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Why study a Masters Degree or PhD Program in Europe

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European students Europe is a very popular choice for postgraduate study. There are many reasons why people choose to do their masters degree or PhD program in Europe, not least because of Europe’s great reputation in terms of its high standard of education, as well as the general way of life, vast amounts of choices and options, and its cultural diversity.

Europe is a continent enriched with vast amounts of history and numerous tourist sights. The Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Eiffel Tower, Big Ben, the Colosseum and the Spanish Steps are just a few must-see European attractions, and they are all easily accessible when you study in Europe.

Destination Europe

Many students decide to pursue a postgraduate course in Europe because of the whole experience it can provide for them. Advantages include being able to get cheap trains and flights to visit a variety of countries within Europe over a free weekend or during the Christmas or Easter holidays. If you are living and studying at a university in Europe, the rest of the continent is on your doorstep waiting to be taken advantage of.

Quality education

Europe’s quality of universities is extremely good and includes some of the world’s top-ranked institutions, such as University College London, University of Cambridge and University of Oxford in the UK or the École Normale Supérieure in Paris, Leiden University in the Netherlands and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zürich. These universities – as well as many other European universities – are all held in high regard worldwide and demonstrate Europe’s ability to provide an exceptional standard of teaching for postgraduate students.

Financial benefits

Pursuing a masters degree or PhD program in Europe can also be beneficial in terms of finances as the tuitions fees can be much cheaper than those in certain other countries like America. For example, if you choose to study in the United States, tuition fees can vary between $13,000 (€10,000) and $35,000 (€27,000) depending on whether you study at a state or private university. Typically, in Europe, postgraduate course fees vary from £4,000 (€5,000) to £20,000 (€25,000) depending upon the status of the university and the course topic. Most postgraduate courses for international students are £12,000 (€15,000) which is considerably lower than those in the USA.

High standard of living

Aside from having numerous world-ranked universities that for the most part offer tuition at a reasonable cost, Europe also provides a good standard of living for postgraduate students, with most countries in Europe offering various student discounts on cinema tickets, travel, shopping and restaurants. These student benefits all help postgraduate students to experience a high quality of living and enable them to go out and experience life beyond studying, whilst paying a cheaper price.

Language skills

Studying abroad and in a country that speaks a language which is different to your mother tongue will definitely reflect well on you. It demonstrates that you are adventurous, adaptable and willing to learn about a different culture and way of living. It will also help you to learn a second language or even third language fluently – for example if you are from China and decide to study your masters degree or PhD programme in Italy – not only will your English improve tenfold as your course will be taught in it, but you will also learn to converse in Italian as you go about your everyday life. Learning new languages is always useful and demonstrates a willingness to learn and explore – and in today’s global times it is always well worth adding an extra language or two to your CV!

Job prospects

Studying in a European city is beneficial for your future career as they tend to be large and diverse in their student population. This enables the postgraduate student a wider life experience as well as offering an excellent networking potential. The high quality of higher education institutions in Europe is well known to potential employers and can certainly help you along your chosen career path.

Potential employers are likely to be impressed with your chosen European university and this can help you to enhance your career prospects. Additionally, studying in a European city as we have mentioned before will provide you with ample opportunities to network and meet a whole range of interesting business people or workers within your chosen industry, which is guaranteed to help you gain more knowledge in your (future) career.

Historical interest

Europe has a diverse cultural background steeped in history. It is full of museums and historical buildings which all represent different periods of time and are there to be explored, in many instances for free. Living and studying in Europe can provide a wonderful insight and knowledge for students, and this all helps go make a much more enriched postgraduate lifestyle and future.

Studying for a masters degree or PhD program in Europe is both an adventurous and educational experience. You will be given the chance to not only learn about your chosen course, but also about the history and life of Europe. You will be able to visit many places and cities you may not have visited previously, to see how Europe differs and also sets the mark for a Western way of living. It can be an eye-opening experience that will leave you with wanting more.

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