College of Arts and Sciences

Departmental E-mail: west [at] indiana [dot] edu

Departmental URL: www.indiana.edu/~west/

(Please note that when conferring University Graduate School degrees, minors, certificates, and sub-plans, The University Graduate School’s staff use those requirements contained only in The University Graduate School Bulletin. Requirements may or may not be reflected identically in departmental URLs.)

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Academic Advising

Ballantine Hall 542, (812) 855-3280

Program Information

West European Studies (WEST) offers a Master of Arts degree in West European Studies, and two dual degree programs: a Master of Arts and a Master of Business Administration (M.A./M.B.A.) with the Kelley School of Business, and a Master of Arts and a Master of Public Affairs (M.A./M.P.A.) with the School of Public and Environmental Affairs. The West European Stud­ies master’s program offers a flexible yet rigorous approach to the study of modern Europe that combines courses in the social sciences, humanities, and languages to give students broad understanding of the politics, economics, history, and cultures of the countries of Western Europe and the European Union, while allowing the student to tailor the program to their interests. Students may focus on a particular country or region in Western Europe or on the European Union. The dual degrees add a level of professional training. M.A. graduates have in-depth knowledge about Western Europe and are prepared to work in a wide variety of positions in the public and private sector. Students may also choose to follow the master’s degree with advanced graduate studies.

WEST also offers a Graduate Certificate and a Ph.D. minor for doctoral students.

Degrees Offered

Master of Arts, Master of Arts/Master of Business Administra­tion (jointly with the Kelley School of Business), Master of Arts/Master of Public Affairs (jointly with the School of Public and Environmental Affairs)

Special Program Requirements

(See also general University Graduate School requirements.)

Master of Arts Degree

Admission

Bachelor’s degree and completion of the Graduate Record Examination. No language proficiency is required for admission, although intermediate or advanced knowledge of one West European langage is recommended.

Course Requirements

A total of 30 credit hours of graduate course work, distributed over three categories. Category I consists of four required courses including Research Seminar (3 cr.); one approved graduate course in European studies from History (3 to 4 cr.); one approved graduate course on Europe or the European Union from Political Science (3 cr.);  and one approved course pertaining to Europe in the World (3 cr.).

Category II consists of five courses (min. 15 cr.) in electives from the following four areas: literature or culture from the European region or area where the student’s language of specialization is spoken (3 cr.); one approved graduate elective course in the humanities; one approved graduate elective course in the social sciences; and 5-6 credit hours in approved graduate elective coursework.

Category III pertains to thesis hours. A minimum of the 3 credit hours in WEUR 800 are required.

Language Requirement

Proficiency at the intermediate-mid to intermediate-high level of one approved West European language  appropriate to the student’s program is required. Language requirements are explained in detail in the “Academic Regulations” section of this bulletin. Language proficiency exams are administered by the respective language departments. 

 Thesis

Required. The student must select a thesis advisory committee of at least three University Graduate School faculty members. A WEST-affiliated faculty member should be selected as chair. West European Studies adheres to thesis format and printing requirements set by the University Graduate School.  A WEST Master’s thesis may not exceed 100 pages total and should draw on resources from the language of specialization. (3 cr.).

Dual Degree: Master of Arts in West European Studies and Master of Business Administration

West European Studies and the Kelley School of Business jointly offer a three-year program that quali­fies students for two master’s degrees. Study for these two degrees can be combined for a total of 66 credit hours rather than the 84 credit hours required for the two degrees taken separately. The area studies require 30 hours of credit, 6 of which, taken through the Kelley School of Business, will count towards the M.A. degree. The other 24 hours of credit must be in accordance with the respective area studies program. Dual M.A./M.B.A. students should expect to pay University Graduate School tuition rates for one academic year (two semesters) and the Kelley School of Business M.B.A. flat fee for two years (four academic semesters) of the program. Both degrees must be awarded simultaneously.

Admission

To be eligible for the joint M.A./M.B.A. program, students must apply to the two master’s programs separately. A student must submit an application to and be accepted by the Kelley School of Business for study toward the Master of Business Adminis­tration and by West European Studies in the Graduate School for study toward the Master of Arts degree. See “Master of Arts Degree” for admission requirements.

West European Studies Course Requirements

Students take 24 graduate credits in West European Studies under the course requirements for the M.A., including: W301 (3 cr.), W401 (3 cr.), W501 (3 cr.), one W605 or cross-listed equivalent social science course (3 cr.), one W605 or cross-listed equivalent humanities course (3 cr.), one general elective (3 cr.), 3-6 thesis credits.

Business Course Requirements

Forty-two graduate credit hours for the M.B.A. degree under the course requirements for the M.B.A. Full information about the M.B.A. program should be obtained from the Kelley School of Business M.B.A Program Office.

Language Requirements

Proficiency in depth of one approved West European language. Language requirements are explained in detail in the “Academic Regulations” section of this bulletin. Language proficiency ex­ams are administered by the respective language departments.

