Postgraduate taught 

Central & East European, Russian & Eurasian Studies (International Master) IntM

This International Master in Central & East European, Russian & Eurasian Studies offers you the unique opportunity to undertake study (in English) and research in at least three different countries at our renowned partner institutions, culminating in the award of a multiple degree according to your chosen pathway.

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Why this programme

Central & East European, Russian & Eurasian Studies programme overview
  • This two-year programme addresses the challenges faced by the states and societies of Central and Eastern Europe, the Balkans and Southeast Europe, Russia and broader Eurasia, and their place within the post-socialist space that is in fact fascinatedly diverse and, unfortunately, conflict-ridden.
  • Opportunities for placements at external organisations in the countries of this geographical space are included under each mobility study track.
  • The programme is delivered by leading experts in their specialist areas of research.
  • Language tuition is available throughout the progamme.
  • The International Master Degree is jointly awarded by the University of Glasgow and the University of Tartu, and is complimented by a double degree with one of the five partners from the region.

Programme structure

The programme is structured around three predefined mobility periods at three different universities across Europe, South Caucasus and Central Asia. The mobility periods are designed to enable you to engage with a variety of perspectives on the programme’s core themes and to acquire a hands-on experience of studying and living in the region of your professional interests. This will also allow you to access primary data while undertaking your independent study in the fourth semester, and to spend four weeks at an external organisation as a trainee.

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Year 1

Semester 1: University of Tartu, Estonia

You will spend your first semester at the University of Tartu, Estonia. This semester will equip you with the basic toolbox to study in the CEERES curriculum and prepare you for MA thesis writing. You will take two core courses and start learning two regional languages.

Core courses:

  • Introduction to Central and East European, Russian and Eurasian Studies
  • Research Design and Methods for Area Studies
  • Regional languages: Bosnian-Croatian-Serbian, Estonian, Georgian, Hungarian, Kazakh, Polish, Romanian, or Russian (language class availability varies per academic year)

Semester 2: University of Glasgow, Scotland

You will spend your second semester at the University of Glasgow, Scotland. This semester provides you with an opportunity to immerse yourself into more specialised knowledge that spans both thematic and country/regional foci, as well as the chance to continue with two languages. You will also choose two optional courses to deepen your knowledge of a particular subject matter or region. This semester also provides a non-credited semester-long professional skills development programme that concludes with an employability-focused Summer School.

Optional courses may include:

  • Crime and Corruption in the Former Soviet Union 
  • De Facto States in the Post-Soviet Space 
  • Decolonisation Agenda and CEERES 
  • Energy, Politics and Society in Eurasia 
  • Europe-Russia Relations since the Collapse of the USSR 
  • Media and Democratisation in Central and Eastern Europe and the Former Soviet Union 
  • Post-Soviet Russia: Renegotiating Global and Local Identities 
  • Rethinking Central Asian Security 
  • Russia, China and International Politics of Eurasia 
  • Russian Foreign Policy 
  • Russian Politics and Society 
  • Statehood and Nationality in Russia, Central and Eastern Europe 
  • War-making and Peace-making in the Former Soviet Union 
  • Yugoslavia and after: Themes and Controversies

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Year 2

Semester 1

Depending on your professional interests, you will spend your second year at one of our five partner universities listed below. You will also continue with one of the two regional languages studied during the first year, and will undertake a credit-bearing placement to develop hands-on practical experience. If you are interested in:

  • International Development with a particular focus on Central and Eastern Europe, Babeș-Bolyai University mobility track is for you
  • EU studies with a particular focus on Central and Eastern Europe and the regional integration processes, you can pick Jagiellonian University as your study track
  • Politics, societal developments, and international relations, you can go to either Ilia State University (South Caucasus specialism), KIMEP University (Central Asia, Russia and China specialism) or University of Sarajevo (Balkans and Southeast Europe specialism), depending on the country/region you want to specialise in.

