Peace Research and International Relations, M.F.A.
The M.A. course "Peace Research and International Relations" aims to impart the necessary skills for dealing with the new challenges for peace from a peace science perspective.
Programme facts
| Degree | Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.) |
|---|---|
| Duration | 4 semesters, 120 ECTS |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Required English | C1 |
| Study mode | Full-Time |
| Start | Winter semester |
| Application | Directly to the university, winter semester until 31.05 |
| Admission | Admission restriction (NC): a competition of school grades |
| Tuition fee | €1,500 per semester for international students |
| Semester contribution | €199.80 per semester |
What the tuition fee consists of
Will I get in
The programme has an admission restriction: the average grade of your certificate, converted to the German scale, decides. The cut-off changes every year — last year's value shows the order of magnitude, not a promise.
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 focus of the master’s course is on both research-based and trial-and-error learning in the context of peace studies. On the one hand, the dynamics, processes and structures of violent conflicts are to be analyzed and this analysis to be deepened through practical experience. On the other hand, it is about getting to know the opportunities and possibilities of cooperation to deal with international and intra-social violent conflicts. Based on methodologically sound and theoretically sound basic research, concepts, institutions and strategies for preventing violence and peaceful conflict management are critically reconsidered, designed and further developed. Furthermore, insights into the ethical questions of international politics are conveyed and peace as a normative guiding value of professional and especially scientific work is brought closer.
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Particularly noteworthy are the opportunities for practical learning in the form of excursions, for example on security policy in Europe to Vienna, Strasbourg and Brussels, the Peaceboat with a stay at the floating university and approaching conflict regions or the simulation and excursion to the National Model United Nations in New York. In addition, numerous seminars are held by lecturers from practice, for example from the Institute for Peace Education. The courses are held in both German and English.
What you study
MAPIR combines the study of peace strategies, conflict resolution and international politics in a two-year, state-of-the-art study program. It deals with the complexity of conflict management and transformation in the context of international and national societies. Lectures and seminars combine the critical analysis of international institutions, global governance and security debates with the latest research on the prevention, outbreak, mediation and settlement of armed conflicts.
The full curriculum and the programme's parameters are part of programme selection: we compare them with your profile.
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Studying in the master's program "Peace Research and International Relations" (until summer semester 2020 "Peace Research and International Politics") offers comprehensive qualifications for a wide range of professional activities in science, politics, administration and business, political and social Organizations as well as in the field of mediation at the national and international level. Graduates work in the academic field (universities, research institutes such as GIGA) and, for example, in the diplomatic service (Federal Foreign Office and embassies), development cooperation (including GIZ), conflict management (including forumZFD), in media and political education (including Institute for Peace Education), in German and foreign ministries (including State Department USA) and subordinate authorities (including KfW), international organizations (OSCE, UNESCO) and non-governmental organizations (including Pax Christi), political foundations and parties as well as companies, especially those with a department for international politics (like Daimler and Siemens).
Cost of study
| Tuition fee of the federal state (Baden-Württemberg), international students | €1,500 |
|---|---|
| Semester contribution | €199.80 |
Requirements and application
| Previous education | MAPIR is open to university graduates with a first degree in Political Science or International Relations or related fields. |
|---|---|
| Language | English C1 — confirmed by a certificate when you apply |
| Application | Directly to the university, winter semester until 31.05 |
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 directly to the university until 31.05Send the documents well before the deadline — an incomplete application cannot be completed after it.
- 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 31.05.2027 (229 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.