Prospective Students
7 Partner Universities in 6 Countries
HOW DOES TAM WORK?
TAM is designed to afford many different types of experiences to its students. Your TAM path can be tailored to suit your individual interests, skills, and goals. In order to facilitate the process of choosing your degree type, program, and study locations, please refer to the step-by-step guide below. If at any point, you have questions or concerns, please feel free to email us at tam@unc.edu. Since no two students are exactly alike, it may help you to communicate directly with representatives from the TAM office and our alumni network. We are happy to be in touch with you!
Two Degree Paths
Dual Degree
Students receive one degree in Political Science from UNC-Chapel Hill, and one degree from a partner university, with the opportunity to specialize in climate policy.
Single-degree Alternative
Students receive one degree in Political Science from UNC-Chapel Hill, spending at least one semester at UNC-Chapel Hill, and up to three semesters abroad at one or more European partner sites, with the option of specializing in German-Turkish Studies.
Our Partner Sites
TAM has cultivated partnerships with some of the most acclaimed universities in Europe and now also with a well-known university in Turkey. Our long-standing ties with these institutions reflect strong transatlantic bonds at both the academic and administrative levels and, in some cases, date as far back as 1998. The caliber of each institution is an important factor as is the institution’s location in key areas of interest to EU scholars.
These settings are quite unique and range from the more quiet countrysides of the UK and Italy to busy cities in Germany and Spain. The overseas component of TAM is essential to the experiential learning we offer students. We feel that the experience can be most engaging and effective when students are mainstreamed at their overseas sites.
BARCELONA
Dual-degree students may spend their second year at the Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF) in Barcelona. At UPF, course are taught in English and may include Statistical Analysis I, Electoral Systems, Multiculturality and Immigration Policies, The Welfare State, Globalization and European Integration, Democracy and Political Liberalism, Social Policy and the Welfare State, Electoral Competition and Voting Behaviour, and Migration and Society.
BATH
Single-degree students have the option of studyin The Specialist Module I (spring semester) at Bath University is called “Global Europe: Roles and Comparisons.” This module has a strong IR focus. Courses include: Organised Crime in Europe: Threats and Challenges, International Security: the Contemporary Agenda, Britain and Europe, International Organisations in World Politics, Economic Foreign Policy and International Trade, Theories of Conflict and Conflict Resolution.
During Specialist Module II (fall semester), the main emphasis at the University of Bath is on the issue of IR and is called “European Perspectives on International Relations and Security”. Since the end of the Cold War, the concept of security has been increasingly broadly defined. The Bath Specialist II Module includes such courses as European Union policies and policy-making, Scopes and Methods of Politics and International Relations, Comparative European Politics, International Security, Theories & Concepts, Memory Culture-Memory Politics, Foreign Policy Analysis, Governance.
BERLIN
Humboldt University offers a Specialist I module. Courses may include: Comparative European Government, Facets of Europeanization, and Foreign and Security Policy in Europe. Please note that it is possible to take classes taught in English or German in Berlin. The universities in Berlin have now set a standard of B2 / intermediate German-language ability (in the CEFR: Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) for those who wish to take classes in German. This level serves as a guideline intended to help applicants determine whether to pursue classes taught in German in Berlin. Past site visits during this module in Berlin have taken students to the parliament and an NGO called Lobby-watch Berlin’s Specialist Module II for TransAtlantic Studies students is called “Democratisation and Political Change”. Course titles include: Facets of Europeanisation, Europe’s Borders and Neighbors, and Democracy and Democratisation in Europe. Classes typically include: Democracy and Demo-cratisation in Europe, Social Science Working Techniques, Europe’s Borders and Neighbours, Facets of Europeanisa-tion / Globalisation as well as a thesis colloquium.
German-Turkish Studies track students in their second year of the program will take classes at Humboldt University in Berlin. Their core courses will be “Germany, Turkey and the EU” and “German Democracy in Comparison.” Language classes as well as electives will be on offer.
Erasmus + funding from the EU has enabled Humboldt University to award a limited number of student stipends to TAM students in recent years. Some of this funding has been tied to internships both in Berlin and DC.
BREMEN
In Bremen, research internships are often available to TAM students and can serve as an integral part of the program. Some of these positions may be paid. In addition, social policy coursework focuses on the economy and on health policy. We specifically recommend International and European Social Policy and Comparative Social Policy. These are both courses offered through Bremen’s MA Program in Social Policy. In the past, TAM students have also had the option to take classes through other MA programs offered in English at Bremen and at nearby Jacobs University.
GOTHENBURG
Gothenburg is part of TAM’s and offers a double degree program with TAM. Within this track, TAM students have the opportunity to spend one year at UNC-CH and the following year at the University of Gothenburg. Once in Sweden, during the second year in the program, students who choose this option join Gothenburg’s Master’s of European Studies (MAES) Program.
Students have the opportunity to study the Nordic and Swedish welfare state model as well as European migration issues as they pursue the double degree option.
English-language instruction is on offer, and students find that most people speak English in Gothenburg.
Students enjoy the proximity to Brussels and availability of a well-established network in EU-institutions and other organizations involving European Studies alumni as well as distinguished members of the work-life council REGU.
Students also take part in study-visit trips to Brussels organized by their fellow students.
Students also have the possibility to an internship in the form of a fifth semester, in Sweden or another EU member state.
Finally, students may wish to join the well-established student organization, Brännpunkt Europa.
GRENOBLE
TAM students who opt to study at Sciences Po Grenoble in the French Alps join the School of European Governance’s (l’Ecole de Gouvernance européenne) MA Program at Sciences Po Grenoble for one or two semesters of overseas coursework. In the spring semester, the Specialist Module I at S-P Grenoble offers courses from January to March. TAM students then take part in individual study courses with S-P Grenoble faculty. In the fall semester, or SM II, TAM students in Grenoble take classes from September to December.
