The European Master in Official Statistics (EMOS) was launched by Eurostat and the European Statistical System (ESS) in 2014 to connect producers of official statistics and academia at European level. EMOS is a label awarded by the European Statistical System Committee (ESSC) to master’s programmes providing postgraduate education in the area of official statistics. It is a shared initiative by Eurostat, the ESS and the European System of Central Banks (ESCB).
The mission of the European Master in Official Statistics (EMOS) is to advance statistical education including the field of official statistics, foster collaboration among producers of official statistics and universities across Europe, enhance employability of graduates in the field of official statistics and promote attractiveness of statistical offices as employers.
EMOS is a label awarded by the ESSC for five years, renewable upon continued fulfilment of EMOS requirements. In the EMOS governance structure, the ESSC is the highest decision-making body awarding the EMOS label to master’s programmes and appointing members to the EMOS Board. The Board assists the ESSC in developing the programme, especially in awarding the EMOS label and in quality monitoring of the EMOS master’s programmes. The EMOS Board is chaired by Eurostat and consists of 14 members representing both universities and producers of official statistics.
The EMOS network is active in more than 15 European countries and comprises more than 30 universities and their collaboration partners in national statistical offices (NSIs), central banks (CBs), other national authorities (ONAs) [1], international organisations (IOs) and other partners organisations [2]. The EMOS curriculum builds on existing and nationally accredited master’s programmes which, in line with the EMOS learning outcomes (Annex 1), familiarise students with the system of official statistics, production models and methods, themes in official statistics, statistical methods and data dissemination. EMOS-labelled master’s programmes actively collaborate with NSIs and partner organisations dealing with statistics and data for relevant master’s thesis topic and internships in the sphere of official statistics. Partners in the EMOS network benefit from each other's experiences and can develop deeper cooperation, e.g., joint degrees, teaching collaborations or student exchange programmes. In addition, EMOS activities such as paid cross-border internships, sponsored conference attendances, webinars, workshops, and the bi-annual Master’s Thesis Competition offer an opportunity for the students to acquire a relevant mix of skills and knowledge for tomorrow’s official statisticians.
[2] ‘Partner organisation’ is any other organisation producing, managing or analysing statistics and data (e.g. research organisations, universities, line ministries, private companies), as long as the collaboration (thesis topic, internship) is relevant to official statistics and based on the EMOS learning outcomes.