PATHS Forced Migration: Europe in a Global Contехt
(Starting: Winter Semester)
- Starting
- Winter Semester
- Mode of Admission:
- no admission restriction (but selection procedure)
- Study Mode:
- Blended learning
Five Reasons to choose this Master's Program
Course Description
How can Europe respond to forced migration in a just, evidence-based way? PATHS Forced Migration tackles one of the most urgent questions of our time as an English-taught Joint European Degree. Starting at Viadrina in the European Border Regimes path, you live and study in Germany, Poland, and Greece, combining interdisciplinary theory, empirical research, practical experience, and close collaboration with international organizations. Developed by the European Reform University Alliance, the program equips you to analyze border regimes, migration policies, and global inequalities — and to design the ethical, socially just solutions that displacement demands.
This program is designed for graduates with a bachelor's degree in the social sciences, humanities, or related disciplines; applicants from other fields with relevant professional experience in migration may also qualify. You should bring English skills at B2 level or higher, curiosity about borders, displacement, and global inequalities, readiness for international mobility, and the ambition to shape migration policy.
In the European Border Regimes path, you start at Viadrina with foundations in migration control, access to protection, and externalization. Semester two at SWPS University in Warsaw deepens your research methods and includes a professional internship. At the University of the Aegean, you then examine refugee reception and non-refoulement and join a research colloquium, before writing your co-supervised master's thesis in semester four. Throughout, each path combines on-campus and online teaching, mixing joint courses taken by all students with path-specific courses.
PATHS Forced Migration is a full-time master's program taught entirely in English, structured around a mobility route through several partner universities. In the European Border Regimes path, you spend your first semester at Viadrina (Germany), move to SWPS University (Poland) for your second, and study at the University of the Aegean (Greece) in your third, before dedicating your fourth semester to your master's thesis. Two further study paths — Inclusion of Children and Minors, and Politics and Policies of Migration — follow their own routes through additional partner universities across Europe.
As a graduate of this Joint European Degree, you are prepared for leadership roles wherever forced migration is managed, researched, and negotiated:
- Policy and program officer at European and international organizations such as UNHCR or UNICEF
- Specialist roles in government agencies and migration or border management institutions
- Project management and coordination in NGOs and humanitarian organizations
- Policy analysis and advocacy work in think tanks and civil society
- Research positions and doctoral studies in migration and border studies
- Consultancy roles on migration, integration, and border policy
Special Program Features
Semester 1 – Germany: borders & foundations
You begin at Viadrina with the foundations of forced migration and border regimes — from migration control and access to protection to the externalization of Europe's borders.
Semester 2 – Poland: research & internship
At SWPS University in Warsaw, you sharpen your research methods and put theory into practice through a professional internship at organizations such as UNHCR and UNICEF.
Semester 3 – Greece: reception & policy
At the University of the Aegean, you focus on refugee reception, border management, and the politics of non-refoulement, while a colloquium prepares you for your thesis.
Partner Universities
SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities
University of the Aegean
Accreditations
Program Accreditation
Program Accreditation
The German Accreditation Council is a foundation of public law with legal capacity that the Federal States have set up for accreditation and quality assurance in teaching and learning at German higher education institutions.
Requirements
Qualification Requirements
The application requirements for the study program in "PATHS Forced Migration: Europe in a Global Contехt" are:
in social sciences, humanities, and related disciplines (direct eligibility)
applicants from other fields may also be considered with relevant professional experience in migration or related arеas
English Language Proficienсу → Language Requirementsat least B2 (CΕFR)
Language Requirements
The following certificates are recognized as proof of your language proficiency.
EnglishSpecification: min 4.5 under the new TOEFL scoring scale introduced in January 2026
Application & Admission
Application Deadlines
German Students 
Other EU Students 
Non-EU Students Non-EU Students| Intake | Winter Semester |
| Application deadline | 15 Julyin > 8 months |
| Application mode | Uni-assist → More info |
| Application fee | uni-assist Fees: €75 for the first application, €30 for each additional application (in the given semester). |
German Students
The application deadline for the M.A. PATHS Forced Migration: Europe in a Global Context at European University Viadrina is the same for all applicants, regardless of the country where you obtained your previous degree. The program admits students once a year, with studies starting in the winter semester, and the application deadline is 31 July. Applications are not submitted to Viadrina directly but handled centrally by SWPS University, the program's coordinating institution, for all study paths.
| Intake | Winter Semester |
| Application deadline | 31 Julyin > 8 months |
| Application mode | Directly at university |
Other EU Students
The application deadline for the M.A. PATHS Forced Migration: Europe in a Global Context at European University Viadrina is the same for all applicants, regardless of the country where you obtained your previous degree. The program admits students once a year, with studies starting in the winter semester, and the application deadline is 31 July. Applications are not submitted to Viadrina directly but handled centrally by SWPS University, the program's coordinating institution, for all study paths.
| Intake | Winter Semester |
| Application deadline | 15 Julyin > 8 months |
| Application mode | Uni-assist → More info |
| Application fee | uni-assist Fees: €75 for the first application, €30 for each additional application (in the given semester). |
Application Procedure & Selection
Application Documents
Admission to PATHS Forced Migration is by selection. Places are allocated on the basis of a competitive assessment by a Joint Admissions Committee comprising representatives from all partner universities. As part of the selection process, you complete an online entrance examination.
You apply online through the PATHS Forced Migration application website, managed by SWPS University as the coordinating institution. International applicants — including those from EU, EFTA and OECD countries — follow a two-step procedure involving eligibility verification before the standard selection process.
Please note: The Admissions Committee reserves the right to offer you a study path different from your initial selectiοn.
officially certified or certificate from your previous examination office confirming that all academic achievements have been submittеd.
Applies only to applicants whose native language is not English and who have not earned their degree from an institution where English is the language of instructiοn.
explaining your motivation for your chosen study рath
from an academic or professional referee
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Testimonials
© Die Hoffotografen GmbH Berlin With the European Border Regimes path, you will develop critical, fact-based capacities to tackle one of the most urgent and divisive issues in European and global contexts.
© Ildiko Otova, New Bulgarian University PATHS Forced Migration empowers future leaders to navigate the geopolitical, humanitarian, and socio-economic complexities of displacement in an interconnected world.
Location
Further Information
Your Personal Contact
Prof. Dr. Kira Kosnick
Program Coordination
Contact Details:
+49 (0) 335 5534-2646
kosnick@europa-uni.de
Dr. Oliver Kossack
Student Advisory Service
Contact Details:
+49 (0) 335 5534-2273
kossack@europa-uni.de
For more information please check the
Course Website