This ground-breaking book offers a compelling exploration of how masters programmes are shaped, managed, and transformed across Europe, revealing them not as neutral administrative units, but as key sites where the future of the university is actively negotiated.

Bringing together institutional accounts and critical analyses, the book examines how masters programmes are designed and governed across a range of national and institutional contexts. It follows how questions of institutional identity, decision-making, and internationalisation unfold in practice, often entangled with issues of language, student diversity, and mounting financial and policy pressures. Drawing on case studies from across Europe, it traces how broader dynamics such as the Bologna Process, marketisation, global mobility, and the growing presence of AI and large language models gradually reshape educational practices, often in ways that are neither planned nor evenly distributed. It bridges the gap between theory and practice, equipping university managers with robust frameworks, strategies, and tools to manage uncertainty and realize the potential of their educational programmes.

By making visible the tensions and trade-offs that are often hidden, including those emerging from the integration of AI into academic life, the book offers both a critical lens and a practical resource for academics, managers, and policymakers seeking to navigate and rethink the future of masters education.