Students can opt to take all classes in English or do a mix of classes in English and French. In the latter case, they can hand in papers in English.
Students are able to take a French language class as part of their program
We do recommend that TAM students planning to study in Grenoble speak some French in order to get the most out of their stay in France.
Below are some of the courses for Grenoble (title in English = course in English, title in French = course in French):
SM I : Europeanisation of public policies, Droit européen de l’immigration et de l’asile, European Economic Governance, Welfare state in the EU, La politique européenne de voisinage, The EU and international security, and EU External Action
SM II : Seminar EU Law and Politics, Les entreprises dans l’Union européenne, European political parties, L’UE et la protection de l’environnement, Interest groups and collective action in the EU, Public Opinion in the EU, and The Relations between Europe and the US Since World War II
The complete listings are available here.
SIENA
The Siena’s Specialist Module II, “From National to Global: Changing Perspectives on a Changing World”, is offered in collaboration with the MA in Political Science at the University of Siena. The Module examines the particular pressures to which Italy is subject. Course titles may include: Multiculturalism in Europe: the Mediterranean Dimension, From the Nation State to European Polity, The Political Economy of the EU, National Perspectives: Italy, Europe and the EU, European Perspectives: Migration, Culture, Markets, and Europe in Global Perspective. This module is primarily taught in English.
PAYING FOR TAM
AN AFFORDABLE PROGRAM THAT GIVES YOU OPTIONS.
When it comes to affording TAM, you have options. We deliberately keep tuition low as we wish to make the TAM experience as accessible as possible to those who share our passion for European Studies and Transatlantic Affairs. In the past, TAM students have received funding in the way of Foreign Language Area Studies awards, Fulbright awards, Ford Foundation Fellowships, IREX grants, Turkish Coalition of America (TCA) funding, and DAAD scholarships. We are also able to offer a few tuition remissions each year. Many students will also take out federal loans to support their TAM studies.
PROGRAM TUITION
Total program tuition will be $5,000 per term in the 2023-2024 academic year. Students will be billed $5,000 each semester by the UNC Cashier’s Office. This tuition rate applies to all TAM tracks and covers instruction at all sites involved. Please note that the double-degree program is slightly longer in duration (August graduation) and costs an additional $5,000. Students are guaranteed access to academic facilities at the participating universities. Please note that the UNC Cashier’s Office will apply student fees to your account.
Tuition Total ($5,000 per semester): $20,000 (or $25,000 for Double Degree)
Estimated TAM Costs:
- Books: $1,600
- Housing and cost of living:
- Chapel Hill housing & cost of living (17 weeks): $ 8,197
- Bath / Berlin/ Grenoble / Siena housing & cost of living, one module (15 weeks): $10,000
- Barcelona / Berlin/ Bremen / Gothenburg (academic year): $20,000
- Travel (one transatlantic round trip & three trips within US or Europe): $4,800
- Health insurance: $2,200 per year
- Miscellaneous (including UNC student fees): $8,000
TAM program tuition does not cover certain student fees at some universities. Access to recreational facilities at UNC, for example, requires payment of a nominal fee. Cost-of-living estimates will vary according to individual circumstances and according to the sites and residences chosen by different students. Further, changes in exchange rates may impact these estimates. Please contact the TAM Office for more detailed financial information.
FINANCIAL AID
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LOANS – US DEGREE:
Students enrolled in the UNC M.A. in Political Science who are citizens of the United States are eligible to apply for US federal loans through the UNC Financial Aid office. You can begin this process by applying online at FAFSA.org before Feb. 15th, to meet Carolina’s priority deadline of March 1.
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LOANS – EUROPEAN DEGREES:
Students pursuing one of the European degrees may be eligible to receive loans from private organizations. Students are free to choose a loan with a private lender of their choice.
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SCHOLARSHIPS:
The TAM program awards a limited number of tuition remissions to reduce the program fee. If you wish to be considered for a merit-based TAM scholarship, please include a brief statement to that effect in your application. In addition, three to four full FLAS scholarships (one full academic year’s tuition plus a stipend of $20,000) will usually be awarded to incoming TAM students.
FLAS FUNDING AWARD
The FLAS (Foreign Language and Area Studies) funding is made available by the US Department of Education through the Center for European Studies (CES). This program encourages US citizens, who intend to pursue careers in US government service, to attain foreign-language proficiency. Therefore, to be eligible for this award, you must possess:
- US citizenship or permanent residency;
- An interest in pursuing a career in US government service;
- The intention to pursue a UNC-CH degree;
- The willingness to pursue formal foreign-language training while in TAM;
- The intention and documented ability to complete at least one of your overseas modules at a site where you can continue to study your target foreign-language or the intention to enroll in two semesters of foreign-language training at UNC-CH.
If you meet the above criteria and wish to be considered in the open competition for the FLAS award, please indicate your interest within your TAM personal statement and refer to the following website for relevant details. Please note that FLAS requires a separate application.
Please make the TAM office aware of your interest in the FLAS award at the time you apply. However, you will probably hear about admission decisions BEFORE you hear about decisions regarding FLAS.
FLAS FAQ
ALUMNI-FUNDED TRAVEL AWARDS
We are pleased to offer several awards of $1500 each toward costs of traveling to your TAM overseas partner site in Europe during the summer or early fall of 2025. Priority will be given to those who have not or do not have other sources of funding.
The application materials include a resume or CV, unofficial UNC transcript, and a short (250 words) personal statement on your goals for the second year of study in TAM. Please include a justification for your funding request in your statement as well as other funding received thus far in TAM.
These awards are generously provided by TAM alumni.
The next deadline is March 2, 2025.
Please contact Sarah for details. tam@unc.edu