MA in Politics (1 year)
Vienna, Austria
DURATION
1 Years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
Request application deadline
EARLIEST START DATE
Sep 2025
TUITION FEES
EUR 12,000 / per year *
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* payable in one or two installments, non-refundable initial tuition fee installment (€500 EUR) is paid to confirm your acceptance of our offer of admission and is credited towards the 1st tuition fee installment in year 1
Introduction
The one-year MA Program in Political Science offers a comprehensive and interdisciplinary curriculum in theory and research methods in contemporary political science. US standards in research and teaching are combined with the varied requirements of an international student body. The program is aimed at students who have graduated from a four-year BA degree.
The program invites students wishing to develop the analytical skills necessary to achieve excellence in the following areas: politics and economics of democratization in a comparative perspective, international development, comparative and European politics, current issues in the theory and practice of constitutional democracy, political theory, political sociology, and political economy. The MA program targets both future academics and students who wish to pursue careers in non-academic jobs requiring considerable skills in social and political analysis, typically in the civil service, the news media, NGOs, political and cultural organizations, and private businesses.
Specializations
It is mandatory for all students to specialize in one of the following fields:
- Comparative Politics
- Political Economy
- Research Methods and Techniques
- Social and Political Theory
- Political Behavior
- Democracy and Social Change
Program Accreditation/Registration
- The program was approved and registered by the New York State Education Department
- Program accredited by the Agency for Quality Assurance and Accreditation Austria (AQ-Austria)
Admissions
Scholarships and Funding
To master’s candidates, we award financial aid based on academic merit. You can apply for financial support for master’s studies in the Funding section of the Online Application Form.
Curriculum
Courses generally earn two credits, students are required to earn 24 course credits for the Austrian and US-accredited degree. Students are required to take the Academic Writing and Scope and Methods courses, two-two credits each, too.
The mandatory courses offered cover the analytical and empirical foundations of the MA program. The core courses are organized in four groups:
- Social and Political Theory (2 credits)
- Political Economy (2 credits)
- Comparative Politics (2 credits)
- Research Methodology (2 credits of mandatory + 2 credits of mandatory elective courses)
Exemption from the requirement of taking a mandatory course can be granted to those who have already studied the given subjects. The claimant should pass a written test on the basics of the subject. If the exemption is accorded, the student is free to ignore the mandatory course in question and choose any two-credit course instead.
Students must specialize in a field of their choice. The choice of Specialization is mandatory for all students. Students earn six credits in courses related to the specific field in question, and students must write their MA thesis on a topic related to this field of specialization.
Besides the MA courses offered by the Political Science Department, students can choose among MA courses offered by other CEU departments and programs, provided those courses are cross-listed with the Political Science Department. MA students are allowed to take one course per academic year from Political Science Ph.D. courses.
Program structure and curriculum
The program features mandatory, mandatory elective, and elective courses, as well as non-degree credit and credit courses. Besides the MA courses offered by the Political Science Department, students can choose from MA courses offered by other CEU departments and programs, provided those courses are cross-listed with the Political Science Department. Please note that each course in the department has its enrollment limit. Once enrollment has reached this limit, no more students can enroll unless other students drop the course.
MA1 Program structure and curriculum
One-year MA in Political Science
Preparatory Module
- Academic Writing for Political Science
- Introduction to Social Science Statistics
- – Math Refresher
Research Methods
- Scope and Methods: Research Design, and Technique
- Basics in Quantitative Research
- Introduction to Statistics and Programming with R II
- Qualitative Research Methods
- Critical Qualitative Research Methods
- Comparative Case Study Research
- Field Research, Interviewing, and Qualitative Data Analysis
Political Theory
- Political Theory: Justice and Equality
Political Economy
- Political Economy
Comparative Politics
- Comparative Politics
Specialization
- Any Political Science MA course listed under the specialization
Electives
- Any Political Science MA course
- Any Cross-listed MA course
- Any University-wide course
- PhD Political Science Course, on permission
Thesis Module
- Defended MA Thesis (min. 12,000 words)
Total 30 credits
2-credit Academic Writing + 6-credit Research Methods + 3*2 credit mandatory modules + 6 credit specialization + 4 credit electives + 6- credit thesis.