Thesis

Required. The student must select a thesis advisory committee of at least three Graduate School faculty members representing both WEST and the Kelley School of Business. West European Studies adheres to thesis format and printing requirements set by the Univer­sity Graduate School. Master’s theses are not to exceed 100 pages.  It is strongly advised that the student spend the first year of the three-year program completing requirements for the M.A. (WEST) part of the program, and that the second year be spent in the first year of the M.B.A. program, thus allowing the third year to focus on electives and the thesis.

Dual Degree: Master of Arts in West European Studies and Master of Public Affairs

West European Studies (WEST) and the School of Public and Environmental Affairs (SPEA) jointly offer a three-year program that qualifies students for two master’s degrees. Study for these two degrees can be combined for a total of 60 credit hours rather than the 78 credit hours required for the two degrees taken separately.

Admission

To be eligible for the joint M.A./M.P.A. program, students must apply to the two master’s programs separately. A student must submit an application to and be accepted by the School of Public and Environmental Affairs for study toward the Master of Public Affairs degree and by West European Studies in the Graduate School for study toward the Master of Arts degree. See “Master of Arts Degree” for admissions requirements.

West European Studies Course Requirements

Students take 24 graduate credits in West European Studies under the course requirements for the M.A., including: W301 (3 cr.), W401 (3 cr.), W501 (3 cr.), one W605 or cross-listed equivalent social science course (3 cr.), one W605 or cross-listed equivalent humanities course (3 cr.), one general elective (3 cr.), 3-6 thesis credits.

Master of Public Affairs Course Requirements

Students are required to complete 36 graduate credit hours comprised of the M.P.A. core and a specialized concentration. M.P.A. Core (18 cr.): V502 Public Management (3 cr.), V506 Statistical Analysis for Policy and Management (3 cr.), V517 Public Management Economics (3 cr.), V540 Law and Public Affairs (3 cr.), V560 Public Finance and Budgeting (3 cr.), V600 Capstone in Public and Environmental Affairs (3 cr.); Specialized Concentration (18 cr.): Students are required to develop a specialized concentration comprised of courses approved by School of Public and Environmental Affairs faculty advisors.

Language Requirements

Proficiency in depth of one approved West European language. Language requirements are explained in detail in the “Academic Regulations” section of this bulletin. Language proficiency ex­ams are administered by the respective language departments.

Thesis

Required. The student must select a thesis advisory committee of at least three Graduate School faculty members represent­ing both West European Studies and the School of Public and Environmental Affairs. West European Studies adheres to thesis format and printing requirements set by the University Gradu­ate School. Master’s theses are not to exceed 100 pages.

Graduate Area Certificate in West European Studies

Area certificates can be awarded only in conjunction with a degree program and cannot be awarded prior to the comple­tion of all requirements for the degree. Students must apply for admission and be accepted into another unit in the University Graduate School.

Course Requirements

A minimum of 15 graduate credit hours or five courses selected from an approved list of European Studies courses.   Twelve hours or four courses must be selected from four  topic areas/disciplines with advanced advisor approval plus two to four credit hours in an approved elective.  

Twelve hours or four courses must be selected from the following list

1. One approved graduate course from History (3 to 4 credit hours)
2. One approved graduate course from Political Science (3 credit hours) or European Law
3. One approved graduate course on the European Union, Europe in the World or taking a comparative perspective on Europe and other world regions
4. One approved graduate course on Literature/Culture

Two to four credit hours or one course is required through one approved graduate course in European Studies. A maximum of four credits or one course may be taken within the student’s major field of study. A minimum average GPA of 3.0 or B must be achieved.

Language Requirement

Reading proficiency in one European language approved by the graduate advisor. Language proficiency levels are determined by the respective language departments.

Ph.D. Minor in West European Studies

A Ph.D. minor in West European Studies is awarded as an out­side minor to students who are pursuing a Ph.D. in another unit in the University Graduate School.

Course Requirements

The degree consists of a total of 12 to 15 graduate credit hours of West European area studies courses.  The student must complete one approved graduate course in West European studies from History; one approved graduate course in Political Science on Western Europe or the European Union; one approved graduate course on Europe in the world such as WEUR 602 or on the EU as an actor on the world stage, and one approved W605 seminars or approved cross-listed equivalent on the literature or culture of the student’s European region of specialization (12 hours or four courses minimum).  Additionally, the student may take one approved W605 elective or equivalent graduate elective on European Studies (3 cr).  No more than 3 of the 12 credit hours may be in readings (W805) or independent research (W875). Only four credits may be taken from the student’s major discipline.

Language Requirement

Reading knowledge of at least one approved West European language. Other languages may be approved if pertinent to the student's coursework. Language requirements are explained in detail in the “Academic Regulations” section of this bulletin. Language proficiency exams are administered by the respective language departments.