Master's specialisation of Political Science | Joint programme optionalEuropean Union Politics and Governance
How can the effectiveness of EU policy be ensured? How does the EU engage with societal actors, and what effect does this have on the EU's legitimacy? This multidisciplinary Master's equips you with cutting-edge insights from politics and governance to tackle questions like these.
Something for you?
- You are eager to combine state-of-the-art insights from political science and public administration to the EU.
- You enjoy the interdisciplinary nature of this shared programme with Public Administration (This variation emphasises Political Science. For the variation that emphasises Public Administration, click here.)
- You want to learn how EU policy ambitions lead to concrete results, and what went wrong when they do not.
- You are interested in opportunities to complete an internship and connect theory with practice.
- You would like to start building a professional network.
- You are looking for a programme taught by two departments with an international reputation for teaching, academic quality and lecturer quality.
- This programme has an above-average score compared to the national average on three or more of the five core subjects (Source: Keuzegids 2025).
Admission requirements
Do you want to know if you can be admitted? Read more about the admission requirements of this programme.
Admission and applicationFactsheet
- Main language
- English
- Study duration
- 1 year (60 EC)
- Start
- September
- Contact hours
- 5-10
- Number of students
- 12
- Programme format
- Full time
- Degree
- Master of Science, specialisation of Political Science
- Faculty
- Nijmegen School of Management
- CROHO code
- 60203
- Accreditation
- NVAO
What will you learn
This specialisation will teach you how political and social processes of contestation affect European governance, how policy is created and implemented within the EU, how issues of legitimacy are handled and how problems are approached and solved. You will learn to apply these insights to urgent cross-border social problems and the often-fraught interactions between European and national governments. You will also learn to design policy interventions, advise policymakers and make connections between theoretical perspectives to reflect on how European politics and governance operate.
Study programme
Future career opportunities
Our graduates are well-equipped for positions as:
• Policy maker at a local, regional or national government department
• Policy role at one of the European institutions
• Political assistant at a national or European parliament
• Consultant in private or public sector
• Journalist
• Researcher (academic or at think-tank or policy institute)
• Analyst or lobbyist at civil society organisation
Research
To give you an idea of the kind of research you can expect in this specialisation, we have provided a few examples of questions you can answer:
- How can the EU affect global politics as a regional integration organisation?
- How can we better understand the EU's institutional design?
- How do politicians and policymakers cooperate effectively despite strong political polarisation on EU affairs within and between member states?
Questions about this programme?
Do you have a question about this programme? We're happy to help. Please contact us, ask a student or check out our information activities.
ContactTuitions & grants
If you are going to follow this Master's programme, you will pay an annual tuition fee. There are different tuition rates. The amount depends on your personal situation.
Tuition