UCSB Global Studies has established a special partnership with "Erasmus Mundus," a European Master in Global Studies network. The European program is a joint endeavor of the London School of Economics, the University of Leipzig (Germany), the University of Vienna (Austria) and the University of Wroclav (Poland). Students enrolled in the two-year European MA program usually divide their time between two of the participating institutions. Furthermore, they are required to attend a consortium-wide summer school and complete an MA thesis. English is the main language of instruction at all participating institutions, but students in Leipzig and Vienna also receive intensive language instruction in German.

The European Union provides significant funding and sponsor semesters abroad, visiting professorships and other exchange programs between our Global & International Studies Program and Erasmus Mundus. Each year, Erasmus Mundus offers a small number of scholarships for recent UCSB graduates in Global Studies. The scholarships cover all tuition fees, travel costs and provide a monthly stipend of 1600 Euros (tax free), which roughly equals $2400, for a period of 20 months. Some partial scholarships are also available, which offer reduced tuition fees. The deadline for application is in December of each year; application materials should be left in the Global Studies main office. There are no prerequisites for filing an application, but students with a high grade point average and international experience may have a higher chance of being selected by the Erasmus Mundus committee. More information is also available on the Erasmus Mundus website.

Things to Consider for your Application:

The selection process will be quite competitive (GPA, for example, will count roughly half in the criteria for evaluation employed by the Erasmus Mundus committee in Europe that makes the final decision).

Foreign students and students with dual citizenship are especially encouraged to apply. If you hold dual citizenship in a country that is a member of the EU, you are not eligible for the full EU grant, but you are still eligible for the reduced tuition fees.

International experience and/or foreign language skills greatly enhance your chances of being selected into the program. Also, even though this European MA is an English-speaking program, basic proficiency in German is a plus, although not required; in our experience, applicants with some command in German definitely have an advantage.

Since UCSB Global Studies is an official partner program of the European MA program, our students only need to submit one letter of recommendation.

Students must complete all UCSB coursework by August 2008.

The application deadline is December 12th,2007. Submit applications to the Global & International Studies Office. We'll review and forward them to the program in Europe.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Q: "What are the guidelines for the statement of purpose?"

A: There are no guidelines and you should freely express yourself and explain why you are interested in the program. Choose a format, content and length that you feel comfortable with.

Q: "What is a "proof of an excellent BA?"

A: Any kind of document ranging from transcripts to a department letter, etc. Choose the most appropriate one.

Q: "What is a 'Curriculum Vitae'?"

A: It is your resume.

Q: "Where should I send my application?"

A: Turn it in as a single package to the Global & International Studies Program office. G&IS will bundle the applications and send them all to the Erasmus Mundus Program in Germany.

Q: "Am I really the right person for this program?"

A: Carefully check out the details of the Erasmus Mundus MA (course curricula etc) to determine whether you are truly interested in this program. For example, a rather high proportion of Erasmus Mundus courses focus on historical aspects of globalization, which may not be close to your main interests. Also, as noted above, this program is highly competitive, so please take that into consideration as well. If you are convinced that Erasmus Mundus is right for you and you have realistic chances of getting into the program, you are encouraged to apply.

General Background

In 2005 , the first cohort of five UCSB graduates (Ryan Bushek, Karla Franco, Tiffany Johnson, Hideki Kawamura, and James Khedari) received full scholarships. Four of the five students will spent one year at the London School of Economics and another year at the University of Leipzig. Hideki Kawamura divided his time between Leipzig and Vienna, and all students met each other at a consortium-wide summer school in Austria. Three additional UCSB graduates (Katrina Clapp, Richard Klein, and Annaka Wynhamer) were accepted by the European MA program and offered special arrangements.

All eight students enrolled in the program enjoyed their time in London (Ryan Bushek) or Leipzig. Dominic Sachsenmaier, who initiated the partnership between UCSB and Erasmus Mundus, met seven of the UCSB graduates in Leipzig at “Auerbach’s Keller”, a sixteenth-century tavern that plays an important role in the drama “Faust” by Johann W. von Goethe. At the time of the meeting, regular instruction had not started and many issues were still open. The mood was cheerful. As a whole, the European consortium is slightly more slanted towards historical aspects of globalization than the UCSB program, and the student body is more international.

This coming December, Global & International Studies seniors will be able to apply for the next round of scholarships. There are no prerequisites for filing an application, but students with a high grade point average and international experience may have a higher chance of being selected by the Erasmus Mundus committee. Furthermore, foreign nationals or students with dual citizenship are particularly encouraged to apply. A new round of applications will be announced via email this fall – more information is also available at http://www.uni-leipzig.de/zhs/emgs/.

Thoughts from Abroad

"In this program are students from around the world, to name a few, students from Kazakhstan, Kenya, Malaysia, South Africa, China, India, and of course Santa Barbara. Sitting in a room on the first day of class that was full of intelligent young students from all over the world was definitely a very motivating point in my life. Knowing that we were all here to learn more about our interconnected globe was for me very inspiring!" - Katrina Clapp

Leipzig really didn’t seem so far from home. In fact, Leipzig seems to have an identical replica of the chaotic biking system as UCSB. Also the night life here has no curfew, therefore it never sleeps—home sweet Del Playa. In addition to a similar atmosphere the people here are surprisingly friendly. One of the most striking attributes of Leipzig is that it is so international. Any given day, time, hour, or place it is easy to bump into people from all over the world and all walks of life. It is also this characteristic of Leipzig that makes it the ideal location to have the Erasmus Mundus Program." - Tiffany Johnson