Central & East European Studies/Social & Public Policy

Central and East European studies combined with social and public policy is a combination that offers both the depth of area knowledge and the analytical frameworks needed to understand one of the most consequential regions in the modern world. The twentieth and twenty-first centuries have reshaped Central and Eastern Europe repeatedly, through war, revolution, the rise and fall of communism, and the complex process of post-communist transition that continues to evolve today. The rise of populism in the region, the Russo-Ukrainian war, and the ongoing instability from the Caucasus to Central Asia make this an area of urgent contemporary importance.

Social and public policy provides the conceptual tools to understand how states govern, how welfare systems are designed and reformed, and how policies affect people's lives.

At the University of Glasgow, this four-year programme charts the key issues in this crucial area from the Baltic to the Balkans and from Berlin to Vladivostok, developing your knowledge of the region's history, politics, societies and cultures alongside the policy frameworks you need to analyse how states in the region have responded to the challenges of transformation and governance. A year abroad is built into the programme, giving you extended experience in the region or in a country with relevant academic expertise, deepening your understanding through immersion.

Graduates with specialist knowledge of Central and Eastern Europe and expertise in social and public policy are valued in a range of professional contexts. Government departments and agencies working on Eastern European affairs, international organisations such as the European Union, NATO and the OSCE, NGOs operating in the region, think-tanks, journalism and academic research are all well-established career destinations. Postgraduate study in Russian and East European studies, international relations, public policy or political science is a natural next step for those who wish to develop specialist expertise at an advanced level.