FSV UK celebrates threefold success in this year’s round of approval of Erasmus Mundus programmes

The Faculty of Social Sciences has been very successful in this year’s round of applications for gaining support in the international programme of Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degrees. A total of 44 study programmes have been approved within the programme this year. FSV UK succeeded three times.

The Master’s programme of European Politics and Society (EPS) at the Institute of International Studies of FSV UK was prolonged; the faculty accomplished this as one of only two institutions in the Czech Republic in the role of programme coordinator. Another success involves gaining support for a brand new study programme of Journalism, Media and Globalisation at the Institute of Communication Studies and Journalism of FSV UK. The last achievement is the extension of validity of the programme of International Master in Security, Intelligence and Strategic Studies (IMSISS) at the Institute of Political Studies of FSV UK.

Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degrees (EMJMD) is a prestigious, highly integrated international study program offered by a consortium of university institutions from a variety of countries, or by other partners from the field of education or outside of it, who have specific scholarly knowledge and interest in the areas of expertise included in the joint study. Its specificity lies in the high degree of “sharing” and in the high quality of the offered academic content and methodology.

“A total of 91 projects were submitted, 44 were successful, of which eight were in the field of social sciences/humanities alone. It is hardly surprising that as a dean of the faculty that has three of the eight successful projects - one even coordinating – I am absolutely thrilled with such results. This is proof of the fact that the highest-quality colleagues work at FSV UK and it shows how serious we are about opening ourselves up to the world and internationalization; these are not just phrases or empty words for us. In addition, I teach a course within one of the programs, so I’m really looking forward to meeting some of the students personally. And last but not least, I would also like to invite Czech Bachelor’s degree students to apply for these extremely interesting programs. It is a great opportunity to study simultaneously at some of the best universities in Europe and around the world,” says Dean of FSV UK, Alice Němcová Tejkalová.

The International consortium of the study programme of European Politics and Society (EPS), coordinated at FSV UK by the Department of European Studies (IMS), has managed to receive the support for this prestigious programme from the European Commission for the second time. It will offer scholarships for students from around the world also in the years 2020-25. The first students of the programme started in the academic year of 2017/2018. The programme is already established and in high demand. It is built on excellent cooperation within a consortium of partner universities in Barcelona, Krakow and Leiden. “The programme has very high academic standard and excellent students. It contributes to the promotion of the good reputation of the faculty and university and enhances its internationalization,” said director of EPS consortium Eliška Tomalová.

The Institute of Communication Studies of FSV UK is a new member of the consortium of the programme of Journalism, Media and Globalisation, coordinated by Aarhus University, which received EMJMD support for the period of 2020-2025. The programme has been in operation since 2005, its central theme is the changing field of journalism and media in the era of globalization. The programme is taught at a consortium of prestigious universities with the programmes dedicated to journalism and media, both European and non-European ones. It aims to provide graduates with understanding and analytical tools for theoretical understanding and practical grasp of the rapidly transforming field of media. “The specialization realized by our institute provides students with knowledge of the specifics of journalism in the societies that have undergone major social changes. Students will assume practical experience necessary for the work of a journalist in the 21st century using the state-of-the-art technology facilities offered at our institute. They will try the work of a foreign correspondent using the latest technological innovations, such as drone journalism, the use of virtual reality in journalism, visual journalism, the work of an anchorman or anchorwoman in a full-fledged television studio, and the latest multimedia and cross-platform practices of journalism,” says the guarantor of the program Filip Láb.

The programme of International Master in Security, Intelligence and Strategic Studies (IMSISS) has also gained EMJDM support until 2025; since 2018 it has been managed by a consortium of three universities – the coordinating University of Glasgow, Dublin City University and Charles University represented by the Department of Security Studies of FSV UK. In the second programme period, the consortium will be expanded to include the University of Trento, which will share students with an Irish partner in the second semester. All students will continue to attend courses in Glasgow and at FSV UK.

IMSISS is the only security programme that is supported within Erasmus Mundus projects. It is an interdisciplinary programme that covers a broad security agenda with an emphasis on the latest trends related to technological development. An important part of the programme is a rich offer of partner institutions operating on all continents, which provide students with internships during which they prepare their diploma theses.

The first 37 students, who will graduate in autumn, are currently completing their studies. In September they will be replaced by further 67 students who will start their second year of study in Prague. These students were selected from more than 1,000 applications, which are reviewed each year by the consortium. “We take pride in cooperating with major European universities and working in compliance with British qualitative standards. At the same time, we are pleased to create a truly international environment at FSV UK, as our students come from more than forty countries around the world,” says the programme coordinator Vít Střítecký.