The MPhil in Politics (European Politics and Society) is an advanced two-year (twenty-one months) postgraduate degree, which provides training in research techniques and methodology suitable for those who later wish to embark upon doctoral research and enables students to acquire substantive knowledge in this sub-area of the discipline.
The degree is taught by a group of scholars who specialise in all aspects of European politics, including European integration, comparative European government, Europe’s external relations and the political systems of individual European countries.
The MPhil in Politics (European Politics and Society) offers the opportunity to engage with scholars and practitioners from various European countries and institutions, and will provide you with a solid foundation for a wide range of careers, including academic, professional, commercial, diplomatic and governmental positions.
Structure
In the first year, as an MPhil in Politics (European Politics and Society) student you would have to:
attend a twenty-week core seminar in European Governance, and sit a written examination in this core subject at the end of your first year.
submit research methods training coursework and a research design essay as preparation for your thesis.
take a simple language test at the end of the first year, involving translation into English and questions on comprehension. You may be exempted from this test by mother-tongue competence, or by a formal qualification in a major EU language other than English (i.e. French, German, Italian or Spanish).
At the end of the course, you would be required:
to sit two written examinations in the optional papers of your choice (please see the list below).
The MPhil thesis is a substantial piece of research presented in a 30,000 word thesis, which demonstrates a grasp of a particular sub-field, a set of design and methodological issues, and the ability to develop and sustain an independent line of argument. To give you an idea of the range of topics studied by MPhil candidates, below are some of the titles of recent successful MPhil theses:
Yes Minister? Political interference in the BBC and RAI, 1996-2006
Umpire or Norm Entrepreneur? The Commission's Role in the European Employment Strategy
The German Party System in Flux: The Linkspartei between New Social Democracy and PDS-Legacy
In Emo’s Footsteps: Student Mobility and the Public Funding of Higher Education in the European Union
Developing the Demos: A Lesson from the Netherlands
Between Assimilation and Integration: The Development and Emergence of a New Model of Immigration and Integration in Germany
‘With or Without You?’ State and Sub-State Interest Representation in the European Union: Three UK Case Studies
The Failure of the European Union’s Lisbon Strategy for Growth and Employment
New Challenges, Familiar Answers: NATO’s Historic Role in European Security
European Perspectives on Military Intervention in Iraq: The Foreign Policies of Germany, Poland and the United Kingdom compared
Opting out yet anchored in: The Dynamics of Differentiated Integration in the EU
Europeanisation and Minority Rights: The Case of Enlargement
Umpires or Waterboys? Constitutional Courts and the Puzzle of Federal Stability
Framing the 2004 European Elections: The Role of British Media Coverage
The Outcome of the 1999 Telecommunications Review: A Case Study in the Relative Power of Member States and Supranational Institutions
Making Rights a Reality? EU Anti-Discrimination Law, Equality Activists and Litigation Strategies
