Master's in Global Studies

Ghent University is a public university in Ghent, Belgium. It was founded in 1817 and is one of the largest universities in Belgium. The university has over 40,000 students and 6,000 staff members. It offers a wide range of undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral programs in the fields of humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, medicine, and engineering. Ghent University is ranked #121-130 in the QS World University Rankings 2024. It is also a member of the League of European Research Universities and the Coimbra Group.

This international research-based Master is combining perspectives, methods and theories developed in history, the social sciences, cultural as well as area studies and economics to investigate phenomena of global connectedness. We do not believe that globalisation exists as an objectively given, material reality which can be measured; rather we have to understand the phenomena described as globalisation as a bundle of political, economic, social and cultural projects to manage increasing transnational and transcontinental connectedness (the so-called global condition). Therefore, the multi-national class-room of the programme and the cross-over of contributions from various disciplines and universities dealing either with some of these projects or/and with their conflicts and resulting entanglements offer a substantial added value to the study of processes of globalisation. Each year there are almost 150 students spread over two cohorts that are enrolled in the programme. They represent citizens from 45 different nations from all world regions which results in a truly global classroom experience.