Program Overview

International Masters in Economy, State and Society (IMESS)

The International Masters in Economy, State and Society (IMESS) is a two-year double degree Master's programme, taught in English and offered by a consortium of leading European universities headed by the University College London. This programme is recognised for its excellence by the European Union's Erasmus Mundus Programme.

Programme Details

• Programme Duration: two years (four semesters)
• Study Mode: full time
• Diploma: International Masters in Economy, State and Society (University College London) and MA in European Studies (Jagiellonian University)

Entry Requirements

• All applicants should hold (or expect to obtain) an upper second class honours degree (or overseas equivalent) in a relevant subject area.
• Where the Bachelors degree is in an unrelated subject, candidates must demonstrate their interest in IMESS through the supplementary questionnaire.
• All students whose first language is not English must be able to provide recent evidence that their spoken and written command of the English language is adequate for the programme.
• For IMESS admissions, students must provide evidence of English proficiency - 'good' level in accordance with UCL English Language Policy.

Curriculum

During the second year of the IMESS programme, students must complete the following requirements:

• One semester of Polish-language tuition (teaching hours, 7.5 ECTS points)
• Elective courses of a total of 18 ECTS points (including required courses)
• The MA seminar and MA thesis (a total of 30 ECTS points) The required courses are as follows:
• European Civilisation – obligatory for all MA candidates in European Studies
• Three courses out of the following six: EU Foreign and Security Policy, Democracy, Collective Identities, EU Finances, Foreign and International Relations in CEE.

Graduate Profile

On completion of the programme, students can expect to have met the following learning objectives that support the overall IMESS goals:

• Expertise in applying the research methods specific to their study track, allied with the ability to work in a multi/inter-disciplinary research environment;
• Knowledge and understanding of the economies, states and societies of CEE and of their relationship with the wider European and international community;
• Intercultural competence and an awareness of the European space, its commonalities, diversity and dynamics;
• Proficiency in a CEE language, including the ability to use original language source;
• Experience of conducting an advanced research project in the European environment;
• Familiarity with the intellectual diversity within and across disciplines, both in Europe and, through the participation of third-country scholars and students, internationally;
• Comprehension of the relationship between empirical research and theory generation and testing, and skills of analysis, critical reflection and argumentation;
• Awareness of, and compliance with, ethical and legal issues;
• The capacity to communicate effectively research findings, rationale and methods, to diverse audiences, in both written and oral English.

IMESS University Partners

• Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland
• IMESS at University College London, UK
• IMESS at the University of Belgrade, Serbia
• IMESS at Charles University, Czech Republic
• IMESS at Corvinus University of Budapest, Hungary
• IMESS at Helsinki University, Finland
• IMESS at University of Tartu, Estonia

IMESS graduates are qualified to progress to PhD research or to careers in governmental or international organisations and may specialise in finance, commerce, analysis or consultancy. Others may seek a career in diplomacy, journalism or in non-governmental organisations. The post-IMESS possibilities are as broad as the scope of the IMESS degree itself. IMESS graduates are working in banking and finance, international trade, political risk assessment, business analysis, e-commerce, international development, for energy companies, national governments, NGOs and international organisations, while a number are continuing their studies and are enrolled on MBA or PhD programmes. The involvement of the cross-sector Associate Partners ensures that IMESS graduates are equipped with the transferrable employment-related and discipline-specific skills and competencies necessary to succeed in a globalised, knowledge-based economy.