European Public Affairs - Berlin University for Professional Studies (DUW)

European Public Affairs — Advocacy, Lobbying, Networking

The European Union’s political decisions continue to grow in importance for local, state and national policy-makers, as well as for national and international businesses and organizations. They are becoming even more important than state and national legislation. As European harmonization progresses in such areas as law, finance and higher education, it becomes increasingly important to influence policy at the EU level. Public affairs thus become an indispensable part of information work, and advocacy at the EU level is becoming a socially recognized and promising professional field, and is gaining importance within the member states as well.

The increasing significance of European policy decisions, even within national borders, is placing new demands on the advocacy professions. As a graduate of the master’s degree course in European Public Affairs, you are specially qualified for assignments in advocacy, lobbying, networking and communication for public institutions, businesses and associations, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Your field of activity includes public relations work for all of these kinds of organizations, as well as in ministerial offices, political parties, or local government. In all cases, your task is to analyze, manage and thus ensure the integration of your organization’s interests in the European decision-making and communication processes.

At a Glance

Final certificate:

Master of Arts

ZFU certification:

Nr.: 141010

Beginning of course:

Course added in October, 2010.
Students can start the course at any time beginning in October, 2010.
Introductory seminars are held regularly for an optimum start.

Current dates

Duration:

24 months
The period of supervised study can be extended by twelve months without additional fees.

Type of course:

Flexible distance-study course for working professionals

Prerequisites:

A first academic degree
Two years’ work experience in the public administration, business or NGO field
Knowledge of English

Field trip:

Five-day internship
In Brussels

Trial course:

Study free for one month.

Partner:

Renner Institute, Vienna

Tuition fees:

See the schedule of fees in our Info and Download Area.

Certificate programmes:

Certificate programmes related to European Public Affairs:

Cross-cultural Communication

General Management

Accreditation

All courses of study at DUW that lead to an academic degree are approved by the accreditation agency ACQUIN.

State Certification

All of DUW’s programs of study are approved by the German national Distance Learning Office (Zentralstelle für Fernunterricht, ZFU) in Cologne. This certifies that course content is complete, correct and appropriately presented to ensure that you can achieve your educational goal.

Learning Outcomes

On completion of the of the master’s degree course in European Public Affairs, you will be able to take on mid-level executive positions in businesses and organizations in the public or private sector that are involved in European decision-making processes, regardless of the professional field and location. You will have a deep understanding of the central actors, interests and communication structures in the European context, and of the policy-making processes and the formal rules that govern them. Your expertise in the field of public affairs goes hand in hand with a high degree of professionalism. You have the specialized knowledge in political science as well as communication theory that you need for successful advocacy at the European level, and you have a variety of instruments at your command to analyze and evaluate the possible ways of influencing political decision-making in the interests of public and private organizations. Based on such analyses, you are able to advance the interests of your institution or organization by developing and implementing viable, targeted campaigns in response to specific problems.

Target Group

The master’s degree course in European Public Affairs is aimed at persons who aspire to an executive or other position in the field of advocacy, lobbying and networking that calls for excellent knowledge of the European Union. You will particularly benefit from the course if:

You are already working as an advocate and want to develop your professional and personal skills through continuing education.

You work as a communication expert in an agency or business, a political entity, or a public institutions at any level.