International Development and Central and Eastern Europe

Babes-Bolyai University, Romania

Core courses:

  • Human Development and Climate Change
  • International Political Economy and Development
  • Migration, Development, and Transnationalism: Forced Migration, IDPs, and Refugees

Optional courses may include:

  • Local Development
  • Conflict Ridden Societies and Development
  • any MA level 5 ECTS course within the university taught in English

Central and East European Studies

Jagellonian University, Poland

Core courses:

  • European Civilisation
  • Thesis Pro-Seminar

Optional courses may include:

  • Challenges to the European Identity: The Rebirth of Nationalisms in Europe
  • Culture and Society in Central Europe: Dilemmas of Identity and Pluralism
  • Economy of Central Europe: From Transition to EU Membership
  • EU Foreign and Security Policy: Europe and Global Challenges
  • EU Foreign and Security Policy: Europe, NATO, and Transatlantic Security
  • Europe as Normative Power: Central European Perspectives
  • European Integration Theory and Practice
  • Foreign and International Relations in CEE – Theories Revisited
  • Gender, Democracy and Citizenship in CEE
  • Political and Social History of CEE in the 20th Century: From the Turn of Centuries to the End of World War II
  • Political and Social History of CEE in the 20th Century: from World War II to the Collapse of the Communist System
  • Religion, Diversity, and Toleration in Central and Eastern Europe
  • Security and Democracy in Europe after 1989: a Central European Perspective

South Caucasus - History, Politics and Society 

Ilai State University, Georgia

Optional courses may include:

  • Attitudes to “Others” in Georgia
  • Citizenship from Below in Post-Soviet Societies
  • Democratisation and Political Development in the South Caucasus
  • Energy and Economics of Transition in the South Caucasus
  • Ethnic Conflicts in Comparative Perspective: Caucasus and Central Asia
  • Foreign Policies of the States of the South Caucasus: Comparative Perspective
  • Forms and Consequences of Europeanisation in the Caucasus: Introduction to the Concept and its Application
  • Gender in the South Caucasus
  • Introduction to Mountain Cultures of the Caucasus
  • Political History of the Caucasus
  • Religion in the South Caucasus
  • Remembering the Soviet Past in Georgia: Between Memory and History. An Introduction into Interdisciplinary Memory Studies
  • Research Seminar on Stalin and Stalinism
  • Security and Geopolitics of the Caucasus
  • The History of Soviet Georgia

Greater Central Asian Studies

KIMEP University, Kazakhstan

Optional courses may include:

  • Asian Security: Theory and Practice
  • Central Asia – Russia Relations
  • Central Asia – United States Relations
  • Central Asia in Global Politics
  • Computational Social Science
  • Domestic Politics and Foreign Policy in the Post-Communist World
  • Emerging Powers and Markets
  • Environmental Politics, Development and Global Governance
  • European Union: Politics and Foreign Policy
  • Genesis of the Modern Concepts of International Relations
  • Government and Politics in Central Asia
  • Petro Politics
  • Political Communication in International Affairs
  • Russian Foreign Policy
  • Selected Topics in International Relations

Western Balkans and Southeast Europe: Political Science, International Relations, and Diplomacy

University of Sarajveo, Bosnia & Herzegovina

Optional courses may include:

  • Comparative Democratisation and Authoritarianism
  • Contemporary Debates in International Relations
  • Development Studies
  • Economic Diplomacy
  • International Conflict Management
  • International Negotiation
  • International Security
  • Nations and Conflicts in the Process of Globalisation
  • Religion and Conflicts
  • Theories of International Relations
  • Theory of Democracy and Human Rights

Semester 2

You will continue on the mobility study track started in semester 1. You will complete your dissertation under the principal supervision of the mobility partner institution, with Glasgow and Tartu as co-supervisors. You will also have the opportunity to present your preliminary results at the annual CEERES student conference, which will provide you with valuable peer and faculty feedback.

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Programme alteration or discontinuation
The University of Glasgow endeavours to run all programmes as advertised. In exceptional circumstances, however, the University may withdraw or alter a programme. For more information, please see: Student contract.

Career prospects

You will be prepared for careers in policy-making in government, foreign ministries, the EU, Intergovernmental organisations and non-governmental organisations. Other career opportunities include higher education, journalism, and business.

Fees & funding

Tuition fees for 2025-26

IntM

Fees for the 2 year programme:

International:  

  • £16,880 per annum

Home:

  • £7,880 per annum 

EU/EEA:

  • £10,130 per annum

The EU/EEA fee value reflects the difference in fee status at the EU partners in the programme consortium.

The fees listed here cover tuition only. The University of Glasgow can only collect fees in Pound Sterling at the published GBP values and subject to exchange rates at the time of payment. As the programme contains various mobility periods, students (funded and self-funded) will need to cover their own airfares between each chosen partner.

Deposits

All applicants are required to pay a deposit of £2000 when an offer is made.

