On Friday, 3 November 2017, the new European academic exchange programme European Master in Migration Studies (EuMIGS) was officially launched in the “Peace Hall” of the town hall of Osnabrück. Aim of the programme is to promote the mobility and cross-country learning of students and the exchange of teaching staff between eight high-level institutes of migration research and their respective master programmes. The new exchange programme is coordinated by the Institute for Migration Research and Intercultural Studies (IMIS) at the University of Osnabrück.
In the presence of representatives from the partner universities, the Commissioner for Integration, Seda Rass-Turgut, and the Vice-President for Teaching of the University of Osnabrück, Professor Martina Blasberg-Kuhnke, welcomed the international guests, the members of IMIS, and the students of the local master programme International Migration and Interethnic Relations (IMIB). Both emphasised the self-obligation of both the city and the university in Osnabrück towards a better European understanding and praised the new programme as an important and innovative contribution to further internationalisation of the relations of Osnabrück with regard to research, education and to other European cities. Also, the co-ordinator of the European Research Network IMISCOE, Dr Peter Scholten (Erasmus University Rotterdam), and the director of IMIS, Professor Andreas Pott, highlighted the unusual dimension of the new programme and network and its relevance for the education of young scholars in the field of Migration Studies in Europe. EuMIGS is closely connected to IMISCOE that since more than 15 years has brought together the most important scholars and research institutes in the field of migration in Europe.
Highlight of the kick-off event was the symbolic signing of a "Memorandum of Understanding” for the future co-operation by the vice-president of the University of Osnabrück and the international partners. Members of the new EuMIGS-Network are, currently, eight master programmes in seven European countries who come from Linköping and Malmö (Sweden), Copenhagen (Denmark), Rotterdam (The Netherlands), Liège (Belgium), Neuchâtel (Switzerland), A Coruña (Spain) und Osnabrück (Germany). Additional partners from Barcelona (Spain), Lyon (France) und Groningen (The Netherlands) are waiting to join at the next possible moment.
Centrepiece of the network is a Double Degree Programme between, at least, five participating universities. In this programme, the master students spend the respective second year of their studies at one of the partner master programmes in another country. Upon successfully finishing their studies, they will receive an attractive double degree from both, their home and host university. And also the teaching staff in the participating master programmes will enter into a regular exchange and give seminars and lectures at the partner programmes. Foreseen are also joint training activities for all EuMIGS-double degree students of the same cohort. The first exchange students of the European Master in Migration Studies are expected for Fall 2018.
Further information:
Professor Andreas Pott, Dr Jens Schneider, Universität Osnabrück
Institut für Migrationsforschung und Interkulturelle Studien (IMIS)
Neuer Graben 19/21, 49074 Osnabrück,
Tel. +49 541 969 4377
E-Mail:
Website: http://www.eumigs.eu
