This month the Institute of European Studies at the University of Malta celebrated its 25th Anniversary.
Thus The Third Eye decided to hold a brief interview with Professor Roderick Pace, who apart from being a senior lecturer at the Institute of European Studies was also one of the two co-founders back in the early nineties.
When and how exactly did the Institute of European Studies start?
The statute of the European Documentation and Research Centre which in 2011 was changed to Institute for European Studies, was approved by the Senate of the University on 16 October 1991 and by the Council of the University on the 30th of the same month. The statute was drafted by Prof Peter Seraccino Inglott then Rector of the University and by me who at the time was the Director of the European Documentation Centre (EDC). The establishment of the EDC in Malta was approved by the European Commission in 1973 and it was inaugurated in 1974 at 59 Old Min Street Valletta. At the time it was the 195th Centre approved by the Commission. One of the conditions for its establishment in Malta was that courses on European integration were to be started at the University of Malta. The establishment of the Institute fulfilled this condition and filled a gap in teaching and research at the University on European integration
How many students does the Institute incorporate?
The Institute has students reading European Studies at Bachelor, Masters and Ph.D. level. At the start of the academic year, 2016-17 there were: 133 following the Bachelor courses, 13 following the MA and three registered to read for a Ph.D. By the end of 2017 an estimated 695 students would have graduated in one or more degrees in European studies since the opening of the first course in 1994.
What sort of career can a degree in European Studies offer you?
Our degrees in European Studies provide students with a grounding in European politics, economics and law. This makes our students very versatile and suitable to work in various activities dealing with the EU. Surveys of our graduates show that most of them work in the public service on EU matters, business, the media, the EU Institutions and a few have also continued with further study.
