Europe: Borders, Identity and Governance

Investigating the contemporary transformation of governance, sovereignty, territory and identity within border areas that are in some way connected to Europe.

The European Union aims to foster peace and prosperity among the peoples of Europe by promoting a community with open borders while also wishing to preserve diversity and ensuring that decisions are taken as close as possible to citizens. It has become an intense topic of interesting and stimulating geopolitical debate how the goals of the EU should be valued, understood, and what the proper future of Europe should be. Why do we wish to have a European Union and in what form? How do EU policies affect our daily lives, our national identity and our national borders? And how do EU policies affect people outside the Union?

The Master’s specialisation in Europe: Borders, Identity and Governance aims to increase your understanding of the value and workings of the EU within the social and geopolitical developments both in Europe and in Europe’s relation to rest of the world. You’ll come to understand cross-border governance and how economic, cultural and political power works across borders.

The Master’s specialisation in Europe: Borders, Identity and Governance is taught at the Nijmegen School of Management. It has a course load of 60 EC* (one-year). All the courses are 6 EC and the Master’s thesis is 24 EC. The structure is as follows:

Semester 1

• Geopolitics of Borders (6 EC)
• Multiculturalism, Diversity and Space (6 EC)
• Preparing the Master’s Thesis (6 EC)
• Elective courses (12 EC)

Semester 2

• Cross Border Governance (6 EC)
• Master’s thesis and Internship (24 EC)

Elective courses

You’re free to choose courses that add up to at least 12 EC and meet your interests as long as they, in some way, can be linked to this specialisation and are taught at Master’s level. You can choose courses within Human Geography that are compulsory for other specialisations or from other related Master’s programmes. You could for example take one of the following courses:

• Conflicting Theories: Applying Theoretical Approaches of Conflicts, Territories and Identities (specialisation: Conflicts, Territories and Identities)
• Political and Geographical Conflict Resolution (specialisation: Conflicts, Territories and Identities)
• International Migration, Globalisation and Development (specialisation: Globalisation, Migration and Development)
• European Spatial Planning and the EU Territorial Cooperation Agenda (Spatial Planning)
• Comparative Planning (Spatial Planning)
• International Environmental Politics (Spatial Planning)

1. A completed Bachelor's degree from a geography-related discipline
   In order to get admission to this Master's you will need a completed Bachelor’s degree from a geography-related discipline, such as Urban/Spatial Planning, Environmental Studies, Sociology, Anthropology, Psychology, History, Philosophy, Religion Studies, European Studies, International Relations, Political Science, Public Administration, Economics, Development Studies, Language Studies, Architecture, (Urban) Design Studies, Leisure and Tourism, Conflict Studies and Management Sciences. Your prior education needs to be approved by the Examination Board.
2. Proficiency in English
   In order to take part in this programme, you need to have fluency in both written and spoken English. Non-native speakers of English* without a Dutch Bachelor's degree or VWO diploma need one of the following:
   • A TOEFL minimum overall score of 90, with subscores no lower than 18
   • An IELTS of minimum overall score of 6.5, with subscores no lower than 6.0
   • Cambridge Certificate of Advanced English (CAE) or Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE) with a mark of C or higher

There are various scholarships available for studying at Radboud University. Some of the opportunities are described below. A full list, including detailed information, can be found on our scholarships and grants page at our website. 

Radboud Scholarship Programme

Open to a select number of excellent international students. Instead of the institutional tuition fees, non-EEA students pay the legal tuition fees (€2,006 in 2017/2018). Visa and residence permit costs, liability insurance and health insurance are also covered.

Orange Tulip Scholarship

Open to students from Brazil, Mexico, Russia, Indonesia, South-Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, and China. Instead of the institutional tuition fees, non-EEA students pay the legal tuition fees (€2,006 in 2017/2018). Visa and residence permit costs, liability insurance and health insurance are also covered.

Fulbright-Radboud Scholarships

Open to excellent American students. The grant will be paid in 12 monthly instalments of 1,050 euros. International travel and the cost of the residence permit will be covered, and an extra allowance of €1150 will be paid on arrival.

Sino-Dutch Bilateral Exchange Scholarship

Open to excellent students from China. Consists of a contribution of € 16,113 towards the total costs of one year of study or research in the Netherlands.

DIKTI-Neso Scholarships

Aimed at lecturers at higher education institutions in Indonesia who wish to pursue a PhD or Master's at a university in the Netherlands. A DIKTI scholarship includes allowances for living expenses, insurance, travel costs, tuition fees and more.

Indonesian Education Scholarship (LPDP)

Open to excellent Indonesian students under the age of 35. Involves a full scholarship.

Holland Scholarship Programme

Open to excellent students from Canada, America, India and Turkey. Scholarship consists of 5,000 euros payed at the start of study.

Dutch Student Finance

EU/EEA students and Swiss students under 30 years of age are eligible if they are working at least 56 hours per month in the Netherlands, or have been living in the Netherlands for five years or more. Dutch student finance consists of four components: a basic grant, a supplementary grant (depending on the parental income), a student travel product, and a loan.