The Faculty of European Studies (FES) began its activity as the School for Advanced Comparative European Studies in the academic year 1993-1994 and was granted its current official name in May 1995.
As the only faculty in the field of European Studies in Central and Eastern Europe, FES was founded within a Tempus programme, sponsored by the European Commission, in a European academic consortium composed of Université Libre de Bruxelles, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore Milano, Università degli Studi di Milano, Universiteit Utrecht, University of Bradford, University of Athens, Università degli Studi di Pisa and Sussex European Institute.
In its 30 years of existence, the Faculty has gained international prestige in the consortiums it belongs to, through its academic activities (e.g. the double degree programmes with the Universities of Nottingham Trent, Padua, Münster, Magdeburg, Paris Marne-la-Vallée, Paris Est-Créteil, Essex, Saint-Étienne, Tomar and Naples), as well as through advanced research in the fields of International Relations and Area Studies / European Studies.
The mission of our Faculty is to foster excellence both in research and in teaching European Studies, with a focus on generating expertise in the European integration process. Our academic staff are of paramount importance in consolidating the European project and implementing European resources in Romania and its neighbouring areas, through their involvement in community life, projects and networks designed to improve EU decision-making mechanisms, manage EU policies and resources and internalize values that stand at the core of the integration process.
Due to their thorough theoretical and practical training achieved at FES, our graduates develop the necessary skills to become effective professionals, being involved in processes ranging from technocratic activities to top decision-making mechanisms, as shown by our analysis on the career paths of our alumni community.
The Faculty of European Studies is a community of 47 academic staff divided into two departments:
The Department of European Studies and Governance (https://euro.ubbcluj.ro/departementul-de-studii-europene-si-guvernanta/) includes specialists in multi-disciplinary fields: Europeanists, historians, economists, experts in law, communication, project management, anthropology, public policies etc.
The Department of International Relations and German Studies (https://euro.ubbcluj.ro/departamentul-de-relatii-internationale-si-studii-germane/) focuses on topics such as political science, international relations, sociology, German culture and civilization, globalization and computer science.
The two departments manage four BA programmes (International Relations and European Studies, in Romanian – full-time enrolment and distance learning -, English and German, Business Diplomacy, Management and European Administration – http://euro.ubbcluj.ro/category/oferta-de-studii-licenta/) and seven MA programmes (http://euro.ubbcluj.ro/category/oferta-de-studii-master/) in the fields of International Relations and European Studies and Management, in Romanian, English and French.
Given our constant focus on internalization, an International Cooperation Office is in place within the Faculty. Its aim is to implement the Erasmus Plus Programme and manage bilateral agreements, European projects and international mobilities for our academic staff and students.
The IC Office is in charge of a network of more than 100 Erasmus partner universities in the EU and non-EU areas, as well as over 15 preferential bilateral agreements, internship mobilities, two Erasmus Mundus projects and numerous events with international partners.
Over 15% of our current students are international. The Faculty is implementing the Erasmus Mundus MITRA project, a double-degree course for the French Master in Comparative European Political Studies, organized in partnership with the Universities of Lille, Brussels, Wroclaw, Szeged, Dakar and Rio de Janeiro (http://euro.ubbcluj.ro/studii-politice-europene-comparate-lb-franceza/ ), and in 2020-2024 it has implemented DYCLAM+, a quadruple-degree course within the Cultural Diplomacy and International Relations MA programme, with the Universities of Saint-Étienne, Tomar and Naples (http://euro.ubbcluj.ro/cultural-diplomacy-and-international-relations/ ).
The Faculty of European Studies in Cluj is proud to frequently host events related to the European agenda, due to its reputation and expertise proven during its permanent collaborations with EU institutions, diplomatic representatives and public administration bodies.
Organising citizens’ consultations for the EU Commission and Parliament, hosting the Romanian president, European commissioners and members of the EU Parliament or ambassadors and other European officers for academic debates held at FES, adds to the acclaim of our Faculty’s professionalism in sharing expertise and delivering top specialists in European affairs for the past two and a half decades.
FES provides professional training services through contracts with the public and private sector, in the vast field of Area Studies. An example in this respect is the three-week module taught by 15 FES academic staff to a group of employees of the US State Department (October, 2017).
The recognition of the academic staff of the Faculty of European Studies is confirmed not only by their status of visiting professors at prestigious universities across Europe, such as Aix-Marseille, Nottingham Trent, Paris-Est-Créteil, Debrecen, Krems an der Donau etc., but also by their involvement in various international projects with reputable European universities.
All programmes of the Faculty of European Studies are accredited by ARACIS – The Romanian Agency for Quality Assurance in Higher Education.
