Double Degree - Beatrice von Braunschweig: With the world through Paris

2022-05-16 The 22-year-old is studying Franco-German political science at the college, which she will complete with a Licence Science Politique à l'international from the Université Paris-Est, Créteil (UPEC) in addition to her bachelor's degree at Leuphana

Since Beatrice von Braunschweig is particularly interested in foreign and security policy, she sought out other educational formats beyond the curriculum at an early stage ©Nastja
Since Beatrice von Braunschweig is particularly interested in foreign and security policy, she sought out other educational formats beyond the curriculum at an early stage.

Le Monde was Beatrice von Braunschweig's loyal companion: the French daily newspaper passed the time during her 1.5-hour train ride to the university in Paris. "I lived in a very nice shared apartment in a quiet suburb. So I was happy to put up with the distance," says the student. She is now about to complete her bachelor's degree and has gained confidence from her one-year stay in France: "My language skills are now so good that I can also imagine working in France." Students in the Franco-German political science program are studying at Leuphana and spending their second year in France.

After graduating from high school, the Halle native was looking for a suitable university that wasn't too big and offered international courses of study. She had already been to France as a high school student and later lived in Moscow for a year. Beatrice von Braunschweig learned about Leuphana through her cousin. She found out about the special college study model with a major and minor: "After my high school graduation, I wavered in my decision to study political science or law. Leuphana offered me an interface." The high school graduate decided to study German-French political science and combined the minor in law: "In fact, it was enriching for me to temporarily adopt the thinking pattern of lawyers in the minor and to learn the basics of working with legal texts. We from the double degree program are lucky to be able to get a taste of both the German and French legal systems."

Since Beatrice von Braunschweig is particularly interested in foreign and security policy, she sought out other educational formats beyond the curriculum at an early stage: "During my stay in France, for example, I was a guest student at the University of Paris II Panthéon-Assas and participated in Model United Nations conferences several times. The unique thing about Leuphana College is that it gives you the space to try out just such things. In addition, students are free to take subjects from other degree programs and take exams in them. That is by no means possible at every university. But Leuphana encourages you to think outside the box and develop and sharpen your own profile."

Beatrice von Braunschweig was also part of the lively campus life: "I got involved in the university community and in the student free space Plan B. I've been a part of it for a long time. It's easy to make contacts at Leuphana." In the meantime, the Bachelor candidate is working at the Institute for Peace Research and Security Policy at the University of Hamburg: "The content is exciting. I can imagine working in political consulting later on."

In the Franco-German political studies program, students acquire not only specialized knowledge from two different perspectives, but also methodological approaches as well as linguistic and intercultural skills. In addition, they can set individual focal points with the in-depth courses offered in the third and fourth semesters. Thus, the double-degree program offers them a balanced mixture of opening up and broadening perspectives as well as an intensive examination of political science issues.