The University of Kent’s Two Capitals Programme gives students a unique opportunity to learn about international affairs in a global context. Students spend one year at the Brussels School of International Studies before moving to Washington DC, Beijing or Brasilia for their second year. On successful completion they are awarded two master’s degrees; one from the University of Kent and the other from the relevant partner institution.
The programme allows students to specialise in one of the following disciplines; international relations, conflict and security, international political economy, public policy or international development, as well as experience different approaches to international studies on different continents and in different global capitals. Students on the programme gain an insight into the nature of change as an endemic feature of politics on a national, regional and global scale; an understanding of the causes of change; and ways in which to manage that change. They also gain a firm understanding of the complex relationship between the concerns of domestic and international politics, and global and geopolitical issues.
.jpg)
The University of Kent degree, MA in International Studies (Two Capitals Programme)(subject to final approval), consists of 9 taught courses, 6 of which are taken in Brussels and 3 of which are transferred from the partner institution, and a dissertation. Applicants, who should initially apply for one of the programmes listed below, will be expected to have completed their 6 taught courses and have achieved an average of a Merit before applying to transfer to the Two Capitals Programme. A decision on whether a student may transfer to the Two Capitals Programme will be made in May for those students who started their masters in the previous September and in February for those students who started in January.
- MA in International Relations
- MA in International Conflict and Security
- MA in European Public Policy
- MA in International Development
- MA in International Political Economy
The Two Capitals Programme in Washington DC is based on agreements with Virginia Tech and George Mason University.
- Students wishing to undertake the second year of their programme at Virginia Tech (VT) will be enrolled on the Government and International Affairs programme of the School of Public and International Affairs on VT’s National Capital Region Campus in Alexandria and will study towards a Masters in Public International Affairs (MPIA). Details on how the two year programme will work in practice will be published shortly.
- Students wishing to study at George Mason University will be enrolled on Master of Public Policy programme at the School of Public Policy in Arlington, VA. Details on how the two year programme will work in practice will follow.
The Two Capitals Programme in Beijing will be based upon an agreement with the Chinese Foreign Affairs University (CFAU) which is the only institution of higher learning which operates under the guidance of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China. The University trains high calibre Chinese diplomats in the fields of Foreign Service, international studies, and international business and law and offers an unparalleled experience for foreign students. While the format of the exchange programme is developed, the Brussels School of International Studies runs a very successful and much sought after exchange programme through which two or three students experience a term in each other’s institution. To find out more about the exchange programme please contact bsis@kent.ac.uk.
Work is currently underway to develop a version of the Two Capitals Programme in Brasil with the University of Brasilia.
