Politics, Economics, Philosophy, M.Sc.
The School of Economics and Social Sciences at Universität Hamburg offers a two-year, English-language master’s program in politics, economics, and philosophy commencing in the winter semester of each year. The program focuses on the analysis of individual and collective decision-making from the perspective of the three disciplines. Students learn how to solve problems in diverse areas such as politics, corporate governance, and international relations by applying insights from politics, economics, and philosophy. This is a rigorous, research-oriented program focusing on modern theories and methods in political science, economics, and philosophy.
Programme facts
| Degree | Master of Science (M.Sc.) |
|---|---|
| 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 31.03 |
| Admission | Admission restriction (NC): a competition of school grades |
| Tuition fee | €0 per semester for international students |
| Semester contribution | €384 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
Keep thinking!
Are “Wutbürger” (enraged citizens) a political side issue or do we need more direct democracy? What is good corporate governance or how could the diesel scandal have been forestalled? Why was the Montreal Protocol on protecting the ozone layer a success and what’s the reason that the implementation of the Paris Agreement on global warming has hit a snag?
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Our lives are determined by decisions: in politics and in economics, but also in our private lives. Whether it’s a matter of more civic involvement in politics, or of decision-making in flat or steep corporate hierarchies, or of international treaties that call for shared decision-making, every decision is a critical juncture affecting the subsequent course.
Analyzing individual and collective decisions.
In the master’s program in Politics, Economics und Philosophy (PEP), you learn to analyze individual and collective decision-making processes in order to solve problems in the areas of politics, corporate governance or international relations later on. This rigorous, research-oriented program concentrates on current theories and methods of political science, economics and philosophy.
Let yourself be inspired and you can look forward to a course of studies that guides you toward new, different, and above all, forward-oriented ways of thinking.
What you study
In the Politics, Economics und Philosophy master’s program, a sophisticated, interdisciplinary course of studies awaits you: here you will analyze the individual and collective decisions in economies and democracies by applying the theories and methods of political science, economics and philosophy. The program is conducted in English and the student body consists of a small but highly selective group of international students.
The full curriculum and the programme's parameters are part of programme selection: we compare them with your profile.
Pick programmesCareer
Do you want to go into research or are you planning to pursue a career in the private sector? Are you interested in the financial sector or would you like to work in a governmental institution or NGO or ... maybe in the media?
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When you successfully complete a PEP master’s degree at Universität Hamburg, doors are open wide to you just about everywhere. That’s because the interdisciplinary master’s program of the WiSo faculty enjoys an excellent reputation both nationally and internationally.
Harbor metropolis with intellectual infrastructure
If you want to stay in Hamburg for a longer period, interesting possibilities present themselves in the wider sphere of the research facilities of the Universität. For example, the “Institute for Peace Research and Security Policy”, the “Research Centre for Contemporary History” the “Institute for Social Research” and the “Institute for Advanced Study (HIAS)” as well as the “Körber Foundation” are all based in Hamburg. Hamburg is the media capital of Germany; it is the location of socially engaged NGOs and a center of dynamic firms and agencies that address the issue of “sustainability”.
Cost of study
| Tuition fee of the federal state (Hamburg), international students | €0 |
|---|---|
| Semester contribution | €384 |
Requirements and application
| Previous education | Applicants must have completed a first university degree (e.g., Bachelor degree or equivalent of at least 180 ECTS) in one of the following fields of study: Political Science Economics Philosophy Applicants must demonstrate that at least 60% or its ECTS equivalent (108 ECTS out of 180 ECTS) of their first university degree is in one of the above named fields of study. |
|---|---|
| Language | English C1 — confirmed by a certificate when you apply |
| Application | Directly to the university, winter semester until 31.03 |
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 31.03Send 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 31.03.2027 (168 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.