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M.A. Governance and Public Policy

Degree awarded Master of Arts (M.A.)
Duration and credits 4 semesters; 120 ECTS credits
Starts in October (winter semester)
Language of instruction German & English

Webinar How to apply via uni-assist

You have acquired your university entrance qualification abroad and would like to apply for a degree programme at the University of Passau? Join our webinar on Tuesday, 12 November 2024 at 10.30 a.m. CET !

About the programme

Globalisation holds both great risks and immense opportunities; it also creates excellent career prospects and development opportunities. One of the cornerstones of this programme is its interdisciplinary curriculum, which prepares students for work at the intersection of various academic disciplines. In the core modules and your chosen focus modules, you will study political theory, governance research and, building on this, comparative theories of government, European integration research, the transformation of traditional institutions before the background of complex multi-level governance structures as well as policy design and implementation. A choice of skills modules, including foreign languages, empirical social research, Digital Humanities, scientific principles and research design round off the qualification profile of those graduating from this degree programme.

This is an accredited programme which has received the Seal of Quality of the Foundation for the Accreditation of Study Programmes in Germany.

For details, please consult the Academic Advice Service's  infosheet [German content].

Features

  • The only Governance and Public Policy course in Germany to include public law modules
  • Unique range of courses and excellent staff-student ratio in small masterclasses
  • Numerous partnerships with universities abroad, which are particularly useful for students on this degree programme (e.g. France, Hungary, Pakistan, Romania, the UK and the USA)
  • One of only eight degree courses in Germany to have been accepted into the Helmut-Schmidt Programme (Public Policy and Good Governance) of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD)
  • Double-degree options with Andrássy University Budapest (Hungary) and University of Ljubljana (Slovenia)

Career prospects

Do you have your sights on a career in the upper echelons of public administration in Germany or abroad, or in a multinational corporation? The Master of Arts in Governance and Public Policy gives you the ideal starting conditions for a career in a corporate or administrative environment, as it imparts in-depth theoretical knowledge, skills and methods in such a way as to prepare you for challenging occupations which involve elements of social science, business and law. This opens up career paths in administrative structures in both the private and public sector, or as an independent political consultant, e.g. for advocacy groups or political parties. Alternatively, you could pursue an academic career, e.g. at a think tank, research institute or university, as this course provides you with a solid grounding in scientific working methods.

Programme details

The degree programme consists of three module groups and includes a master's thesis:

A: Core modules
The two core modules "Theory of State" and "Multilevel Governance" constitute the political-science foundations for your intermediate and advanced interdisciplinary study later on in the degree programme.

B: Focus modules
In the focus modules, the knowledge gained in the previously completed core modules is treated in greater detail and with the involvement of other disciplines. At this stage of the programme, you will deal with problems from the areas of comparative politics/public policy, global governance, European integration, recent European history, European and international law as well as political institutions and social transformation.

C: Competency modules
The competency modules are intended to give students the opportunity to develop practical skills and competencies, foreign language skills, scientific principles, research design, presentation skills, empirical social research and computer-aided research methods in the social sciences and humanities (Digital Humanities).

As part of this master's programme, you will write a thesis on a topic of your choice. You will accumulate 120 ECTS points throughout the programme.

Module catalogue [German content] and structural diagram [German content] for the programme.

Academic entry requirements

Applicants for this degree programme should have a good first university degree in social science, business studies, economics or a related subject with an overall result of, or equivalent to, at least 2.3 according to the German grading scale, or be ranked among the best 50% of their cohort.

German language requirements

You will need German language skills at level B2 CEFR or higher to study this degree programme.  If German was the language of instruction for your secondary school education or prior tertiary education, your academic certificates suffice as proof of your language skills. Otherwise, you will have to provide a recognised German language certificate along with your application for a place of study.

English language requirements

You should provide proof of English language skills equivalent to level B2 CEFR.

Application periods and deadlines

Application period for the winter semester:

  • 15 April - 15 July (direct applications)
  • 1 April - 30 June (applications via uni-assist e.V.)

Please use the interactive application guide to find out which application method you should use. 

Application period for the summer semester:

  • 1 November - 15 January (for all applicants)

Master Governance and Public Policy: double degree options

What our students say

Anna Kerner

Anna Kerner

Student Governance and Public Policy

I can deepen the focus gained in my bachelor's programme and learn completely new aspects of politics, law and history.

José Antonio Borja Camacho

José Antonio Borja Camacho

Student Governance and Public Policy

I really like the fascinating course content, the international orientation and the interdisciplinarity.

MA Governance students' experiences

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