Central Module: Culture

BA degree in the field: Cultural Studies and Business Administration (Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin)

Stay abroad as part of the MES: Università degli Studi di Bologna (Bologna, Italy), summer semester 2017.

Since I had already chosen two different fields of study in my combined Bachelor's degree, I was keen to maintain the interdisciplinarity during my Master's degree. MES offered me the opportunity to gain an insight into two other disciplines (politics and law). In this way, I was able to gain new impressions and focus on topics that particularly interested me and deepen these within the framework of the elective modules.

Due to its cross-faculty orientation, the MES offers an incredibly broad list of events. Everyone can set their own focus and design it individually. In addition to regularly recurring courses, new seminars and lectures are offered every semester, often as part of guest professorships and usually in other languages. The immensely large selection of study places abroad, thanks to Viadrina's many cooperations with other universities, also offers many opportunities for exciting stays abroad. This means that the degree programme not only teaches European content, but also lives it.

Kristin Braband

Consultant for Cultural Integration at the German Cultural Council e.V.

Period of study: 2016 - 2019

Attila Gerhäuser

Managing Director of German Association of Tax Advisers e.V.

Period of study: 2009 - 2012

Central module: Law

BA degree in the field of: Political Science and Public Law

Stay abroad as part of the MES: September - December 2010: EU Delegation to the United States (Washington, DC)

What I found particularly positive was the great freedom of choice in the individual composition of the courses, as well as the possibility to focus on European and international law. I was also attracted by the fact that I was studying at a small university with a very good academic supervision rate. I also found it exciting to live in a multicultural environment right on the German-Polish border.
I was very impressed by the great commitment of the programme management. Overall, the quality of teaching at MES was excellent. The seminars with Prof. Beichelt and Prof. Verheugen were particularly instructive for me.

Central module: Economics

BA degree in the field: European Studies (focus on economics)

After my year abroad in Norway after graduating from high school, I decided to study a programme that would prepare me for a job in an international context. First it was the European Studies Bachelor in Magdeburg and then the MES at the Viadrina. Since I had already studied Polish in my Bachelor's degree, the Viadrina's proximity to Poland was particularly appealing to me. From my flat-share room in the Halbe Stadt, I could look out to Slubice.
The MES offered a lot of freedom in the choice of courses, so that in many modules you could decide for yourself which topics you wanted to study. The courses held by guest professors (some in their native language) were particularly interesting because they brought other European perspectives into the lecture hall and offered an opportunity to further develop my foreign language skills. Integrating the offers of the Career Centre into my studies also focused my attention on the soft skills that are so important. For the Viadrina in general, there are a large number of student initiatives where you can get involved and benefit from their commitment - from the numerous panel discussions to food hopping to sports and theatre events, there was a lot on offer.

Sophia Grunert

Head of Division, German Confederation of Skilled Crafts

Period of study:
2012 - 2015

Enrico Günther

Candidate (Attaché) for the Senior Foreign Service, Federal Foreign Office Berlin

Period of study:
2012 - 2014

Central module: Politics (double master with the Institut d'Etudes Politiques in Strasbourg)

BA degree from the field: Journalism and Communication Studies (FU Berlin)

The Viadrina not only offers the opportunity to study aspects of European integration in depth with its good and varied study programme; Frankfurt (Oder) is a place for this, where one can see European integration growing together and still feel the historical significance of German-Polish relations. The proximity to the federal capital Berlin offers excellent points of contact for observing and discussing German European policy - the Viadrina has made a name for itself in Berlin.
The MES offers an above-average degree of choice in a wide variety of courses. The goal-oriented student can choose between overview courses, e.g. on European foreign policy, to focused seminars, e.g. on the significance of borders in European discourse. The opportunities offered by the double master's programmes are the special icing on the cake.

Central module: Culture

BA degree in the field: Communication Studies with a focus on Eastern Europe (HF), English Studies/American Studies (NF)

Stay abroad as part of MES: University of Oulu, Finland (September to December 2010)

I chose MES because, in contrast to comparable degree programmes at Viadrina, I had greater thematic and geographical "freedom of movement". This allowed me to study individual aspects of Polish culture and history as well as to make an excursion into Scandinavian Studies (during my semester abroad). In addition, the great diversity of languages appealed to me - not only in terms of language learning courses, but also with regard to the range of seminars themselves. In the course of my studies, I attended seminars in German, English and Polish, was able to consolidate my knowledge of Polish and learn Finnish and Russian. In the end, the broad range of seminars and languages was decisive for my choice of study - as well as the view of Europe from the German-Polish border region, in the context of which I have been moving professionally ever since.

