FAQ

Since the Winter Semester 2003/2004 the University of Kassel offers a theory-oriented graduate program in Global Political Economy which was recently expanded to become Global Political Economy and Development. The two-years program results in the degree “Master of Arts (M.A.) in Global Political Economy and Development”.
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. Kassel University is the first to cover this dynamic field in Germany. 
The Master’s program in Global Political Economy and Development aims to help students to develop a critical understanding of the numerous theoretical approaches and practical issues as well as the wide spectrum of institutions, actors and processes in the Global Political Economy as well as in Development Studies. It should also enable the students to apply this knowledge in practice. 
The Master’s degree program is interdisciplinary in design; the faculties of Social Sciences (Politics and Sociology) and Economics play a pivotal role. 
The program has an international module that encourages students to participate in work-study programs abroad. Kassel collaborates with the following universities: Universidade Estadual de Campinas (Sao Paolo), University of Cape Coast (Ghana), Rutgers University (New Brunswick, NJ, U.S.A.), Tata Institute of Social Sciences (Guwahati and Mumbai, India) and University of the Witwatersrand (Johannesburg). Lecturers from these partner programs periodically offer seminars at Kassel. 
For international students, the Kassel curriculum may be of special interest as it goes beyond the standard International Political Economy programs by elaborating on the EU as an important region in the world economy. International students may also take courses at the Language Center (e.g. German, English, French, Spanish, German for Economists, Political Scientists and Sociologists) to facilitate their studies. During their stay in Germany, international students can learn German in a four-week intensive course before the program starts as well as four hours weekly during the semester (unfortunately, language courses are not free of charge).

You can find more detailed information concerning application procedure and requirements here: 

Global Political Economy and Development (Master) (uni-kassel.de)

Please check here to see our current application deadlines.

Yes, you can. Please include a note with your postal application stating that a certified copy of your degree certificate will follow later and a letter or transcript from your current university stating:

• the name and address of the university and department,
• your full name,
• that you are expected to graduate this summer,
• a transcript of your grades so far, and
• the exact title of your degree in English or German, e.g. "B.A. Social Studies".

We follow the standards of Uni-Assist which state that official authentications must always bear the original seal and signature of the authenticator. 

The following institutions are authorised to authenticate your documents:

• the schools or universities that issued your documents or the relevant Department of Education in your home country

• the Diplomatic Missions to the Federal Republic of Germany

• the Culture Department at the Embassy of the country in which the certificate was issued

• the public authorities and notaries authorized to carry out official authentications in the respective country

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All core courses will be taught in English. The special options courses will be taught in English as well, but it is possible to select courses offered by other Master Programs which could be in German. Course work for special option courses needs to be written in English. To improve language competence, students are encouraged to take full advantage of the courses offered by the University of Kassel’s Language Center.

Yes, it does. Students who have completed the M.A. program with at least the grade 2 (B) may be accepted as PhD students, if they find a professor within the faculties of the Departments of Social Sciences or Economics willing to supervise their thesis.

The department of social sciences offers special courses for PhD students in its Kassel International Graduate Centre of the Social Sciences (KIGG).

The admission process consists of two major steps:

1.   In order for your application to be reviewed by the Master‘s program selection panel, it must first be reviewed by Uni-Assist (International BA degree)/ the Master Office (German BA degree).

2.   If your application is accepted by Uni-Assist/ Master Office, they will then forward on the application to the University of Kassel where the selection panel will review your application, along with all applications received. 

Once all applications have been reviewed and a decision has been made on your application, you will be notified. Because the process between you submitting your application and the selection panel reviewing and making a decision on your application is quite lengthy, it may take sometime before you hear back on your application. If your application passes both the Uni-Assist / Master Office review and the selection panel review, you will be notified by the Masters office of the University of Kassel by email.

Final decisions can be expected:

• international BA degree: End of July
• BA degree earned in Germany: Mid of September

Please do not contact us regarding the outcome of your application before these dates!

The Program starts every winter semester, i.e. every October.
We are sorry but there is no opportunity to start in the summer semester!

Each winter semester, the University of Kassel offers a welcome week in which international students can learn about what steps to take to get settled into Kassel once they have arrived. Learn more about this orientation.

In addition, during the first week of classes, the MA GPED programme has a separate welcome week programme, in which all new students of the programme will receive a programme specific orientation as well as more information on settling into Kassel. Students will be informed of the timing of this orientation program once they have been admitted.

If you intend to arrive in Kassel before the orientation programme begins, please contact the GPED coordinators at magpe[at]uni-kassel[dot]de to get assistance in settling into Kassel.
 

Although the student service of the university (Studentwerk) provides some accommodation for students, the department does not guarantee student housing.

If you are interested in applying for one of the local student housing locations, visit the Studierendenwerk website here.

In Germany, most students live in shared, private apartments called WGs. It is usually difficult to find housing before you arrive; however, it is not impossible. The GPED coordinators have put together a helpful PDF about finding accommodation in Kassel, which you can download here.

The Language Centre of the University (Sprachenzentrum) offers several language courses; however, space is often limited. For those students interested in taking language courses during the master, Department 5 students have the opportunity to take up to three free courses during their full stay at the university.

For more information on the Language Centre’s courses, visit the link here.

As with all state funded universities in Germany, there is no formal tuition. However, each semester, students will pay a registration fee between 280 – 300 Euros, which covers administrative processing for services provided by the University and Student Association and includes a transportation ticket that gives students access to public transport within the region of Kassel as well as discounts throughout the city. Beyond this fee, students can expect to spend any where between 300 and 700 euro monthly on living costs including rent, insurance, and other day to day expenses.

The department doesn't offer financial support or funding.
The following institutions do offer scholarships and can be contacted prior to your arrival in Kassel:

DAAD (DeutschAkademischerAustauschDienst)
Friedrich Ebert Stiftung
Hans Böckler Stiftung
Heinrich Böll Stiftung
Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung
Konrad Adenauer Stiftung
Friedrich Naumann Stiftung
Cusanuswerk
Evangelisches Studienwerk e.V.

Also consult the website: www.myStipendium.de which features the biggest database for scholarships in Germany.

For the programme, a level of C1 English is required. Furthermore, each student needs to demonstrate that they have attained this level. If you have earned your bachelor’s degree in English, no proof is needed. However, if your bachelor’s language of instruction was not in English, you will need to take either the TOEFL examination and attain a minimum score of 95 or the IELTS examination and attain a minimum score of 7.5.

The TOEFL codes relevant for the MA GPE program are:
University of Kassel: 9609
Department code: 89 (political science)