Cities, Migration and Global Interdependence (MA)

Governance of Migration and Diversity

Become a migration expert! Migration, including refugee migration, is a key issue in current and past political and societal debates.

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Learn from migration experts

The interdisciplinary programme Governance of Migration and Diversity offers you the expertise from various disciplines and from three universities: Leiden University, Delft University and Erasmus University Rotterdam (LDE). You will attend courses at all three universities and become an all-round migration expert who is able to analyse and assess migration and diversity from multiple angles (history, sociology, politics, law, international development and urbanism). You will also build an extensive academic and professional network.

Explore migration within a wider context

The programme aims to frame the historical study of migration in a wider interdisciplinary context. You will be trained to contribute to the governance of migration and diversity in the context of very different organisations. You will address questions such as:

What are the opportunities and challenges for the governance of migration?
How have societies changed in terms of (ethnic/cultural/religious) diversity?
How are newcomers incorporated?
How can discrimination be prevented?

Why choose Governance of Migration and Diversity?

You will gain knowledge helping you address governance issues related to migration and diversity from a multidisciplinary perspective.
You will take part in courses offered by leading scholars from three universities and five academic disciplines.
The course content of the programme directly relates to current issues and trains you to contribute to the governance of migration and diversity in the context of very different organisations.

You will have the opportunity to do an internship at an organisation affiliated with one of the course lecturers or relevant to the topic of migration and diversity.

What are your career perspectives?

Graduates of Governance of Migration and Diversity will be suitable candidates for positions in business organisations (e.g. HR, consultancy), governmental organisations (policymakers, policy advisors, lobbyists) and organisations in civil society (e.g. unions, political parties, research institutes) on a local, national or international level.

About the programme

The programme consists of two parts: core courses for all Governance of Migration and Diversity students (25 EC) and track-specific courses (15 EC courses and 20 EC MA thesis) which you choose in advance (for instance History). Each of the four tracks (History, Sociology, Public Policy, and International Relations & Development) is part of an accredited master programme at one of the participating universities. Leiden exclusively offers the History track, where you will receive an MA History diploma upon completion. You will also receive a certificate stating you have successfully completed the Governance of Migration and Diversity programme.

Detailed programme

For more information on the courses offered by Leiden University for the sub-specialisation Governance of Migration of Diversity, please check the prospectus.

Drivers of international migration
Over time migration patterns change. Countries that one were emigration countries (such as the Netherlands in the 1950s) become countries of immigration (for instance the Netherlands in the 1960s). To gain a comprehensive understanding of the drivers of migration, it is not sufficient to choose one theoretical approach. Combining historical insights with theories from sociology and political sciences is essential to understand migration processes.

Accommodating diversity
How a society deals with diversity from one perspective – for instance ethnicity – is related to how it deals with diversity from other perspectives, such a diversity according to class, gender, religion and sexuality. Within this programme we look at the intersection between these forms of diversity. Why do countries choose different approaches? When it comes to ethnic differences we changes over the years from assimilationist to multicultural approaches and back. Why did policies change and what results did they have?

Migration and development
Migration has consequences for countries of origin and settlement for instance brain drain and remittances’. Migration also has consequences in the built environment of in the countries of origin, for example when migrants build houses. In the countries of settlement they influence the build environment by building churches, temples and mosques as visible markers in the landscape.

Application

The subtrack Governance of Migration and Diversity only starts in September. How to apply for this track:

Go to Studielink
Select ‘MA History’ and continue the application procedure
When asked for a specialisation, select ‘Cities, Migration, and Global Interdependence’. Studielink automatically directs you to uSis (Leiden University’s online application portal) within 2 or 3 working days.

Note: you cannot apply separately for the specialisation ‘Governance of Migration and Diversity’, as this track is part of the ‘Cities, Migration, and Global Interdependence’ specialisation.
In the online application portal, Leiden University will let you know whether you qualify for automatic admission and will guide you through all necessary steps to complete your registration, as well as informing you about what you have to do after applying.

Note: you specifically need to mention your interest in the ‘Governance of Migration and Diversity’ programme in the Questionnaire.

For more information, check the application and admission page

More information

For more information on the MA History subtrack Governance of Migration and Diversity, please contact prof. dr. Marlou Schrover: M.L.J.C.Schrover@hum.leidenuniv.nl

Prof.dr. Marlou Schrover

Professor of Migration History

“Leiden University has a long tradition of studying migration and ethnicity. What I find so interesting about Leiden is that, on the one hand, this tradition is continuously being expanded on while, on the other, migration research is being carried out within many different disciplines. This allows for a comparative approach. I try to promote this collaboration as well as benefit from it.”

Comparisons

“We can only really study migration and integration if we place the similarities and differences side by side: today’s immigration has to be compared with immigration in the past, and immigration has to be compared with emigration. Leiden University is, in my opinion, the ideal place for this approach.”

Nathan Levy

Graduated in Cities, Migration and Global Interdependence (MA History)

"The Cities, Migration and Global Interdependence MA-track led me to consider my current employment by providing high-quality and engaging teaching on the subject of migration, and the opportunity to conduct research under the supervision of leading migration historians such as Marlou Schrover. Moreover, in following the Governance of Migration and Diversity sub-specialisation, I was exposed to multidisciplinary perspectives which helped me secure a PhD position at Erasmus University after I graduated."