Program Description & Content
The Master’s Degree MAiSI will equip students for high-level careers in sports administration and governance, with a focus on ethical sports, integrity and compliance. Students will receive training that enables them to identify ethical issues, engage in moral thinking, and translate decisions into moral actions – the three core skills required to develop sports integrity.
Students will be based in Mainz or Barcelona, in alternating years (intake 2024: Mainz; intake 2025: Barcelona; etc…).
The MAiSI will support students in developing an ethical mind-set and transferable skills that are indispensable for addressing the value and integrity issues facing national and international sporting federations, national Olympic Committees, and Paralympic Committees with a focus on:
1st Year – MAiSI Master’s Degree
| Course | ECTS |
|---|
| Semester 1 | 30 |
| Students to be based at KU Leuven |
| KU LEUVEN, BELGIUM (KUL) |
| Introduction to Sports Ethics and Integrity Discourses | 5 |
| Integrity, Equality, Inclusion, Safe Sport | 7 |
| Ethics, Anti-doping Policy and Sport Medicine | 10 |
| Sports Law and Integrity Regulations | 8 |
1st Year – MAiSI Master’s Degree
| Course | ECTS |
|---|
| Semester 2 | 30 |
| Students to be based at CUNI (Prague). Summer School at UoP (Olympia) |
| CHARLES UNIVERSITY, CZECH REPUBLIC (CUNI) |
| Sports Values, Fair Play and Integrity | 15 |
| Issues in Disabilities and Paralympic Sports | 3 |
| UNIVERSITY OF PELOPONNESE, GREECE (UoP) |
| Olympic Studies and Olympic Management | 4 |
| Research Methods | 8 |
2nd Year – MAiSI Master’s Degree
| Course | ECTS |
|---|
| Semester 3 | 30 |
| Students to be based at UPF (Barcelona) or JGU (Mainz) depending on their year of entry to the programme. |
| UNIVERSITAT POMPEU FABRA, SPAIN (UPF) |
| Governance, Law and Sport Integrity | 12 |
| JOHANNES GUTENBERG-UNIVERSITAT MAINZ, GERMANY (JGU) |
| Sport Management and Integrity | 12 |
| ALL PARTNERS |
| Master’s Thesis | 6 |
2nd Year – MAiSI Master’s Degree
| Course | ECTS |
|---|
| Semester 4 | 30 |
| Students to be based at any of the Consortium partners depending on their thesis specialism. Summer School at UoP (Olympia). |
| UNIVERSITY OF PELOPONNESE, GREECE (UoP) |
| Olympism and the Olympic Movement | 6 |
| ALL PARTNERS |
| Master’s Thesis | 24 |
Title of Awarding Degree
Master of Arts (MA) in Sports Ethics and Integrity
Entry Requirements
Degree requirements:
The Erasmus Mundus MA in Sports Ethics and Integrity (MAiSI) requires successful applicants to hold a Bachelor’s degree. Due to the inter-disciplinary nature of the course we will consider applications from any degree discipline. Degree subject areas of particular relevance to the Masters in Sports Ethics and Integrity are Business, Management, Disability Studies, Ethics, Governance, History, Law, Philosophy, Social Sciences, Sports and Exercise Sciences. However, this is not an exhaustive list.
Language requirements:
All applicants who have not obtained a previous diploma in a programme taught in English in Australia, English-speaking Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States of America must submit a certificate proving their proficiency in English.
A list of tests accepted by KU Leuven can be found on:
https://www.kuleuven.be/english/admissions/lang/lang-test
The required minimum IELTS score is an overall 6.5 (and no component below 5.5).
The required minimum TOEFL score is 80 on TOEFL IBT (and no component below 19)
The required minimum score for Cambridge Assessment English is an overall C1 Advanced (CAE) or C2 Proficiency (CPE) score of 176. The B2 First (FCE) is not accepted by KU Leuven.
Application & Selection Process
Application procedure:
Applicants will need to follow the application procedure of the KU Leuven Admissions Office. Instructions can be found on https://www.kuleuven.be/english/application/instructions. KU Leuven requires an application processing fee of EUR 90. This amount is nonrefundable.
Your application will be rejected if you do not submit the relevant supporting documents with your application form:
- PDF scans of your diploma(s) and transcripts of academic records
- If you still need to graduate at the time of your application, you are requested to upload PDF scans of your intermediate official transcripts through the web application portal.
- The Admissions Office reserves the right to ask for official or certified hard copies of transcripts (or diplomas) if required for the evaluation of the application.
- PDF scan of the translation of your diploma(s) and official transcripts If your documents are not in English, Dutch, French or German, please arrange for these documents to be translated by a registered translator. These documents must also be certified by the educational institution that issued them or by a national authority.
