More than 120 guests attend the first graduation ceremony of the Arqus Joint Master’s Programme in European Studies

On January 29, the University of Graz hosted the first graduation ceremony of the Arqus Joint Master’s Programme European Studies, with the participation of the four partner universities, Granada, Graz, Leipzig and Vilnius.

Around 40 students from all three generations to date, including 21 graduates, participated in this special event, alongside 30 representatives of the partner universities and the Arqus European University Alliance, as well as over 50 guests.

The ceremony was enriched by welcome addresses from Prof Mireille van Poppel, Vice Rector for Internationalisation and Equal Opportunities (University of Graz), Prof. Florian Bieber, Head of the Graz School of Interdisciplinary Transnational Studies (University of Graz), Prof. Artūras Vasiliauskas, Pro-Rector for Partnerships (Vilnius University), Prof. Ana María García-Campaña, Vice-Rector for Postgraduate Studies (University of Granada), Prof. Matthias Middel, Vice-Rector for Campus Development: Cooperation and Internationalisation (Leipzig University) and an inspiring keynote speech by Prof. Dorothy Kelly, Coordinator of the Arqus European University Alliance, on the topic “The Arqus Joint Masters: From Ambitious Plan to Living Reality”.

The highlight of the ceremony included the heartfelt wishes from the four academic coordinators of the Master’s programme: Dr Steffi Marung (Leipzig University), Dr Ieva Giedraitytė (Vilnius University), Prof. Amelia Díaz Pérez de Madrid (University of Granada) and Assoc. Prof. Emma Lantschner (University of Graz) followed by the formal graduation of the first generation and the words of gratitude from graduates Águeda Abad Romero and Alba Maria Bolivar Moreno, making the afternoon an unforgettable experience for all attendees.

Dr Sanja Kmezić (Graz School of Interdisciplinary Transnational Studies) moderated the event, which was organised by Ulrike Krawagna, Anja Hoffmann and Lei Wang (Office of International Relations).

The implementation of this Master’s programme has been an exciting journey through the challenging years of the pandemic. Following its successful accreditation under the European Approach, the first generation of the Arqus Alliance’s inaugural joint degree programme began in the 2023/24 academic year. We are proud to celebrate the first graduates and, with them, the programme’s success.

More than 260 people followed the ceremony online through the Arqus YouTube channel. The streaming is available here.