Deadline 31 March 2023

Programme content:
The two-years Joint MA Programme in SEES provides students with a specialised and professional education focussed on Southeast Europe. The programme entails at least one mobility semester abroad, aimed at strengthening regional expertise and intercultural skills. Our courses are designed to provide students with an interdisciplinary training of the highest quality. The successful completion of the Joint MA Programme in SEES will enable students to understand the interrelationship between history, law, politics, economics, and culture in Southeast Europe. Students spend the first year at their chosen entrance university (Graz or Belgrade). The University of Belgrade offers an interdisciplinary education combining courses in Law and Politics. Students who enrol at the University of Graz can chose between two tracks, either Southeast European History or Law and Politics in Southeast Europe. The study tracks at both Universities entail an inter- and transdisciplinary education in theories and methods of legal, political, economic, cultural, and intersectional studies. The first year comprises introductory core courses in multidisciplinary approaches. The second year is dedicated to a mobility semester at one of the partner universities, a winter school, and the completion of the MA thesis. All compulsory courses are offered in English, but students may also attend classes in other languages. Language acquisition is an important aspect of the joint degree and students are encouraged to take courses in a language of the Southeast European region and/or the predominant language of their mobility institution.

Why study Southeast European Studies in Graz?
Southeast Europe has been in the focus of research and teaching at the University of Graz for over a century. The noble prize winner Ivo Andrić wrote his PhD in Graz, also many scholars and prominent intellectuals from the region have studied here. Only two hours away from Ljubljana and Zagreb, Graz is close to Southeast Europe and the dense ties to the region are tangible throughout the city, from the cultural life to the social scene.

Over the past decades, the University of Graz has distinguished itself through its expertise in Southeast Europe. The Department of History is one of the leading institutes in its field and has decisively shaped the discipline of historical anthropology. The Centre for Southeast European Studies is an interdisciplinary and cross-faculty institution, established with the goal to connect teaching and research on and with Southeast Europe. Apart from the Joint MA Programme in SEES, the Centre coordinates two PhD programmes with a regional focus. It is a regular host to numerous conferences, workshops, and prominent scholars. Its close collaboration with universities, research institutes, and civil society actors from across Europe, the Western Balkans, and Turkey, render the Centre an international hub that connects academic expertise on Southeast Europe. Students enrolled at the University of Graz will have the opportunity to apply for one of the student assistant positions at the Centre for Southeast European Studies. For further information on the Joint MA Programme in Graz visit: http://www.jointdegree.eu/en/masees/.

Why study Southeast European Studies in Belgrade?
You will be studying Southeast Europe in its very centre. Your stay in Belgrade will enable you to better understand the region you study and to obtain crucial language skills. You will be able to learn from a group of outstanding FPS, international professors, and distinguished experts on Southeast Europe. Our student cohort consists of students from Southeast Europe as well as from other parts of the world. Together you will have the unique opportunity to explore the exciting social life of Belgrade. For impressions of our previous student generations visit: http://www.seestudies.eu/node/48. During your two semesters in Belgrade you will have a chance to get involved in the work of the FPS Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies on the Balkans (CisBalk). CisBalk offers ample possibilities to engage in research projects, workshops, and numerous public events. It is a great benefit to the Joint MA Programme in SEES as CisBalk brings together Serbian as well as international experts on Southeast Europe.

Mobility options

Students who enrol at the University Belgrade spend their mobility semester at: University of Graz, Austria

Students who enrol at the University Graz may spend their mobility semester according to their chosen study track at the following partner universities:

- University of Belgrade, Serbia (Law and Politics)
- Ss. Cyril and Methodius University, Skopje, North Macedonia (Law and Politics)
- University of Bologna, Italy (Law and Politics)
- University of Ljubljana, Slovenia (History / Law and Politics) (Double Degree option*)
- University of Novi Sad, Serbia (History)
- University of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina (Law and Politics)
- University of Zagreb, Croatia (History / Law and Politics)
- University of Regensburg, Germany (History / Law and Politics)
- Babes-Bolyai University Cluj-Napoca, Romania (History)
- University College London, UK (Law and Politics)
- Central European University, Vienna, Austria (Law and Politics)

Double Degree between the University of Graz and the University of Ljubljana: The double degree option is available to students who chose the University Graz as their entrance university and who enrolled in the study track “law and politics”.

