The interdisciplinary and international Master of Arts in European Studies: Transnational and Global Perspectives (MAES) introduces students to the study of Europe as a continent of strong interactions across national boundaries and of constant exchange with the outside world. It offers insights and knowledge about the nature and functioning of Europe both in the contemporary world and in an historical perspective.

In the interdisciplinary one-year (60 ECTS) 'Master of European Studies: Transnational and Global Perspectives' (MAES) we educate a global elite that understands Europe as a region of historical diversities as well as intense interactions across national boundaries and exchanges with the outside world. MAES welcomes ambitious and talented students from all over the world and from various disciplinary backgrounds. A top-level interdisciplinary, research-based education enables our graduates to anticipate and find solutions for complex challenges created by a globalising world that transcend national and disciplinary borders.

The Master of European Studies (MAES) introduces you to the study of Europe as a continent of strong interactions across national boundaries and of constant exchange with the outside world. It provides you with tools to adequately analyse Europe as an actor in the formation of the modern and contemporary world. Hence, the programme offers a multidimensional analysis of the political, historical, cultural, economic and judicial aspects that shape the current position of Europe as a region of internal and global interactions. In today’s era of globalisation the position of Europe constantly changes as the continent is deeply involved in globalisation processes. The MAES programme puts these changes into a multidisciplinary perspective. You find an overview of the MAES programme here and more detailed information below on this page. 

Core Course and Master Thesis:

All students take a common course on ‘Transnational and Global Perspectives on Europe’ which offers an overview on ideas, theories and methodologies on European Studies in a transnational and global perspective. Moreover, all students write a Master thesis about transnational developments in Europe and/or the position of Europe in a global context

Specialised Modules:

In addition, students choose two out of eleven modules: a major and a minor. In their major, students usually take three courses (16 to 18 ECTS). In their minor students usually take two courses (10 to 12 ECTS). Students also take a minimum of 6 ECTS as electives that can be chosen from all modules and from the additional electives.

Extracurricular Activities:

KU Leuven is based close to the European, transatlantic and international institutions in Brussels, Strasbourg and Luxembourg, as well as historical sites such as Waterloo or the World War I battle fields around the historical city of Ypres (Flanders Fields).

The Master of European Studies organizes an internship and job information session, during which our students meet alumni who work for European institutions, non-governmental organisations, lobby groups and private companies. Our programme also runs an annual poster conference as well as a student conference during which students receive feedback on their ongoing master thesis research.

Going Abroad and Studying languages:

MAES offers excellent students the possibility to further specialise in comparative and transnational Europe-Asia studies through summer schools and our double degrees with our partner universities in Japan and Korea. More information on these and other opportunities is available here.

To increase your understanding of Europe's position in the world as well as to strengthen your career prospects, we also highly encourage you to follow language courses offered at KU Leuven. The Leuven Language Institute (ILT) is excellent for academic English and Dutch and the Language Centre (CLT) offers a range of language courses including non-EU languages like Russian, Arabic, Turkish or Chinese.