Deposits: terms & conditions

This programme requires some students to pay a deposit to secure their place.

If you are an international student, we will only issue a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) once the deposit has been paid.

Your offer letter will state:

  • how to pay the deposit payment
  • the deadline for paying the deposit

The following guidelines will apply in determining whether a deposit will be refunded. Where the deposit is refunded, a 25% handling fee will be deducted.

Deposits will be refunded to applicants under the following circumstances:

  1. Where the University is unable to offer you a place.
  2. Where the applicant has personal circumstances such as illness, bereavement or other family situations that has prevented them coming to the UK. Medical or other proof may be requested.
  3. Applicant can prove that they have applied for a visa to attend the University of Glasgow, but the VISA has been refused. The applicant must have shown 'real intent' to study at the University of Glasgow but has been unable to obtain their visa.
  4. Applicant does not meet his / her conditions of offer: this may be academic or language test requirements. Satisfactory evidence must be uploaded to the student’s applicant self-service to prove that they have not met the conditions of their offer (note that applicants who do not meet the language condition of their offer must show reasonable attempt to meet this, i.e. they must provide a language test which was taken after the date that the deposit was paid).

Deposits will not be refunded to applicants under the following circumstances:

  1. Applicant has decided to defer – in this situation the University will retain the deposit and credit it against the applicant’s account for securing their place for the following year of entry.

Refund requests must be made within 30 days of the programme start date stated on your offer letter.

Requests made after this date will be subject to discretion.


Additional fees

  • Fee for re-assessment of a dissertation (PGT programme): £370
  • Submission of thesis after deadline lapsed: £350
  • Registration/exam only fee: £170

Funding opportunities

Central and East European, Russian and Eurasian Studies (Erasmus Mundus IntM) scholarship

Prestigious Erasmus Mundus scholarships are available for well qualified applicants to the International Master in Central & East European, Russian & Eurasian Studies. The University of Glasgow is the leading partner in the consortium of universities that have developed this double Masters programme. Other degree awarding partners include the University of Tartu (Estonia), Jagiellonian University (Poland), Corvinus University of Budapest (Hungary), National Research Lobachevsky State University of Nizhny Novgorod (Russia), University of Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina), KIMEP University (Kazakhstan) and Ilia State University (Georgia).

Banco de Mexico

The Mexican National Bank (Banco de Mexico) provides special loans for students who wish to undertake a programme of postgraduate study. The University of Glasgow in partnership with Bank of Mexico FIDERH is offering a fee discount to holders of a Bank of Mexico FIDERH loan. See the FIDERH website for further information.

CONICyT (La Comsion Nacional de Investigacion Cientifica y Tecnologica de Chile)

The University of Glasgow offers a 25% discount to all successful CONICyT scholars who enrol at the University of Glasgow to complete a postgraduate programme.

CONACyT (Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnologia) / FUNED Agreement

CONACYT offers a non-refundable scholarship, a monthly stipend and medical insurance of an approximate total of $20,000 USD (in the case of the UK, no medical insurance grant is given since students are already covered by the National Health System) The University of Glasgow offer a 30% discount to all successful CONACyT scholars who enrol at the University of Glasgow to complete a postgraduate programme.

Alumni Discount

In response to the current unprecedented economic climate, the University is offering a 20% discount on all Postgraduate Research and full Postgraduate Taught Masters programmes to its alumni, commencing study in Academic session 2025/26. This includes University of Glasgow graduates and those who have completed a Study Abroad programme, International Summer School programme or the Erasmus Programme at the University of Glasgow. The discount applies to all full-time, part-time and online programmes. This discount can be awarded alongside most University scholarships.

Glasgow Excellence Award (UK)

The University of Glasgow has a total of 40 Glasgow Excellence Scholarships available to UK students entering any of the University’s Colleges.

HESPAL Scholarship

The University has worked in partnership with the British Council in a scheme to provide Higher Education Scholarships for Palestinians (HESPAL), for the past decade.

Through the HESPAL scheme, we have been able to offer fee waivers to students from the Palestinian Territories, enhancing educational opportunities for deserving individuals.

Considering the current challenges and the significant obstacles faced by individuals impacted by the conflict in leaving the area, the University of Glasgow extends their support in the academic year 2025/2026 to offer up to 3 postgraduate taught scholarships and up to 2 postgraduate research scholarships.

This scholarship is offered as a full fee discount.

