For admittance to the master’s program applicants need to meet the following admission requirements:

A bachelor’s degree in political science or an equivalent degree with a minimum of 60 credit points in political science.

The DSH - or German Language University Entrance Exam for Foreign Students - is obligatory for all applicants whose first language is not German and who have earned their initial degree from a university (or equivalent institution) where the language of instruction is not German. You can find further information regarding the DSH following this link: www.sprachenzentrum.fu-berlin.de/sprachtests/dsh. Equivalent proficiency ceritificates can also serve as a verification of your language skills if they are in line with the “Ordnung für die Deutsche Sprachprüfung für den Hochschulzugang ausländischer Studienbewerberinnen und Studienbewerberan der Freien Universität Berlin” (www.fu-berlin.de/service/zuvdocs/amtsblatt/2014/ab042014.pdf).

The research-oriented master’s program in political science enables students to expand and deepen their expertise through specialization in a subdivision of the discipline. Specialization choices are in the following areas: theory of politics (that is, the foundations of political structures and processes), international and transnational relationships, and regional studies and comparative analysis of political systems and fields of politics. In this program, knowledge of theory-related, methodological, and empirical political science is deepened.

MA Students at the Otto Suhr Institute for Political Science benefit from its proximity to government institutions, diverse institutions of associations and parties, as well as policy advice and other scientific institutions in Berlin. Thus, a wide range of opportunities to engage with practical politics and academic and non-academic research practice as well as   internship opportunities are available to the students.

In addition, the Otto Suhr Institute has numerous research associations and focal points that enable a close link between teaching and research. These include the Collaborative Research Center (SFB) 700 "Governance in Areas of Limited Statehood", the Kolleg-Forschergruppe (KFG) "The Transformative Power of Europe", the Environmental Policy Research Centre or the regional political science research at the Center for Middle Eastern and North African Studies, the Latin American Institute, the Eastern European Institute and the JF Kennedy Institute.

At the same time, various colleagues from the institute are involved in research clusters and graduate colleges (Muslim Cultures and Societies, Graduate School of North American Studies, Berlin Graduate School for Transnational Studies), which have been successful in the framework of excellence competitions at German universities.

Since 2019, the FU Berlin has also been involved in the Cluster of Excellence Contestations of the Liberal Script (SCRIPTS). In the cluster, the current debates about the liberal order are viewed from a historical, global and comparative perspective. Scientists from the social sciences, history, economics and education as well as philosophy and Islamic studies are involved.

(the names of the following modules are kept in German since the completion of the modules requires fluency in the German language)

Graduates of this masters program have obtained advanced scientific knowledge and further qualifications for jobs in this field.

The program prepares for jobs in research at universities and non-academic research institutions as well as research based jobs in the following areas:
politics, political consulting, political agency, corporate consulting, national administration, foreign affairs and international organisations, non-governmental organisations, media and cultural institutions, planning on state and local government levels, education of adults as well as publishing.

• Berg-Schlosser, Dirk: Einführung in die Politikwissenschaft, 7. Auflage, München 2003.
• Alemann, Ulrich von: Methodik der Politikwissenschaft. Eine Einführung in Arbeitstechnik und Forschungspraxis, 7. Auflage, Stuttgart 2005.
• Göhler, Gerhard / Iser, Mattias / Kerner, Ina (Hrsg.): Politische Theorie. 22 umkämpfte Begriffe zur Einführung, Wiesbaden 2004.