Multilingualism is a common phenomenon if we only consider that in the world there are far more languages than countries. The European Union considers linguistic diversity an added value that provides advantages. Multilingualism in Europe is made up of the increasing interest in minority languages, the spread of English as a language of international communication due to globalization, the learning of languages such as French, German or Spanish and the diversity of languages that comes about by the transnational mobility of speakers of other languages. Multilingualism has an influence on education systems because they aim for their students to become speakers of two or more languages. Schools are institutions that have to provide for students with diverse linguistic backgrounds. As part of the training, the educational system can contribute to the formation of multilingual citizens who are able to communicate in various languages.

In bilingual communities like the Basque Country there is a trend towards multilingual education. This includes the teaching as a subject of various languages, but also their use as medium of instruction at different levels of education, including the university level.

The study of multilingualism has progressed a lot in the last years. Important links have been discovered between processes of acquisition and use of languages in educational contexts. Theoretical approaches such as dynamic systems or the holistic approach to multicompetence have stimulated new research and the application of innovative research methods. In the European context there is an increase in the number of multilingual school programs and this creates an important need in the training of researchers. The European Master in Multilingualism and Education (EMME) addresses this need by offering high level research training.

QUALIFICATION LEVEL
This qualification is recognised at level 3 in the Spanish Framework of Higher Education Qualifications (MECES) and corresponds to level 7 of the European Qualifications Framework (EQF), according to Royal Decree 22/2015 of 23rd January 2015 (BOE Spanish Official Gazette 07/02/2015).

This is a research-oriented master that can be considered the previous step to doctorate studies.