Concept

Objectives
Structure
Course Outlines
Examination Rules

Objectives

Relevance of "Global Political Economy"

The globalization of economic, cultural, and political activities has been one of the central and controversial "mega" trends in societal development over the last decade. This vanishing of borders, which will likely continue for decades to come, presents a formidable challenge to a traditional thinking attached to the nation state. A critical understanding of the forms, causes, effects, and avenues for governance of globalization is needed. The requisite knowledge of the dynamics of the world economy, international institutions, and transnational actors is offered by the Master's degree program in "Global Political Economy".

General features of the Master's degree program

Since 2003 the University of Kassel offers a theory-oriented graduate program in Global Political Economy. The two-year program leads to the degree "Master of Arts (M.A.) in Global Political Economy". The curriculum is oriented on the "International/Global Political Economy" program taught at American, British, and a few northern European universities. According to the International Studies Association, this is one of the fastest growing branches of political science. In Germany, Kassel offers the first curriculum to cover this dynamic field.

The Master's program in Global Political Economy aims to help students to develop a critical understanding of the numerous approaches and themes, and the wide spectrum of actors and processes in the Global Political Economy. It should also enable them to apply this knowledge in practice.

Interdisciplinary Design

The Master's degree program is interdisciplinary in design; the faculties of Social Sciences (Politics and Sociology) and Economics play a prominent role.

Career Prospects

Our graduates have gone on to work in a wide range of fields, including journalism, NGOs, and public service. Some have remained in higher education - both teaching and researching for a PhD. The following table is a selection of the areas of work done by GPE alumni:

Structure

M.A. candidate profile

The graduate program targets German and international candidates with a Bachelor's or Baccalaureus degree in political science, sociology or economics who have completed at least six semesters of full-time study and earned a cumulative grade of "good" or better; or who studied at a foreign university of equal status and obtained at least a B.A. and "upper second" class honors; or who have an equivalent or higher degree. Proficiency in English is necessary for program participation (e.g. TOEFL, with a minimum of 550 PBT/ 80 IBT, IELTS 6.5, or an equivalent qualification).

International scope

The program has an international module that encourages students to participate in work-study programs abroad. The Kassel program has collaborations with the following universities: Universidad Estadual De Campinas (Sao Paolo), University of Cardiff (Wales), Paris X (Nanterre), Rutgers University (Newark, NJ, U.S.A.), University of the Witwatersrand (Johannesburg) and York University (Toronto). Lecturers from these partner programs will periodically offer seminars. For international students, the Kassel curriculum may be of special interest as it goes beyond the standard International Political Economy program by elaborating on the EU as an important region in the world economy. International students may also take courses at the Language Center to facilitate their studies. During their stay in Germany, international students can learn German in a four-week intensive course as well as four hours weekly during the semester. Normally the language courses cost between 20 - 120 €.

Multilingual curriculum

All core courses and many of the special options courses are taught in English. Course work may be written in either German or English. To improve language competence, students are encouraged to take full advantage of the courses offered by the University of Kassel's Language Center.

Practice oriented

Despite its theorectical orientation, the program has relevant practical components. An internship of at least eight weeks is required. The objective of the special skills courses is to develop key career skills, from languages and presentation techniques through to writing research project applications.

Credit transfer system

The Master's degree program accords with the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS). This ensures comparability and transferability of learning achievements among participating European institutions of higher education. The ECTS credits are a measure of the workload needed to complete individual course units of a program of study. The ECTS allocates up to 120 credits for the successful completion of a Master's degree program.

Students are advised to earn at least about 60 credits a year, taken in the following way:

Examination regulations

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General examination regulations

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How to obtain a master degree in Global Political Economy

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Course Outlines

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