SDU strengthens European education cooperation with new triple degree

When the first cohort of students begins the new triple degree master’s programme European Geopolitics, International Security and Law, EGISL, they will spend the first semester in Poznań, the second semester at SDU in Odense and the third semester in Strasbourg.

The programme has been developed in a collaboration between Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, SDU and Sciences Po Strasbourg. The plan is that an international cohort of 15 students will complete the first three semesters of the programme together before they write their thesis at their home university during the final semester.

For SDU, the programme is a tangible example of how international university alliances can be translated into the collaborative development of education programmes.

– On this programme, the students study a subject that is very relevant these days, namely global security. During the programme, the students study at three European universities, each of which offers unique expertise within the subject area covered by the degree programme, says Jan Guldager Jørgensen, vice dean for education at the Faculty of Business and Social Sciences.

A response to the new geopolitical reality

The degree programme has been developed in the context of war in Europe, shifts in the global balance of power and increased uncertainty about international collaborations and supply chains, all of which are affecting authorities, international organisations and private companies.

According to Melike Wulfgramm, vice head of department and head of studies at the Department of Political Science and Public Management, the programme is a response to a growing need for graduates who are skilled in analysing international relations at the intersection of geopolitics, security and law .

– The students will gain a thorough understanding of international relations, international security and international law from a European perspective. This is highly relevant right now: these skills are in demand in international organisations, public workplaces and large companies that have to navigate a new European climate and a new world order, says Melike Wulfgramm.

This includes EU institutions, foreign services, public authorities, consulting environments and large companies that need knowledge about security policy, European and international law, diplomacy, political risk and strategic analysis.

Multiple academic subject areas in the same programme

EGISL combines law, political science, security studies and international relations. The interdisciplinary approach is central, as the issues that the students will be working with can rarely be understood from one academic perspective alone.

– In these times, we are navigating a complex world order. In this context, the multifaceted answers to complex questions about modern geopolitics cannot be provided by a single discipline alone. Therefore, we have combined academic subject areas and created a foundation which brings together legal, political science and security policy perspectives in one master's degree programme, says Jan Guldager Jørgensen.

SDU’s segment of the programme combines political science and law, built on experiences from the master’s degree programme International Security and Law, which is anchored at the Department of Political Science and Public Management. At the same time, SDU’s collaboration with the partner universities adds a clear European and diplomatic perspective, such as through the semester at Sciences Po Strasbourg.

An international student journey

The new education programme is different from a traditional exchange programme, as mobility is built into the structure of the new education programme. The students move as one group between three universities in three study cities, encountering different academic traditions and societal perspectives along the way.

– The students build competences in navigating different systems and academic traditions. They learn how to navigate multicultural working conditions and see complex problems from multiple perspectives from different angles, explains Melike Wulfgramm.

The three study cities also contribute to the overall profile of the programme. In Poland, the students encounter a society in which Europe’s borders and security situation are present in a different way than in Denmark. At SDU, they continue their studies with a focus on international security and law, whereas the part of the programme that takes place in Strasbourg is linked more closely with European diplomacy and institutional decision-making processes.

A new step in internationalisation

The development of the education programme has also been an extensive administrative and organisational task. Three universities, three sets of national regulations and different semester structures had to be brought together in order for the programme to be experienced by the students as one integrated programme.

According to Jan Guldager Jørgensen, the experiences of developing the new education programme go beyond the specific programme.

– We at SAMF have participated in many bilateral agreements, but this is something different and new. Collaborating with two other strong universities in Europe on a new master’s degree programme paves the way for international collaboration. It is a new step in internationalisation for us, he says.

The interest in the programme has exceeded expectations in the first intake. At SDU, a total of 40 applicants have expressed interest in the five places that SDU can bring into the common pool of 15 students.

– The goal is for the 15 students who get a place on the programme to complete the programme, gain the competences that we and they have hoped for, and enter the international labour market with a strong profile within geopolitics, international security and law, says Jan Guldager Jørgensen.