Crossing Borders: Studying in the Greater Region

The Border Studies master’s program combines theory with real-world international experience. Students regularly move between campuses, work in multiple languages, and experience firsthand what it means to cross borders—academically, culturally, and on their way to the next lecture.

Anyone who boards the train in Metz in the morning finds themselves in the stream of commuters: working professionals cross the French border into Luxembourg every day to work there. Paula Tubbenthal is one of them. While the others are heading to work, she’s on her way to college. “We talk about borders all the time in our studies—and at the same time, we cross them every day,” she says.

Rebecca Frank is also familiar with this shift between where she lives and where she studies. “Commuting is just part of my degree program. But the nice thing is that I always ride with fellow students, and we use the time to read texts or prepare for classes,” she explains.

Both are pursuing master’s degrees in Border Studies—at four universities, in three languages, and across three countries: in France at the Université de Lorraine, in Germany at Saarland University, at RPTU Kaiserslautern-Landau, and at the University of Luxembourg. The degree program is part of the “University of the Greater Region”: This consortium of seven universities in four countries makes it possible to study and conduct research across borders.

Across Borders: A Diverse Department

What Paula Tubbenthal and Rebecca Frank experience in their daily lives across national borders is also the subject of their studies. The Master’s in Border Studies examines borders in a wide range of dimensions: political, economic, cultural, and social. “We examine how borders affect regions and what challenges they create. This also includes constructed borders, such as social issues or questions of belonging,” explains Paula Tubbenthal.

“We examine how borders affect regions and what challenges they create. This also includes constructed borders, such as social issues or questions of belonging.”

In her master’s thesis, Rebecca Frank examines the former inner-German border and analyzes how commuting patterns between East and West have developed. “In a sense, the border continues to have an impact to this day,” she says. “This is what’s referred to as ‘phantom borders.’” Paula Tubbenthal’s master’s thesis, on the other hand, focuses on transnational gentrification in Luxembourg City: she is researching how international migration influences urban development.

Many Paths, One Degree Program

Although the two students come from different areas of study, they’ve come together in the same master’s program. “Border Studies is incredibly interdisciplinary,” says Paula Tubbenthal. She herself studied spatial planning as an undergraduate and focused on cooperation between countries—for example, when infrastructure or construction projects are coordinated across national borders. In the process, she realized that she wanted to continue working in this exact field. When Paula Tubbenthal came across the Border Studies master’s program, the decision was made quickly.

Since the program is taught in German, English, and French, she decided in advance to spend time studying abroad: “I made a conscious decision to go to France for a year. There, I lived with a wonderful host family in Tours and improved my language skills,” she says. “Of course, studying abroad isn’t a requirement for the master’s program. There’s also some flexibility when it comes to language proficiency. While classes are taught in all three languages, exams can be taken, for example, in the language in which you feel most comfortable.”

“Although classes are taught in all three languages, exams can be taken, for example, in the language in which you feel most comfortable.”

Rebecca Frank also gained international experience before starting her master’s program. She spent a semester abroad in Spain and discovered just how formative it is to study and live in another country. This experience further strengthened her interest in intercultural contexts. “I really wanted to do something interdisciplinary and intercultural,” she says.

It quickly becomes clear what this means in everyday life: At all four universities, the students are fully enrolled—with access to libraries, language courses, and other on-campus offerings. Above all, however, they meet fellow students from completely different backgrounds, for example from France, Germany, or Cameroon. “You live interculturality—you don’t just learn about it,” says Rebecca Frank.

Paula Tubbenthal also experiences just how enriching this international focus is: “In my daily work, I notice time and again that we all come from different academic cultures. That’s enriching for substantive discussions, too.”

Border Research with Practical Applications

In addition to their studies, the students also gain practical experience in international contexts. As part of her internship at the University of the Greater Region, Rebecca Frank works in communications: she creates content for various media, covers events, and works in a multilingual team where French, English, and German are often used interchangeably in the same meeting. “My day-to-day work was just as international as my studies,” she says.

Paula Tubbenthal is completing her internship at the European Migration Network in Luxembourg and is working as a research assistant at Saarland University on a cross-border research project. In addition, the degree program opens up further opportunities for her to get involved on an international level. For example, she is attending the annual conference of the Association of Borderlands Studies in the U.S. together with faculty members and a fellow student—one of the world’s most important academic conferences in the field of border studies. There, she is contributing to a presentation on alternative teaching methods in border studies, supported by a conference scholarship. “That was a unique opportunity that I’ll never forget,” she says.

How Perspectives Complement Each Other

Experiences like these are what define the Master’s degree program in Border Studies. “The degree program isn’t geared toward a specific area of study, but rather toward people who are interested in international contexts and are willing to engage with different perspectives,” says Rebecca Frank.

“You always bring something to the table that’s interesting to others,” adds Paula Tubbenthal. “And that’s exactly what gives rise to this special exchange.” For both of them, one thing is clear: Anyone who embarks on this program learns about borders not just in theory. “You come to understand them differently afterward,” says Paula Tubbenthal. “Not just from textbooks, but because you cross them yourself every day—whether in your thoughts, in interactions with fellow students, or on the way to your next lecture.”