Global Political Economy and Development, M.A.
The master’s degree course in Global Political Economy and Development aims to help students develop a critical understanding of the numerous theoretical approaches and practical issues as well as the wide spectrum of institutions, players and processes in the Global Political Economy. The course also seeks to enable students to apply this knowledge in practice.
Programme facts
| Degree | Master of Arts (M.A.) |
|---|---|
| Duration | 4 semesters, 120 ECTS |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Required English | C1 |
| Study mode | Full-Time |
| Start | Winter semester |
| Application | Via uni-assist, winter semester until 01.05 |
| Tuition fee | €0 per semester for international students |
| Semester contribution | €290.83 per semester |
What the tuition fee consists of
Will I get in
How the selection works and how strong the competition is — we go through it against your certificate when we select programmes for you.
Programme selection →About the programme
The Faculty of Sciences (Politics and Sociology) and the Faculty of Economics play a pivotal role in this interdisciplinary master’s degree course, which includes an international module that encourages students to participate in work/study programmes abroad. The Kassel course cooperates with the Universidad Estadual De Campinas (Sao Paolo), Paris X (Nanterre), Rutgers University (Newark, NJ, U.S.A.), the University of the Witwatersrand (Johannesburg) and York University (Toronto). Seminars are periodically led by lecturers from these partner institutions.
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The Kassel curriculum is of special interest to international students, as it goes beyond the standard International Political Economy programmes by focusing on the EU as an important region in the world economy. Students also have the opportunity of taking courses at the Language Centre in a variety of languages and specialist areas including German, English, French, Spanish, and German for economists, political scientists and sociologists. International students are also invited to participate in a four-week intensive German course before the programme begins and this is followed by four hours of weekly instruction during each semester (additional charges apply for language courses).
What you study
The different seminars introduce students to the institutions, actors, structures and processes characterizing globalized capitalism, North-South relations and development cooperation. It focuses on the global level, but also looks at regional and national settings from a comparative perspective. The program is interdisciplinary in character and is taught by scholars with a variety of disciplinary backgrounds, among them political science, sociology and economics. The curriculum is based on a pluralist understanding of political economy as well as development and covers both mainstream and critical perspectives. It stresses the importance of an integrated approach to research, which links empirical analysis with methodological and theoretical considerations. Moreover, there is a practical component to GPED: Students are expected to complete a two-month internship that is relevant to the program topics. These internships can be undertaken at NGOs, international organizations, research centres etc.
The full curriculum and the programme's parameters are part of programme selection: we compare them with your profile.
Pick programmesCost of study
| Tuition fee of the federal state (Hesse), international students | €0 |
|---|---|
| Semester contribution | €290.83 |
Requirements and application
| Previous education | A bachelor degree in social sciences, political science, economics, law or a related fiel with a study period of at least 6 semesters; The Bachelor's degree profile must indicate good knowledge of political science or economics. basic knowledge of sociology, political science, and economics. |
|---|---|
| Language | English C1 — confirmed by a certificate when you apply |
| Application | Via uni-assist, winter semester until 01.05 |
The procedure and the set of documents depend on your certificate. We check the university's requirements against your documents and give you a list: what to submit, how to certify and translate it, where and when to apply.
Check the requirementsHow to get into this programme
- 1Check your certificate and its recognitionDirect admission, a year at a university at home, or Studienkolleg first — this decides the whole plan.
- 2Documents and translationsCertified translations of the certificate and transcript, an APS if required. 3–4 weeks.
- 3Application via uni-assist until 01.05uni-assist checks documents for 4–6 weeks — send them well before the deadline.
- 4Admission, visa, movingPlan 2–3 months for the visa and the blocked account in parallel.
How to apply
You can submit the application yourself or with our help — the university decides on admission in both cases.
Applications go through the university's portal or uni-assist. Typical mistakes:
- ×incorrectly made certified copies and translations
- ×a wrong set of documents
- ×the application submitted the wrong way
- ×errors or gaps in the application form
- ×the application submitted at the wrong time — too early or too late
An incomplete or incorrectly prepared application is excluded from the selection — it can no longer be corrected after the deadline.
StudyInFocus does not represent the university and does not influence the admission decision. We do not sell study places and do not guarantee admission — this is a service for preparing and submitting documents on the applicant's side.
If your level is not enough yet
The two most common stoppers are a language level below the requirement and a certificate without direct admission. Both can be solved, but they take months — plan them now, not after a rejection.
Questions about this programme
How much does the programme cost?
What language level do I need?
When do I need to apply?
Don't postpone the application
The deadline is 01.05.2027 (199 days left). Language, translations and the document check take months, not weeks. In 30 minutes we will build a plan backwards from the deadline and tell you honestly whether you can make it.