The large selection of courses, which requires very independent study, but also provides a broad and detailed insight into the most diverse areas in the focus of "culture". Especially from a cultural studies perspective, it is particularly appealing that an interdisciplinary overview is offered in dealing with topics related to Europe, but at the same time you can specialise in your own research interests.

Anna Labentz

Academic assistant as editor-in-chief of the academic online platform
"Polenstudien.Interdisziplinär" (www.pol-int.org) at the Centre for
Interdisciplinary Polish Studies (ZIP) at the European University Viadrina in Frankfurt (Oder)

Period of study: 2009 - 2012

Nicole Olszewska

Doctorate with Prof. Dr. Schimmelfennig at ETH Zurich (network analysis of European
border discourses), previously parliamentary officer in the area of research and innovation at the European Parliament in Brussels.

Period of study: 2011 - 2014

Central module: Politics (double master's degree with Adam Mickiewicz University Poznań)

BA degree from the field: Politics and Administration, Polish Studies

Stay abroad as part of the MES: Study visit to Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań (Poland) from 09/2012 to 09/2013 as part of the double master's programme.

Participation in a double master's programme: German-Polish double master's with Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań.

I chose the Master of European Studies at the European University Viadrina in particular because of the German-Polish study programme. In addition, I wanted to deepen my focus of study in the area of transformation and democratisation processes in Eastern Europe, for which the curriculum in MES was excellently suited. In addition to research-oriented seminars, I also had the opportunity to take advantage of practice-relevant study programmes to get to know different professional fields.

The MES offers a very international environment and the possibility to take courses in different languages. I see another advantage in the interdisciplinary orientation of the degree programme and the simultaneous possibility to build up an individual focus in the areas of politics, economics, law or culture. The commitment and availability of the lecturers was also particularly positive, which I was able to benefit from especially during my Master's thesis.

Central module: Politics

BA degree in the field: Romance Studies, Political Science

Stay abroad as part of the MES: 3-month internship in Brussels.

I wanted to study a broad-based Master's degree that combined my various interests. The MES offer seemed perfect to me and I found Frankfurt/Oder an attractive location. This broadened my horizons in the direction of Eastern Europe. I learned a lot in very different areas (politics, economics, law, Polish...) and had a lot of freedom. I was able to tailor my studies to what interested me.

Barbara Schmickler

Freelance journalist (NDR/ARD)

Period of Study: 2011-2013

Elisabeth Schulte

Federal Ministry of Health

Period of study: 2014 -2016

Central module: Politics (double master with the Institut d'Etudes Politiques in Strasbourg)

BA degree from the field: Economics

To get an insight into political science and because MES is an interdisciplinary degree programme. The programme looks into different subject areas and you can take a lot of different courses. The different subject backgrounds of my fellow students always appealed to me and often led to exciting discussions. This gave me the opportunity to get to know new areas and pursue different interests. The professors were usually very interested and interesting, as well as open to topics that went beyond their subject area.

Central module: Politics

BA degree in the field: Political Science

Stay abroad as part of the MES: Internship, Worldwatch Institute, Washington DC October - December 2010

After my Bachelor's degree in Politics and French at the FU Berlin and my first work experience in Brussels, I knew what I wanted to do in my Master's degree: Political Science focused on the EU. Compared to other universities, the MES concept at Viadrina convinced me. And the unbeatable advantage: you could start in the summer semester, which was good for those who needed flexibility because of internships!

The three things I liked best:

The focus on what I was most interested in: the connection between EU and energy policy. That's exactly what was possible through the free choice in the individual modules - European law, energy economics and politics. That's how I wrote my Master's thesis on the costs and benefits of a European smart grid.

The small course sizes!

The family atmosphere at the Viadrina, the great building and the fact that everyone met for lunch in the refectory at 1 p.m. because there were simply no courses at that time.

Annette Wagner

Head of EU Affairs Office Robert Bosch GmbH

Period of Study: 2009-2011