ARENA offers grants for MA students submitting their thesis in the spring semester 2027.
You may write about any topic related to ARENA’s research. This includes for example the EU and the EU’s development, Norway’s relationship with the Union or Europe more broadly.
You must be enrolled in an MA programme within political science, law, sociology, political economy, or any other field that fit ARENA’s research areas.
Find a list of all our research projects, and a list of our academic staff to see their research topics.
If you have questions about whether your topic might fit our research areas, please contact Centre Director Pernille Rieker.
Requirements
- Enrolment in an MA programme and meet the academic progress requirements of that programme
- Strong command of the English language. Proficiency in Norwegian is an advantage.
- Write an MA thesis in English or Norwegian
- ARENA supervisor (or co-supervisor)
- Submit the thesis during the spring term 2027
Evaluation and selection criteria
We wish to attract students holding high academic standards. We will give preference to applicants with a combination of: good grades, a convincing letter of motivation, relevance of the suggested MA thesis topic, and proficiency in English.
Rights and duties
The following duties will apply to you as a student:
- Finish your MA thesis within the outlined time frame
- Contribute to relevant ARENA and project activities during your time at ARENA, including ARENA’s regular Tuesday seminars
- Have an ARENA researcher as (co-)supervisor
Your rights as a student at ARENA are:
- Grant of NOK 20,000
- Work place at ARENA
- Publication of your MA thesis in the ARENA report series (subject to an assessment by the ARENA Director).
How to apply
All applications should be sent via Nettskjema.
The application should include:
- Letter of motivation, indicating why and how your intended topic is relevant for the project or ARENA’s research field (1-2 pages)
- CV, including information on current studies, and references
- Copies of transcripts from BA and MA
- A sample of your written work, such as a seminar paper or bachelor thesis
All documents may be submitted in English or a Scandinavian language.
Application deadline: 16 June 2026
The application deadline has been extended by one day because of maintenance of the application website on 15 June.
Contact
- For any questions related to the research topics, please contact Pernille Rieker.
- For other questions, please contact Ida Hjelmesæth.
- See our project pages