Combine travel and study with the Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters

Sarah Miller graduated with a master’s degree in November 2022 from the University of Glasgow, however Dublin City University and Charles University in Prague were also degree-awarding bodies on her final certificate. The Erasmus+ programme’s Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters scheme allowed Sarah to complete her two year master's degree in three different European universities.

When Sarah was researching for a master’s degree in counter terrorism, her sights were on the University of Glasgow. This was how she found the Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters scheme which, to her surprise, contained no rules limiting international students, more specifically New Zealand students. She applied for the programme at the end of 2019 and heard she was accepted a few months after that. As Covid started spreading rapidly, she questioned her decision to travel but decided to take the risk.

“Even though my experience was impacted by Covid it was still very positive overall. I got to travel and see places at a time when people were stuck, so I felt lucky in that way,” says Sarah.

Sarah had completed an exchange to France for six months while completing her bachelor's degree in international relations. She found her master's degree a more unique experience. The Erasmus+ programme immersed her in a broad range of people and experiences for a longer period. Learning from different universities she gained an international perspective from amazing teachers.

“I really liked being able to get a different cultural perspective on the same topics,” says Sarah.

There were around eighty people in her cohort who all spoke English as a second language, so it was very easy to meet people. The accommodation was organised along the lines of a student hall with flats for three to four people including a shared living area. In the university breaks Sarah would go backpacking around Ireland and Scotland.
“It’s a great way to combine study and adventure, if you are at the end of your undergraduate degree and you want to study more but also want to see a bit of the world you can do both,” says Sarah.

Although much of Sarah’s experience was modified by Covid safety restrictions, she highly recommends it to anyone.

“If you are at all interested in studying overseas at any point it’s an amazing option because you get to do a degree that looks impressive, teaches you different things and you are simultaneously able to travel between multiple countries” says Sarah.

Each Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters programme offers scholarships to cover tuition fees, insurance, a contribution to student travel and installation costs, as well as a monthly subsistence allowance for the entire duration of the study programme. The programme has a broad list of requirements,  allowing people from various backgrounds to apply. There is an opportunity in the final quarter of the master's degree to either write solely a thesis or complete an internship alongside the thesis. This allows the student to experience not only learning overseas but applying those skills to the international workplace.

Further details are on the Erasmus+ page on the Universities New Zealand website or email jane.edwards@universitiesnz.ac.nz.