Master in european affairs: research track

Objectives of the programme

The possibility of joining the research track is open to all first-year students at the School of Public Affairs, regardless of their Master's degree and policy stream and provided that they are not enrolled in a double degree programme.

This programme is aimed at students interested in a career in political science research, whether public or private, and who are particularly interested in applying for a PhD at Sciences Po.

The research programme is based on a partnership with the Master's in Political Science of the Sciences Po School of Research and offers a hybrid programme between the two schools. However, students remain enrolled in the School of Public Affairs and obtain a degree from that School alone.

Admissions to the programme

Students wishing to join the research track apply in November/December of their first semester of the Master's programme. The application file includes a motivational paragraph setting out their academic and professional project and their academic results prior to those of the course they are following at the time of application.

At the end of the first year of the Master's programme, students submit a research project of approximately 1,500 words. The continuation of their course within the research track is based on the scientific relevance of this project as well as on the results obtained during the first year of the Master's programme. If they do not meet these prerequisites, students resume their studies in the traditional Master's programme of their original policy stream.

Organisation of the course

Students admitted to the research course are enrolled in the following programme:

• Winter inter-semester: Level test in qualitative and quantitative analysis. If students do not have the required level, they must take a refresher course in January in each of these disciplines.
• Semester 2: Students follow their original curriculum for the compulsory courses at the School of Public Affairs and choose two elective courses from a list of courses at the School of Public Affairs or the School of Research (depending on the places available and subject to compatibility with the timetable of the courses taken at the School of Public Affairs). In addition, they must take an advanced quantitative analysis course and a research methodology course at the School of Research.
• Summer inter-semester: Students take and validate an advanced qualitative analysis course.
• Semester 3: Students follow their compulsory course pattern at the School of Public Affairs and choose three elective courses from a list of courses offered at the School of Public Affairs or the School of Research (depending on the places available and subject to compatibility with the timetable of the courses taken at the School of Public Affairs). They must also take a seminar on the research thesis at the School of Research.
• Semester 4: Students write a thesis and, with the agreement of their thesis advisor, have the opportunity to defend it before an enlarged jury, enabling them to apply for thesis funding at Sciences Po. : les étudiants rédigent un mémoire de recherche et ont la possibilité, sur accord de leur directeur de mémoire, de le soutenir devant un jury élargi leur permettant de postuler à un financement de thèse à Sciences Po.

Contacts

Scientific Committee of the research programme: Emiliano Grossman, Thierry Balzacq, Bruno Palier

Academic team:

• At the School of Public Affairs: ongoing recruitment (Academic Advisor)
• At the School of Research: Arnaud Dereggi (Academic Advisor), Clémentine Scott (Administrative Manager)