- Motivation letter (one A4 page): A personal statement detailing your reasons for applying to the course and relevant experience academic and otherwise
- Your English Language test certificates (i.e IELTS/TOEFL) if appropriate
- Two recommendation letter/references (at least one academical): Please use the official letterhead paper of the institution or company and upload the letters to your online application file. If you already hold open references, then please upload them with your application. Alternatively, please ask your referees to send their letters of support directly to the Admissions Office ([email protected]).
- Your Curriculum Vitae
- Proof of nationality (copy of passport)
Selection process:
Applications will be selected based on the entry and language requirements. Those eligible will then be judged according to Academic Excellence:
- Experience related to the course (academic)
- Relevant work experience
- Motivation and understanding of the course
A selection of candidates will then be interviewed online. The offer of waivers, IOC scholarships and self-funded places will be made having considered performance at interview, the above criteria. and restrictions regarding the number of waivers and IOC scholarships that can be allocated to applicants from designated regional windows. Deadlines and timetable for selection for the intake of September are:
| IOC – Olympic Solidarity scholarship & Non-EEA citizens applications: | April 1st |
| EEA citizens: | July 1st |
Full waivers application process (non-EEA):
- Start application: October 20th
- Deadline for applications: April 1st
- Ranking of applications and interviews will be completed one month after the application deadline
- Awarding of scholarships May 1st
IOC Scholarship/Non-scholarship application process:
- Start application: October 20th
- Deadlines for applications: April 1st (for IOC scholarships/ non-EEA citizens) / July 1st (for EEA citizens)
- Ranking of applications and interviews will be completed one month after the application deadline
- Awarding of admissions: July 1st at the latest
Please note: The data you provide in applying for the Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters in Sports Ethics and Integrity be used by other bodies involved in the management of EMJMD acting as stakeholders of the programme (i.e. European Commission, Erasmus+ National Offices, EU Delegations, Erasmus Mundus Students and Alumni Association) for facilitating the student access to the joint programme.
MAiSI Funding
This list gives an overview of the current funding opportunities available to MAISI students.
For the academic year 2025-2026, no Erasmus Mundus scholarships are available.
General and KU Leuven scholarships
Find an overview of all available options on the KU Leuven website.
Every MAISI student who does not receive funding from the European Union, can apply for the KU Leuven Mobility Erasmus+ Scholarship. Application is only possible once you have been admitted to the MAiSI programme.
More information, including the scholarship amounts for the academic year 2024-2025, can be found here.
IOC Olympic Solidarity scholarship
Application is only possible once you have been admitted to the MAiSI programme and if you obtained endorsement from your National Olympic Committee (NOC). Once approved, your NOC will submit application on the OS RELAY platform.
More information on Olympic Solidarity can be found on the folliwing on:
Olympics.com and Olympians.org.
JGU & UoP scholarships
| Deutschlandstipendium | Scholarship holders receive +/- 300 € per month for 1 year. Half of the scholarship money is paid by a sponsor (company, private person, foundation) and half by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research. Beyond the financial means, the scholarship holders get the opportunity to establish contacts with the sponsors.
Click here for more information (no English website available, only in German). |
| Scholarships for finalizing a degree with DAAD | Foreign students at the JGU who have obtained their certificate for admission to higher education not in Germany and who are about to finish their studies are invited to apply for scholarships for degree-finalization (in the final phase of their studies of their Bachelor, Master, State Examination, Ph.D.) financed by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). For more information please contact: International Office, Studienbegleitprogramm JGU [email protected] |
Scholarships John S. Latsis Public Benefit
Foundation | Click here for more information.
John S. Latsis Public Benefit Foundation is annually implementing its Postgraduate Scholarships Programme aiming to support postgraduate students in higher educational institutes in Greece and abroad at Master's level. |
MAiSI Costs and fees
The total tuition fee costs for the whole two year programme are as follows:
- EUR 6000 for applicants with EEA nationality
- EUR 12000 for applicants with non-EEA nationality
These fees cover tuition from world leading academics in the field of sports ethics and integrity. Extra costs will include accommodation, travel, living costs, and funds for course materials.
Kindly refer to https://www.kuleuven.be/english/life-at-ku-leuven/ for information on life at KU Leuven (estimated costs of living). The MAiSI programme starts in Leuven (Belgium) and the entire cohort will be based there during the first semester of the first year.
Internships
MAiSI supports its students to secure internships, although these are not a formal element of the curriculum. The faculty of the MAiSI Consortium have extensive international networks and will help you to look for suitable internships. Since commencing in 2017, our students have secured internships at Athletics Integrity Unit, British Horseracing Authority, Fédération Française du Sport Universitaire, International Center for Ethics in Sport, International Olympic Committee, International Ice Hockey Federation, International Tennis Federation, International Testing Agency, Royal Belgian Football Association, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Institute of National Anti Doping Organisations and the World Anti Doping Agency.
The purpose of the MAiSI alumni is among other things to provide further opportunities to alumni for professional and academic development.
