Borders are one of the greatest challenges of the 21st century.

The goal of the Master's programme 'Border Studies' is to enable students to acquire the skills needed in order to play a key role in current debates on national and European identity, global mobility, migration, cultural diversity, citizenship and transnational cooperation. Examples such as the reintroduction of border controls at some of the EU's internal borders or the expansion of border barriers in other parts of the world show that experts in this field are urgently needed.

Students on the programme develop a comprehensive understanding of borders, border regions and of debordering and rebordering processes in Europe and in other parts of the world. The programme takes an interdisciplinary approach, covering the following disciplines: geography and spatial planning, linguistics and cultural studies, sociology, law and political science.

Programme Details:

A cross-border study programme

The trilingual M.A. joint programme is taught at four universities in Germany, France and Luxembourg that are all situated in a border region - the so called “Greater Region”. It’s the cross-border region with the most cross-border commuters in the European Union and a wide range of cross-border cooperation projects.

The consortium running the programme comprises:

• Saarland University,
• University of Luxembourg,
• Université de Lorraine,
• University of Kaiserslautern-Landau (RPTU).

Students enrol at the four partner universities but they are only required to pay the semester fee at their home university. Successful students are awarded a joint diploma issued by the four universities and the master’s degrees of the four partner universities.

A fully integrated programme with excellent support

The partner universities are located so close to each other that students can commute between them. All students of one take courses together at the partner universities in Metz (F) and Luxembourg in the first and second semesters, and spend the third semester at the universities in Saarbrücken (D) and Kaiserslautern (D). In the fourth semester, they write their Master's thesis at the partner university of their choice.

This means that they not only deal with the topic of borders in theory, but also immerse themselves in everyday life in a border region. Students on this programme are therefore expected to demonstrate a considerable level of flexibility, self-reliance and personal responsibility. However, students receive intensive support at the start of their studies and are offered personalized attention and advisory services throughout their studies.The Franco-German University (Deutsch-Französische Hochschule DFH / Université franco-allemande UFA) supports student mobility by offering mobility grants from its scholarship programme fund.

Your future career

The international Master's programme 'Border Studies' includes an 8-week internship in a cross-border context. The study programme prepares graduates for careers in areas of transborder and intercultural cooperation, particularly in Europe's border zones and beyond – but also in other intercultural settings. Career opportunities are available in the business sector, cultural institutions and agencies, the media and public-sector administration (e.g. cross-border regional and spatial planning, cross-border public services and development, cross-border cultural management and regional marketing). Excellent language skills, unique international experience and interdisciplinary skills make graduates highly sought after.

Admission requirements and procedure:

• A Bachelor's degree or equivalent qualification in cultural studies, linguistics, literature, intercultural communication, social or spatial studies, law, anthropology, history or political sciences
• Spoken and written command of German, French and English at or above level B2 of the Common European Framework.

A total of 20 places are available each year. A joint selection committee of the partner universities evaluates the applications and selects the future students.