The scholarships above are specific to this programme. For more funding opportunities search the scholarships database

Entry requirements

2.1 Hons (or non-UK equivalent) in International Relations, Political Science, History, Archaeology, Philosophy, War Studies, Museum Studies, Law, Journalism, Economics, Linguistics, Cultural and Literary studies with relevant regional focus.

Applicants should provide a completed Self-Funded application form, which includes a personal statement.

English language requirements

For applicants whose first language is not English, the University sets a minimum English Language proficiency level.

International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Academic and Academic Online (not General Training)

  • 6.5 with no subtests under 6.0
  • IELTS One Skill Retake Accepted
  • Tests must have been taken within 2 years 5 months of start date. Applicants must meet the overall and subtest requirements using a single test.

Common equivalent English language qualifications for entry to this programme

TOEFL (ibt, mybest or athome)

  • 90 overall with Reading 20; Listening 19; Speaking 19; Writing 21
  • Tests must have been taken within 2 years 5 months of start date. Applicants must meet the overall and subtest requirements, this includes TOEFL mybest.

Pearsons PTE Academic

  • 59 with minimum 59 in all subtests
  • Tests must have been taken within 2 years 5 months of start date. Applicants must meet the overall and subtest requirements using a single test.

Cambridge Proficiency in English (CPE) and Cambridge Advanced English (CAE) 

  • 176 overall, no subtest less than 169
  • Tests must have been taken within 2 years 5 months of start date. Applicants must meet the overall and subtest requirements using a single test.

Oxford English Test

  • 7 overall with no subtest less than 6
  • Tests must have been taken within 2 years 5 months of start date. Applicants must meet the overall and subtest requirements using a single test.

LanguageCert Academic SELT

  • 70 overall with no subtest less than 60
  • Tests must have been taken within 2 years 5 months of start date. Applicants must meet the overall and subtest requirements using a single test.

Password Skills Plus

  • 6.5 overall with no subtest less than 6.0
  • Tests must have been taken within 2 years 5 months of start date. Applicants must meet the overall and subtest requirements using a single test.

Trinity College Tests

  • Integrated Skills in English II & III & IV: ISEII Distinction with Distinction in all sub-tests
  • Tests must have been taken within 2 years 5 months of start date. Applicants must meet the overall and subtest requirements using a single test.

University of Glasgow Pre-sessional courses

  • Tests are accepted for 2 years following date of successful completion.

Alternatives to English Language qualification

  • Degree from majority-English speaking country (as defined by the UKVI including Canada if taught in English)
    • students must have studied for a minimum of 2 years at Undergraduate level, or 9 months at Master's level, and must have completed their degree in that majority-English speaking country within the last 6 years.
  • Undergraduate 2+2 degrees from majority-English speaking country (as defined by the UKVI including Canada if taught in English)
    • students must have completed their final two years study in that majority-English speaking country within the last 6 years.

For international students, the Home Office has confirmed that the University can choose to use these tests to make its own assessment of English language ability for visa applications to degree level programmes. The University is also able to accept UKVI approved Secure English Language Tests (SELT) but we do not require a specific UKVI SELT for degree level programmes. We therefore still accept any of the English tests listed for admission to this programme.

Pre-sessional courses

The University of Glasgow accepts evidence of the required language level from the English for Academic Study Unit Pre-sessional courses. We would strongly encourage you to consider the pre-sessional courses at the University of Glasgow's English for Academic Study (EAS) Unit. Our Pre-sessional courses are the best way to bring your English up to entry level for University study. Our courses give you:

  • direct entry to your University programme for successful students (no need to take IELTS)
  • essential academic skills to help you study effectively at University
  • flexible entry dates so you can join the right course for your level.

For more detail on our pre-sessional courses please see:

We can also consider the pre-sessional courses accredited by the below BALEAP approved institutions to meet the language requirements for admission to our postgraduate taught degrees:

  • Heriot Watt
  • Kingston Upon Thames
  • Middlesex University
  • Manchester University
  • Reading University
  • Edinburgh University
  • ST Andrews University
  • UCL
  • Durham.

 

For further information about English language requirements, please contact the Recruitment and International Office using our enquiry form

International students

We are proud of our diverse University community which attracts students and staff from over 140 different countries.

How to apply

For information on applications and to apply, please see the consortium website: 

Apply to programme (consortium website)

 

More information about this programme

Related programmes

Central & East European Studies

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