The program addresses the question of what constitutes the nation, analyzes its organization and considers the meaning of "nationalism" as it applies to individual identity.

Key to the study of nationalism is an interdisciplinary approach that includes political science, history, anthropology, sociology, and international relations. To this end, students of the one-year MA program, in addition to completing courses within the Nationalism Studies Program, are also required to attend courses offered by other CEU departments.

The breadth of study allows students to construct a multidimensional picture of what the nation is, how it functions, why it is relevant, and why it is so often at the heart of conflict.

Sample Courses for the Master’s Programs:

• Mandatory Courses: Debates About Self-determination and External Minority Protection in the Twentieth Century; Nationalism,National Identity, National Feeling: The Sociological and Socio-psychological Approach; Nationalism and Political Theory
• Elective Courses: Constitutional Design and Conflict; Law and Ethnicity; Anthropological Approaches to Ethnicity, Racism and Nationalism; Interpretations of Modern Anti-semitism; The Ottoman Empire and the Post-colonial Debate; Sociological Approaches to Race and Ethnicity: The Roma in Central Europe; Interpreting Contemporary Nationalism in Southeastern Europe; Can Western Models of Minority Rights Be Applied in Eastern Europe?

Entry Requirements:

Candidates must have completed a minimum of four years with a BA degree. Applicants to the Master’s program must meet the General CEU Admissions Requirements, and submit a 500-word outline of their proposed research topic and one writing sample, e.g., a term paper of minimum ten pages. If possible, candidates should submit a writing sample that is in some way related to the topic of nationalism.

In exceptional cases, applicants with a three-year bachelor’s degree may be allowed admission into one-year master’s programs. The applicants should be aware that they may not be able to pursue a doctoral degree in the European Higher Education Area if they have accumulated less than 300 ECTS credits in their prior university studies.

Applicants wishing to pursue an academic career should choose their master’s program accordingly (two-year master’s in case they completed a three-year bachelor’s degree, and one-year master’s in case they completed a four-year bachelor’s degree). For the list of conditions under which exemptions may be granted, please refer to the program’s website.