Success for the Oldenburg project "European Master in Migration and Intercultural Relations (EMMIR)": The European Union is funding the European-African Master's degree course for a further five years as part of its ERASMUS MUNDUS excellence programme.
The funding amounts to up to 2.9 million euros. In the application process, the Oldenburg project competed with 89 proposals from EU member states. A total of 27 projects were selected.
EMMIR was launched in 2011 as the first European-African Master's degree programme dedicated to global migration movements with an intercultural approach. It is the first ERASMUS MUNDUS degree programme to be coordinated at a university in Lower Saxony.
Prof. Dr Sabine Kyora, Vice President for Studies, Teaching and Gender equality, emphasised that she was very pleased about the renewed funding. "EMMIR not only analyses global migration, but also deals intensively with democratic values. Topics that are more relevant today than ever. Our graduates are excellently prepared for the labour market - especially for work in governmental and non-governmental organisations," says Kyora.
Since EMMIR was launched in Oldenburg five years ago, more than 120 students from 59 countries have taken part in the programme. The introductory semester takes place every year with around 25 participants at the University of Oldenburg, with the students transferring to the University of Stavanger (Norway) for the second semester. Depending on their specialisation, they then continue their studies at partner universities in Slovenia, the Czech Republic, Norway, Germany, Uganda, Sudan and, in future, South Africa. "With the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, we have gained a very renowned partner. The university's expertise in the field of African migration research gives our degree programme an even broader perspective," explains Oldenburg political scientist and EMMIR coordinator Dr Lydia Potts.
EMMIR II starts with a further improved programme for students and graduates: "Navigating EMMIR" will help students to combine the study and internship opportunities on offer in such a way that they can qualify both at an academic level and prepare for their career goals. The first alumni event will also take place in September, which will serve, among other things, to network graduates and current students.
The aim of EMMIR is to analyse migration - including the migration and displacement movements that are central to Africa and the exodus of highly qualified people from the Global South. "The combination of seven partner universities from seven countries on two continents and a further 45 participating governmental and non-governmental organisations worldwide makes EMMIR a unique, globally operating network," says Prof. Dr Martin Butler, member of the EMMIR consortium and Director of the Institute of English and American Studies, where the degree programme has been based since August. Previously, EMMIR was part of the Institute of Material Culture for five years. The sixth intake of Master's students will start on 1 September. From September, interested students from all over the world can also apply online for the 2017 EMMIR Master's programme, for which 16 scholarships will be awarded.