Academic Degree
Students completing the Joint Master’s Programme in Southeast European Studies will have the following degree:

- Austria: Master of Arts (MA)
- Serbia: master politikolog (mast. politik.) (Master of Arts in Political Science)

Students in the study track “law and politics” who chose to complete a double degree with the University of Ljubljana, will obtain – upon successful completion – the following double degree:

- Austria: Master of Arts (MA)
- Slovenia: magister (male grammatical form) or magistrica (female grammatical form) mednarodnih odnosov (mag. medn. odn.)

Admission
The Joint Master‘s Programme in Southeast European Studies welcomes applicants who hold an academic degree of at least 180 ECTS credits (Bachelor’s degree or equivalent), who can demonstrate basic knowledge of social sciences or humanities, e.g. in the areas law, political science, history, social, cultural or economic sciences, and who have general insight and interest in Southeast Europe.

The APPLICATION must include:

- Curriculum vitae (English)
- Copy of passport (ID with photograph)

Proof of English language proficiency (one of the following options): IELTS (required minimum score: 6.0), TOEFL (required minimum score: 210 on the computerised test, 547 on the paper-based test, 78 on the internet-based test), Cambridge Exam (required level: FCE) or an equivalent certificate. Students who fail to present a test before the application deadline can be accepted under the condition that they provide a valid proof of language proficiency ahead of the admission deadline. Those applicants who are English native speakers or have successfully completed an English-taught Bachelor’s programme do not have to provide additional proof of English language proficiency.

- At least one signed letter of recommendation (preferably from a university professor or employer, in English)
- Motivation statement (English)
- Certificate/Diploma obtained at the undergraduate level (for Graz: translated into English or German; for Belgrade: translated into English if it is not issued in Bosnian/Croatian/Montenegrin/Serbian and Macedonian)
- Transcript of Records obtained at the undergraduate level (for Graz: translated into English or German; for Belgrade: translated into English if it is not issued in Bosnian/Croatian/Montenegrin/Serbian and Macedonian)
- Diploma Supplement (if applicable)

Prior to enrolment, the University of Belgrade additionally requires certified translations into Serbian of all Diploma and Transcripts of Records that are not issued in Bosnian/Croatian/Montenegrin/Serbian

Applications will be submitted online via: http://jointdegree.biobs.com/.

Tuition Fee:
UNIVERSITY OF GRAZ
Tuition fees are waived for Austrian/EU students. Tuition costs are approximately €745 per semester for citizens of other states but can usually be refunded upon successful completion of each semester for citizens of Albania, Belarus, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, North-Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Serbia, Turkey, and Ukraine. For enquiries about the admission procedure, tuition fees, and refund processes at the University of Graz please contact the University’s International Office jointdegrees@uni-graz.at. For questions about the academic programme of the Master’s, please contact claudia.lastro@uni-graz.at. Please note that the University of Graz does not provide financial support – no scholarships are currently available but we encourage students to seek available funding from third parties. See for example: http://www.grants.at/.

UNIVERSITY OF BELGRADE
3,900 Euro (or counter value in Serbian dinars), including ALL costs of a four-semester programme, costs of recognition of a foreign BA degree and ten-day Winter School (full boards and transportation) – payable in ten instalments during the two years of studies – for citizens of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia and Turkey.

€4,900 Euro (or counter value in Serbian dinars), including ALL costs of a four-semester programme, costs of recognition of a foreign BA degree and ten-day Winter School (full boards and transportation) – payable in ten instalments during the two years of studies – for citizens of all other countries that are not mentioned above.

Please note that the University of Belgrade is not in a position to provide financial support, but we encourage students to seek available funding from third parties. For all enquiries about enrolment at the University of Belgrade, please contact gordana.ristic@fpn.bg.ac.rs and dusan.pavlovic@mac.com.

More information about the application procedure: https://www.jointdegree.eu/de/masees/application-selection/how-to-apply/

Additional links and information:
https://www.jointdegree.eu/de/masees/programme/
http://www.seestudies.eu/
https://suedosteuropa.uni-graz.at/en/
https://www.fpn.bg.ac.rs/41695