European Culture and Economy, shortened as ECUE, is an interdisciplinary postgraduate program that is distinct from

European Studies European studies is a field of study offered by many academic colleges and universities that focuses on current developments in European integration. Some programmes offer a social science or public administration curriculum focusing on develop ...

. Both focus on European politics and developments. After receiving the academic degree

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Th ...

, graduates of ECUE may engage in various business fields, however, especially EU-related professions are targeted.

History

The

Ruhr University Bochum The Ruhr University Bochum (, ) is a public research university located in the southern hills of the central Ruhr area, Bochum, Germany. It was founded in 1962 as the first new public university in Germany after World War II. Instruction began in ...

in Germany is currently the only university to offer European Culture and Economy as a path of study. It is a small branch, approximately 30 students are accepted each year. It was first introduced in the winter term of 1999/2000 and has since become an established Mastersprogram. Initially, ECUE was a way of giving arts scholars a fundamental understanding of economics, politics and intercultural competences. In its early stages, the program was supported financially by the

German Academic Exchange Service The German Academic Exchange Service, or DAAD (german: Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst), was founded in 1925 and is the largest German support organisation in the field of international academic co-operation. Organisation ''DAAD'' is a ...

(DAAD) as well as

German Rectors' Conference The German Rectors' Conference/Hochschulrektorenkonferenz (HRK) is the voluntary association of state and state-recognised universities and other higher education institutions in Germany. It currently has 257 member institutions at which more than ...

(HRK). In 2007, its level of quality was confirmed by ACQUIN, a German Quality Assurance Institute. Students of ECUE are intended to qualify as ''specialized generalist'' and be prepared for careers in international companies and institutions. The expected duration of study is four terms.

Curriculum

The curriculum puts an emphasis on examining the European area from an economic, cultural, political and sociological perspective. During Colloquia and an obligatory excursion (to Brussels), the interrelations of the disciplines are linked and investigated. Additionally, the students' intercultural competences and research methods are trained. Seminars of the following disciplines are included in the program: *

Law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vario ...

Economics Economics () is the social science that studies the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and interactions of economic agents and how economies work. Microeconomics analyzes ...

History History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...

Political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

Sociology Sociology is a social science that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. It uses various methods of empirical investigation an ...

* Cultural studies * Philosophy The interdisciplinary and intercultural approach teaches students to analyze European topics from a cultural, economical and political angle. Next to interdisciplinary, ECUE stresses international relations. Many of the available places are assigned to foreign students.Handbuch Europa in NRW (p. 59,60) So far, students of 30 different nations (Africa, U.S.A., Asia, many European countries) were able to successfully complete the program.

Admission

To be granted admission to the program, a very good to excellent

Bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

is required. Furthermore, students must possess a good proficiency in the teaching languages, English and German. Further, a term abroad or an internship are possible ways to organize the program.

References and notes

von Alemann; Münch (2006) Handbuch Europa in NRW - Wer macht was in NRW für Europa (p. 59,60)
Additional sources (in German)

Translated versions:

* ttps://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=auto&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.focus.de%2FD%2FDB%2FDBU%2FDBU22%2FDBU22A%2FDBU22AA%2Fdbu22aa.htm%3Fsnr%3D8%26schwer%3Dgeistes Translated: Fokus Online {{DEFAULTSORT:European Culture And Economy European culture Humanities education European studies Cultural education