EU-HEM is a joint master’s degree run by four European universities: the University of Bologna, the University of Oslo, Erasmus University Rotterdam and MCI | The Entrepreneurial School in Innsbruck. A Consortium Board with one voting member per university, chaired by Job van Exel, runs the programme, and each university has its own programme director.
Every student starts the first semester in Bologna with foundation courses in economics, management, statistics, econometrics, ethics, political science and law. In October, after that first semester, students pick one of four tracks — Health Economics & Policy, Economic Evaluation in Healthcare, Management of Healthcare Institutions, or Population Health Management — and the track decides which two partner universities they move to for semesters two and three. The fourth semester is the master’s thesis, which may be written at any partner university.
The programme is full-time only and cannot be completed at a single university; mobility is part of the degree. Graduates receive a joint diploma recognised by all four institutions, alongside the national degree title of the awarding university. The consortium reports that 86.6% of graduates are in a paid job within six months of finishing and 74.6% start work in the field they studied.
Benefits & funding
- A joint diploma from four accredited European universities, plus the national degree name of the host institution: Master of Philosophy in Oslo, Laurea Magistrale in Bologna, Master of Arts at MCI, Master of Science in Rotterdam.
- 120 ECTS over four semesters in three different countries, taught entirely in English.
- This is a fee-paying degree: participation costs are EUR 4,000 per academic year for students from EU member countries and EUR 14,000 per academic year for students from all other countries.
- The consortium states that it does not offer Erasmus Mundus scholarships.
- Erasmus+ mobility grants of EUR 300–470 per month are available from the third semester onward, once the track is chosen in October.
- Non-EU students are invoiced by Erasmus University Rotterdam and may pay the participation cost in two instalments; the full fee must be settled before 1 August.
- The fourth-semester thesis can be hosted at any of the four partner universities.
Eligibility
- Open to applicants of any nationality; no residency requirement.
- A completed bachelor’s degree with a grade average of at least a Norwegian C, described by the consortium as comparable to an American B, a British Second Class Upper or a French grade 11.
- Applicants from the EU, EEA and Switzerland may apply while still finishing the degree if it is completed by early August, and submit the diploma or a university confirmation; all other applicants must already hold the degree when they apply.
- A range of academic backgrounds is accepted; a non-standard background is considered when the motivation letter makes the case.
- Proof of English: TOEFL iBT 90 overall with reading 19, listening 20, speaking 20 and writing 24; IELTS Academic 6.5 in every component; or PTE Academic 62 overall with no component below 58, with the certificate no more than two years old. Applicants whose previous education was taught in English may be exempt under the University of Oslo’s criteria.
- No age limit and no work-experience requirement is stated.
Can you apply?
Here's who can apply
Decoded from the official rules. A free account checks them against your passport, degree and age in seconds.
Education required
Bachelor
Appears to have an age limit “below 58”
confirm in the requirements
Circlebreaker is a free database of global fellowships, scholarships and programs — every one decoded like this.
We only check the criteria we have data for. Always confirm full eligibility on the official page before applying.
Application process
- 1Choose a route: MCI | The Entrepreneurial School, which runs four application rounds through the year, or the University of Oslo, which runs one window that opened at the beginning of January and closed on 1 March for the 2026/27 intake.
- 2Prepare the documents: passport copy, secondary-school certificate and transcript, bachelor’s certificate and transcript, official translations, CV, motivation letter and proof of English.
- 3Submit the application on the chosen university’s portal; applicants from outside the EU applying through MCI also pay a tuition-fee deposit of EUR 150.
- 4Wait for the joint admission board: MCI applicants hear back about three weeks after their round’s deadline, while Oslo applicants receive offer letters from the beginning of May.
- 5Accept the offer within the stated deadline; through Oslo’s Søknadsweb portal the window is seven days.
- 6Complete enrolment: create a Studielink account and register on the University of Bologna student portal.
- 7Pay the participation cost before 1 August and start in Bologna in September.
Program timeline
MCI application round 1 deadline
Nov 8, 2026
MCI application round 2 deadline
Feb 7, 2027
MCI application round 3 deadline
Apr 11, 2027
MCI application round 4 deadline, the last round for the intake
May 30, 2027
About three weeks after each MCI round
results announced
January to March
University of Oslo application window in the previous cycle, which opened at the beginning of January and closed on 1 March
Oslo offer letters, to be accepted within seven days
Beginning of May
participation cost due
Aug 1, 2027
first semester starts in Bologna
September 2027