwork, or study aboard as part of their studies.

As a student of the Double Master's Programme in European Studies, you benefit from the expertise of two top universities. You spend one year studying at Maastricht University in the Netherlands and one year at the University of Cologne and will graduate with two master’s degrees: a Master of Science in European Studies from Maastricht University and a Master of Arts in Political Science from the University of Cologne.

Within this Master’s programme, we study the visual culture of modern and contemporary society. Different visual genres and media are analysed and discussed, such as art, film, news, documentary photo, scientific images and urban environments. We also study technological and social development during modernity as well as cultural and existential aspects of sight and images. After the programme, you will have an in-depth knowledge of visual culture, its theories and analytical methods, and be well-equipped for a continued academic or professional career. You will also have the ability to communicate and critically discuss your knowledge of society in general.

In the Master’s Programme in Applied Cultural Analysis, students are trained in ethnographical fieldwork and cultural analysis. Students learn how to use these theoretical and methodological skills as a means of supporting organisations and businesses as well as municipal and community-based actors to develop their services, products and public outreach programmes. Students also gain an advanced understanding of how to interpret, handle and approach different cultural contexts, and perspectives on project management and communication. The programme works in close cooperation with clients from both the public and private sectors and NGOs. For many students, the programme functions as preparation for and a gateway to PhD studies.

The program is designed in a way that pays a great attention to general pedagogical, psychological and methods-of-teaching knowledge and skills. The language of instruction is English so that students master not only the practical English language but also field-specific terminology so that they become efficient users of English.