New MA Double Degree with French Partner University

Since the winter semester 2024/25, master's students at TH Aschaffenburg and the University of Lille have had the opportunity to obtain a double degree in "Management of European Affairs" (University of Lille) and "International Management" (TH Aschaffenburg). This new integrated master's program strengthens Franco-German university cooperation, with both universities demonstrating increased collaboration in terms of content and structure.

Up to five students from each partner university can complete part of their studies at the respective partner university. In doing so, they not only deepen their specialist knowledge in their master's program but also expand their foreign language skills and develop valuable intercultural competencies. The program is based on identified course modules from both MA programmes.  At the University of Lille, the focus is on EU integration. In addition, foreign language modules in German and French are offered respectively at the partner university, along with a planned joint module on European integration that is currently offered by both including an EU study trip to Brussels. An internship or a master's thesis at the partner university rounds off the Double Degree programme.

The contact person at the Faculty of Business and Law is Prof. Dr. Alexandra Angress, who launched the program together with her colleagues at the University of Lille. The International Office at TH Aschaffenburg is available to answer questions regarding applications and funding. Stays abroad at the partner university can be funded through the EU program ERASMUS+.

Kim Seidel is in her second year of the "International Management" master's program at TH Aschaffenburg and is the first double-degree student. In the interview, she talks about the new bilateral program and shares her personal experiences abroad at the partner university in Lille.

One reason was my positive experience in my bachelor studies during which I undertook a double degree, too. I knew I wanted to do that for my master’s as well. Since the offered MBA degree in Finland was only possible with two years of prior working experience this was not an option for me. Prof. Angress told us during an introductory info session class about the new partnership programme with Université de Lille in France. I always liked France and got excited about the opportunity to live and study there while pursuing a second degree. The field of European Affairs is also a topic I had not that deep knowledge of and wanted to explore further.

One of the most rewarding academic highlights was to learn about the way French students talk to their professors. It differs a lot to the way German students talk to their teachers. If they have a different opinion or do not feel respected by the teacher, they will say something and start discussing with the teacher. I was really surprised how the conversations can go then. Usually, they came to a compromise. 

One of my cultural highlights in Lille is the beer culture. Lille has a lot of bars and strong beers, which they drink not only in the evening but start on the weekends super early as well. It was always funny to walk through the city during a Sunday morning and see people already enjoying a beer outside.

Since I did not stay in the student houses on campus, I had the opportunity to live with students from other universities in Lille. It was really nice to live with people who were doing an Erasmus semester as well but with a different school.

Another highlight was the study trip to Brussels where we spent three days of our class together. We were able to hear different talks from EU representatives and visit different EU institutions, in the end we did the role play game in the Parlamentarium, where we were able to show our negotiation skills.

The timetable in France is more packed than in Germany. In France you have constant assignments during the semester and each class has multiple parts that add up to the final grade. Studying in France is a lot more like going to high school in Germany. The workload for small courses is comparable with the workload of a normal subject in Germany. In France it is not common to work as a working student and honestly there is not really the time to do so. I had classes from Monday until Friday during the main time, but that means also you can connect a lot more with your study colleagues. 

There were not that many challenges to overcome honestly, obviously there are cultural differences and language barriers, but my French classmates were super friendly and happy to share their culture. One challenge was the administrative “jungle” that I am neither used to from TH Aschaffenburg nor from my study experience in my bachelors. This is just something you have to get used to. 

This program has helped me to strengthen my international and cross-cultural skills. The studies in France also gave me an insight into European Affairs which I would have missed out otherwise. It showed me how interesting the EU is as well as how many topics and fields to work for there are. I was able to deepen my knowledge there. It also opened my eyes to all the possibilities the EU has such as traineeships, etc. 

For me personally this semester abroad opened up the opportunity to do also my Master thesis together with a company focusing on France and Germany. The double degree programme helped me to identify an interesting topic and the company while using the connections I made for my thesis.

There are a lot of insights I have gained. To be honest before I started the programme, I was only familiar with the basic knowledge of the EU. During my stay in Lille, I was able to learn about the different programmes the EU offers, the project range and that it is not only about law or policy making there. We had one class about lobbying in the EU compared with the music industry which was super interesting and something I had never even thought about when thinking about the EU.

Take it slow and be ready for multiple changes in the timetable. It is a bit chaotic but once you get used to it, it’s okay. Oh, and don’t forget that this programme has its focus on the EU so in every subject the EU is in the spotlight. But overall, just enjoy the experience, Lille is beautiful and has the perfect location to explore not only the north of France but Belgium for example as well.