Please check the start date and application deadline on the short courses' main page

ECTS credits:	8
Duration	4 weeks
Teaching methods:	Paper(s); Assignment(s); Research; Skills; Work in subgroups
Assessment methods:	Final paper; Attendance; Presentation; Assessment; Oral Exam

About the course

Please note: This course is part of the Msc. Public Policy and Human Development programme offered by Maastricht University and UNU-MERIT, and requires in-person participation.

This course serves to provide students with an introduction to migration studies, to understand different forms of migration and the ‘migration life-cycle’. The course covers such topics as the flows and trends of migration and remittances, historical developments, theories of migration from different disciplines such as economics and sociology, different forms and experiences of migration including but limited to labour migration, forced migration, irregular migration, return and reintegration. Students will also gain practical skills such as sourcing migration data and analysing migration trends. The course will follow a modular structure with week 1 focused on the introduction, forced migration and data; week 2 and 3 focus on migration theory; week 4 on irregular migration; week 5 on immigrant incorporation, week 6 on return migration; week 7 on the migration profile and week 8 on the oral exam.

Course objectives

By the end of this course, students should be able to:

Understand different forms of migration in different contexts
Identify and analyse the complex relationships between migration processes, experiences, policies and outcomes at different stages of the migration “lifecycle”
Understand, compare, critique and apply theoretical perspectives on different forms of migration, immigrant incorporation and return migration
Apply effective time management skills and problem-solving strategies to complete a migration profile, addressing real-life challenges such as working under pressure and managing data limitations.
Undertake analytical and independent research (including in a team environment)

The application process

As a first step, you will need to upload the required documents (see below) and pay the course fee to complete your application using the following form: https://www.aanmelder.nl/175591/subscribe

After submission, your application will be reviewed by the admissions committee. You will then be informed of the outcome (acceptance or rejection).

In the event of a rejection, the course fee will be refunded, minus the 50 euro application fee (that is not refundable).

Upon acceptance, you will receive a confirmation email from our team containing a link to upload a copy of your passport and a passport-style photo. These documents are required to register you in the university system and the education portal.

Please note: Participants are responsible for obtaining their own visas, if required. We can provide a support letter addressed to the embassy, but it is up to the participants to obtain their visas on time.

Entry requirements

In order to be eligible for admission, applicants have to submit:

a copy of a valid passport or ID-card
a CV
two recommendation letters
a motivation letter
a passport-style photo
meet the prerequisites regarding the payment details and tuition fee
Provide proof (degree(s) and lists of grades) of having obtained having completed a University of Applied Sciences or a University Bachelor of arts or of scientific education degree or an equivalent degree that provides the knowledge, understanding, and skills on the level of a Dutch University Bachelor’s degree of Applied Sciences or a University Bachelor of scientific education that substantially covers topics on economics, political sciences, public administration, and/or law.
Submit a letter of motivation which also needs to include how the short course builds upon the applicant’s previously gained knowledge and/or experience, and what the applicant expects to gain from completing this course. Relevant professional experience in the field of public policy positively counts as evidence of the expertise that the student built in the field.
Evidence of adequate command of the English language:
Applicants can only enrol if the requirement for adequate command of the English language is met, meaning providing proof of having at least a minimum level equivalent to a 6.5 IELTS (International English Language Testing System) score:
- The requirement is met if the applicant is in possession and provides proof thereof to the Board of Admissions of one of the following diplomas or certificates:
  - a Dutch pre-university education (VWO) diploma; or
  - a secondary education diploma issued in an (EU/EEA) country as mentioned in the Nuffic diploma list for applicants who have followed English up to and including the last year (as published on the UM-website); or
  - a diploma from a completed Pre-master, Bachelor's or Master's degree programme in which English was the sole language of instruction; or
  - an international or European Baccalaureate, a US high school diploma or UK GCE A levels.
- The requirement is met if the applicant can demonstrate in another way that they meet the language requirement, by means of the following language tests:
  - Academic IELTS: 6.5 points; or
  - TOEFL IBT: 90 points; or
  - TOEFL IBT Home Edition: 90 points; or
  - TOEIC Listening and Reading: 929 points and Speaking and Writing: 358 points; or
  - Cambridge English Scale Exams B2 First: 176-179 points; or
  - Cambridge English Scale Exams C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency: 180-184 points.

After completing the application, you will receive a confirmation email along with the payment information.

Once we receive the payment, we will register you as a participant for the course, and the Short Courses Administration Team will contact you.

Please note that the deadlines for applying to the short courses in the table at the beginning of this page.

If you have any questions regarding the application documents or the application process, or if there are any clarifications you need before applying, please feel free to reach out to us at the email address: shortcourses@merit.unu.edu.

Tuition fees

The tuition fee is 4400 EUR

Please note that we are unfortunately not able to provide scholarships or tuition fee waivers.

Discount:

If you register for more than one course, you are eligible for a €500 discount on each additional course (valid for up to two years after your first course).

Participants registering for a second course should send an email to cdo@merit.unu.edu for the discount code.

Refund Policy for Course Withdrawal

Full Refund Before Registration Deadline: Participants who withdraw before the registration deadline and before official registration in the university system are eligible for a full refund of fees paid, minus 100 euro administration costs.
Partial Refund After Registration, until one week before the course start date: If a participant withdraws after the registration deadline but before one week of the course start, 50% of the tuition will be refunded.
No Refunds Once Course Has Begun: No refunds will be issued in case withdrawal happens one week before the course starts.

If you have any questions regarding our short courses, please feel free to reach out to the Capacity Development Office at the email address: shortcourses@merit.unu.edu.