Director’s Message
January 2024
A Message from the Director
Welcome! Since its launch in 1990s, the BMW Center for German and European Studies established itself as a hub for transatlantic relations and European affairs in the capital region. Our faculty, students, and alumni are embedded in a rich ecosystem of embassies and businesses, foundations and thinktanks. Our unique Master’s program straddles a rigorous, multidisciplinary foundation in European studies with professional training and policy application. Through coursework, faculty mentoring, and internships, our graduates develop the knowledge, skills and experiences necessary to become transatlantic leaders. The MAGES degree prepares them for making a difference in the transatlantic community, to become creative problem solvers, and grapple with the political, economic, social, and cultural challenges of the twenty-first century.
We are proud to be part of the Georgetown School of Foreign Service, the oldest school of international relations in the United States, which has earned a long-standing global reputation for excellence and commitment to service. The School, the College, and the University more broadly, are home to a distinguished faculty with outstanding records of research and teaching in European Studies across many fields in the social sciences and humanities. In addition, the School comprises world class practitioners, diplomats, and policymakers. With our small class sizes, seminar-style discussions and exercises, lively events programming, and community gathering, there are substantial opportunities for close interactions within student cohorts, across different graduate programs, and between students and faculty.
The MAGES program fosters the study of significant issues by adopting an approach that is historically informed and undergirded by a deep understanding of theory, preparing students for lifelong learning. Our curriculum helps them build a broad, multidisciplinary foundation in European studies, as well as develop their own unique areas of deep specialization. In addition, internships and work experiences provide students with practical opportunities to apply their knowledge in a variety of settings. Their access to the Center’s wide network of partners in Washington, DC and beyond allows them to complete the program with significant professional experience and a wealth of contacts to help them in the job market. Finally, our far-flung and close-knit alumni network, unparalleled in the School of Foreign Service, mentors our students beyond graduation, whether they stay in the region, work in the United States, or move abroad. Together, courses, internships, and mentoring provide ample opportunities for students to regularly engage with professors and professionals working in their desired fields as they prepare to launch their careers or pursue advanced study.
Our graduates have formed the bedrock of the transatlantic partnership, securing the alliance even at times when U.S. and European foreign policies were headed in different directions. A MAGES degree prepares them to grapple with the global challenges of our time, from climate change and pandemics to Artificial Intelligence. Two wars are currently being waged in Europe’s near neighborhood. Our events and teaching aim to enable the understanding of conflicts in their full historical and political contexts, and explore their implications for European and American allies. The BMW Center is dedicated to helping students reach their own considered judgment about these conflicts, and to ensuring that intellectual inquiry is multi-perspectival, unrestricted, and occurs in a climate of respect.
Katrin Sieg
Graf Goltz Professor and Director
BMW Center for German and European Studies
Walsh School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University