Call for applications academic year 2007/2008

One year full-time Master’s programme

with the active support of the European Union

First semester (September – Hanuary) in Venice

Second Semester (February – July) in one of the 39 participating universities

The European Master’s Programme in Human Rights and Democratisation (E.MA) is run by the EIUC - European Inter-University Centre for Human Rights and Democratisation and financed by the European Union*. This unique academic programme gives the opportunity to learn about human rights and democratisation in theory and practice through study in Venice and in the various EU member states.

The European Master’s Programme in Human Rights and Democratisation is an intensive one-year academic programme to educate professionals in the field of human rights and democratisation and provide its graduates with practical work experience.

It is a multidisciplinary programme that reflects the indivisible links between human rights, democracy, peace and development.

The programme offers an action and policy-oriented approach to learning about international relations, law, philosophy, history, anthropology, political science and sociology. Students have the opportunity to meet and be taught by leading academics, experts and representatives of international organisations (including the European Union, the United Nations, the Council of Europe and the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe-OSCE) while studying in a multicultural environment.

E.MA students, upon completion of all course’s components, are expected to gain both academic and practical skills: on the one hand, the ability to conduct independent and interdisciplinary academic research in relation to human rights and democratisation issues; on the other hand, skills which are relevant to human rights practitioners such as reporting, fact-finding, and monitoring.

The academic year of the European Master’s Programme in Human Rights and Democratisation is divided into two semesters: the first semester (September to January) in Venice - Lido and the second (February to July) at an E.MA participating university situated in the Member States of the European Union. This second part of the programme is conceived as a European exchange which implies that students will be hosted for the second semester activities in a university located in a country other than their own.

During the second semester students relocate to one of the participating universities to follow courses in an area of specialisation of their own choice and to undertake personal supervised research finalised by the writing of a Master‘s thesis.

After successfully passing exams and completing a Master’s thesis, students will be awarded the European Master’s Degree in Human Rights and Democratisation jointly conferred by those Universities of the E.MA participating universities that will have ratified the Joint Degree Agreement.

Admission requirements:
Applicants are required to hold a university degree of a high standard and must have 240 ECTS credits (with a 180 ECTS minimum university title/degree), normally in a field relevant to human rights, including disciplines in law, social sciences, and the humanities. The additional 60 ECTS credits will normally be obtained through regular university studies but can in exceptional circumstances also be obtained through documented prior learning components that are related to the E.MA curriculum and include a minimum structure of: a) independent project research and/or b) supervised academic learning. The applicant has to carry a workload approximately equivalent to one academic year. The decision whether the applicant meets the 240 ECTS credits will be taken on a case by case basis by the Executive Committee.

Applicants completing the degree entry requirements subsequently to the application deadline are requested to provide a current transcript of exams. Eventual admittance into the Programme will be conditional upon documentation of completed degree prior to the beginning of the academic year.

Fluency in English and the ability to understand lectures and read academic texts in French are required, as the programme is bilingual. Practical experience in the area of human rights in inter-governmental, governmental, or non-governmental organisations is helpful.

The criteria used during the selection process are: academic ability and background, experience, motivation, and language competence.

E.MA is open to EU citizens and has a small quota reserved for non-EU citizens. All applicants who hold a non-EU degree are required to produce a “declaration of value” of their degree. Non-EU applicants are moreover required to obtain a study visa which must cover the entire duration of the academic year (September 2007 - September 2008). Both the study visa and the “declaration of value” are preconditions for enrolment and should be requested from the Italian Embassy in the applicant‘s home country.

Deadline for applications: 16 MARCH 2007
(date of receipt in Venice of the application materials)

For application materials and further information, please contact any of the participating universities or visit the E.MA and EIUC websites at http://www.emahumanrights.org and www.eiuc.org. Candidates for admission should send two completed application forms (available on-line) to the EIUC Secretariat by 16 March 2007 (date of receipt of the application materials in Venice).