East European Studies

The inter­disci­plinary Elite Gradu­ate Pro­gram pro­vides expert knowledge in the area studies of East Central, South East and Eastern Europe. It of­fers ideal condi­tions for learning to com­muni­cate and cooper­ate with the region in all socially relevant realms. In ad­dition to spe­cialist knowledge and linguis­tic compe­tence, the course fur­nishes stu­dents with key skills they will need in order to take up posi­tions of respon­sibility in poli­tics, culture, busi­ness and aca­demia. Special features of the degree pro­gram include a pro­ject course and an annual summer school.

The Elite Graduate Program at a glance

DegreeMaster of Arts
Duration of studyFour semesters
Place of studyMunich, Regensburg
Admission requirementBA degree in a relevant field of study
Language of instructionMainly German
Application deadlineSummer semester (June)
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Begin of studiesWinter semester
HeadProf. Dr. Martin Schulze Wessel
CoordinatorDr. Felix Jeschke
Contact the coordinator
Further informationWebsite East European Studies

Expert knowledge of Eastern Europe

The inter­disci­plinary two-year master pro­gram in East Euro­pean Studies pro­vides quali­fied stu­dents with special­ized, region­ally focused knowledge on East Central, South East and Eastern Europe. Stu­dents learn to analyse devel­op­ments and situa­tions in Eastern Europe and situate them in their politi­cal, legal, eco­nomic, histori­cal and cultural con­texts.

The modu­larized master pro­gram is offered by the univer­sities of Munich and Re­gens­burg. The partici­pating de­part­ments are His­tory, Slavon­ic Stud­ies, Com­parative Litera­ture, Law, Eco­nomics, Euro­pean Ethnol­ogy, Politi­cal Sci­ence, Turkish and Otto­man Stud­ies, and Jewish History and Cul­tu­re.

In addi­tion to special­ist knowledge and linguis­tic compe­tence, the course fur­nishes stu­dents with key skills they will need in order to take up posi­tions of respon­sibility in poli­tics, culture, busi­ness and aca­demia. To this end, the chal­lenging theoret­ical curricu­lum is aug­mented by practi­cal mod­ules and an inter­disci­plinary project course. The pro­gram has an interna­tional orienta­tion and in­volves an ob­ligatory intern­ship at a com­pany or institu­tion located in or con­nected to Eastern Europe. Fur­ther­more, each year group partici­pates in a spe­cially de­signed summer school in the re­gion.

Regional knowledge through cooperation

A de­manding ad­mission proce­dure, inten­sive mentor­ing and super­vision, and the in­volve­ment of re­nowned aca­demic institu­tions assure the pro­gram’s quali­ty.


The East Euro­pean Studies pro­gram cooper­ates with numer­ous re­search insti­tutes in Munich and Re­gens­burg, such as the Colle­gium Caroli­num, the Leibniz Insti­tute for East and South­east Euro­pean Studies (IOS), the Insti­tute for Eastern Euro­pean Law and the Bavari­an State 4 Library. The Stu­dentsattain a better under­stand­ing of the inter­cultural and intra­cultural connec­tions in Eastern Europe. This way they become experts in their respec­tive fields and re­gions.

Porträtfoto: Prof. Dr. Martin Schulze-Wessel

The Elite Graduate Program combines a broad academic program with excellent student supervision. It qualifies the students academically, yet it is also practically oriented.

Prof. Dr. Schulze Wessel

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Students, alumni and lecturers of the Elite Graduate Program "Eastern European Studies" report on their experiences in the program and the importance of Eastern Europe for our present and future.

Snippets of the program

Summer School “Environment and Infrastructure in Slovakia”

From Sep­tem­ber 18 to 26, 2022, the 17th and 18th co­horts of the Elite Grad­uate Pro­gram in East Euro­pean Stud­ies went to Brati­slava, Banská Štiavnica and the High Ta­tras.

Read the report

The students of the Elite Graduate Program in East European Studies on a group photo in the Slovak State Mining Museum in Banská Štiavnica.

Digital App “Cold War: Murder in Munich“

The stu­dents of the 18th cohort pre­sent­ed the results of their pro­ject course at a con­fer­ence: a digi­tal city guide of Cold War Mu­nich.

Read the report 

The poster for the presentation of the audio guide, with a photo of the bomb attack on Radio Free Europe in 1981.

Snippets of the research

Jewish Children in the Monastery St. Ottilien

Carolin Piorun wrote her master’s thesis on the topic of childcare in the DP hospital of St. Ottilien (1945-1948) between East European and Jewish traditions and dreams of Eretz Israel.

Invented literary tradition

Matthias Melcher analysed invented national literary traditions within the context of national movements during the 19th century in today’s Belarus, Poland and the Czech Republic.

Informal Economy

Jan Bever wrote his master thesis using KGB reports about the informal economy in late Soviet Ukraine