Master of European Politics and Policies (MEPP)

Mission

The Master of European Politics and Policies’ (MEPP) mission is to combine academic excellence in the comparative study of public sector structures, policy-making and administration within Europe, with a continuing concern for the practical challenges professionals in policy, administrative and consultative functions face at the sub-state, state and EU level.

MEPP has an explicit European and comparative orientation, which includes the study of institutions, decision-making and policies of the European Union on the one hand, and the analysis of convergence and divergence of public sector problems and solutions in European countries on the other hand.

In promoting comparative approaches MEPP not only seeks to strengthen cognitive capacities and analytical skills, but also to foster an open-minded attitude to diversity.

studying in the park

"The assessment panel assesses the aspect ‘level and orientation of the objectives’ of the Master of European Politics and Policies as excellent.The assessment panel finds that the aims and objectives of MEPP touch on the key elements of the discipline and evaluates these as very good with respect to the development of general competences and general academic-oriented competences at an advanced level. There is ample attention for competence-oriented learning in the aims and objectives, as there is for the development of academic skills. The assessment panel finds that there is good attention in the aims and objectives for the latest developments of the discipline.”
(Dutch-Flemish Accreditation commission-2007)

History

The MEPP programme finds its roots in the “European Masters of Public Administration” (EMPA) programme. This programme was set up in 1988 by the Public Management section of the Political Science Department and  was developed from a network (supported by the EC-Erasmus bureau) of partner universities. It was designed as an exchange programme for Masters in Public Administration. Students who enrolled for the programme spent one semes­ter at a partner university. Special for this programme was the joint Master’s the­sis defence for an international dissertation jury for all students in the programme (from the various partner universities).
In 1996-1997 the compulsory nature of the semester at a partner university was abandoned, mainly because the programme at the K.U.Leuven attracts an interna­tional student population for whom the obligatory semester abroad from the host universities country became too much travelling.

With the introduction of the Bachelor-Master structure, the programme was renamed into the ‘Master of European Politics and Policies (MEPP)’ to achieve a better alignment with the revised and updated curriculum as a consequence of shifts of responsibilities. By now,  the Institute for International and European Policy (IIEP) and the Public Management (IO) at the K.U.Leuven had taken over the full responsibility of the MEPP programme.

Studenten

In 2005 MEPP was accredited by the European Association for Public Administration Accreditation (EAPAA). The purpose of EAPAA is to implement and maintain a European system for the Accreditation of Academic Public Administration Programs.