In the following you will find all the information you need if you wish to apply for the master’s program in Public Policy. Except for the application deadlines and language requirements, the admission requirements are the same for students from Germany, an EU country, or any non-EU country. Also, the application process is the same whether you choose to apply for admission into the first semester or for admission into an advanced semester (e.g. in case if you already completed some of your course work in a related study program and are eligible for a credit transfer).

• Entrance Requirements

  Subject-specific Requirements

  Students, who wish to take a master’s degree course in Public Policy can embark on their studies only in the winter semester (except if one has received a study place in an advanced semester, respectively the second semester).

  In addition, the following requirements must be satisfied:

  • Bachelor’s degree in a (at least) six-semester study program with an emphasis on Economics and a (provisional) final mark of at least 2,59 (German Grade).
  • at least 50 credit points in Economics (if this is the case, there may be an amount of only 50 additional credit points in Political Science or, alternatively, Law)
  • at least 10 credit points in Mathematics, Statistics and/or Econometrics.

  Points are assigned to the aforementioned subjects with the aid of the transcript of records. What counts here is course content. If a course title is vague, you should briefly indicate the course content. It is not, however, necessary to provide a description of every module.

  Knowledge of Languages

  Applicants have to prove that they are sufficiently proficient in English and German. However, they may be exempted from this requirement if they are native speakers of English or German or if they have passed the German Abitur.

  German

  If you are not a native German speaker, you have to proof, that you have a sufficient grasp of German through one of the following certificates:

  • German Abitur (Geman high-school diploma/general university entrance qualification)
  • A DSH-2 certificate (or higher)
  • TestDaF Level 4 in all four skill areas (or higher)
  • Deutsches Sprachdiplom (German Language Diploma) of the Standing Conference of Education Ministers, Level II (C1 level in all sub-sections)
  • Goethe-Zertifikat C2
  • UNIcert certificate, Level III (or higher)
  • TELC C1 Hochschule

  Find out here, how you can proof your German language skills. 

  English

  In order to prove that they have a sound grasp of English, applicants need to possess at least one of the following certificates:

  1. A German upper secondary school leaving certificate (Abiturzeugnis) showing that the applicant has taken a basic (Grundkurs) or an advanced course (Leistungskurs) in English. The average grade awarded for the advanced course must be at least ‘sufficient’ (ausreichend) [5 points] during the last two years of secondary schooling. The average grade awarded for the basic course must be at least ‘good’ (gut) [10 points] during the last two years of secondary schooling.
  2. Language certificates:

  • A TOEFL language proficiency certificate. A maximum of 120 points can be awarded for the Internet-based TOEFL test (Test of English as a Foreign Language). Applicants must score at least 80 points.
  • A TOEIC language proficiency certificate. A maximum of 990 points can be awarded for the TOEIC test (Test of English for International Communication). Applicants must score at least 550 points.
  • An International English Language Testing System (IELTS) certificate. Applicants must have attained at least level 6 on the IELTS band scale.
  • A Cambridge University certificate. If the applicant has passed the CAE (Certificate in Advanced English) examination, the mark awarded will automatically be deemed acceptable.
  • If the applicant has passed the FCE (First Certificate in English) examination, the lowest acceptable mark is B.
  • An LCCI-Certificate (English for Business)Level 3
  • A Business English Certificate (BEC) Vantage Level
  • A UNIcert certificate Level III or IV
  • The European Language Certificates (TELC) Level B2 on the CEFR scale. The Admissions Committee will accept any other language proficiency certificate which shows that the holder has attained level B2 on the CEFR scale.

  It will be assumed that applicants have a sufficiently firm grasp of English if they satisfy at least one of the following requirements:

  • The applicant has spent at least one year in an English-speaking country. A certificate must be submitted to prove that the applicant used English as a medium of expression during his/her journey abroad.
  • The applicant has successfully completed his/her university studies in English. Courses and examinations were held in English. A personalized certificate must be produced for each module.
  • The applicant is a native speaker of English.

• Application Process

  Deadlines

  Applications from Germany and other EU countries:
  1 May  to 15 July (deadline)

  Applications from non-EU countries:
  1 May  to 31 May (deadline)

  Applications for advanced semesters:
  1 August to 15 September (deadline)

  Applications submitted after the closing date will be ignored.

  The Application Procedure

  The application procedure is initiated via the online-application webpage of the Student Admissions Office. In order to be able to communicate effectively with the University, applicants must enter their e-mail address, provide general personal data, and reply to questions about the course they wish to enroll for.

  Go here for detailled information on the application procedure.

  Applicants need to have a German upper secondary school-leaving certificate or a foreign school-leaving certificate which is equivalent to the German Abitur. They are also required to produce a BA certificate in which the ECTS points gained by the holder are clearly indicated.

  If the BA course has not yet been completed, an interim report can be submitted. Applicants must have earned at least 135 ECTS before they can apply for admission to the MA program, and they cannot embark on the master’s program until they have passed their BA examination.

  Non-German certificates have to be translated into German or English. Grades have to be converted to ECTS or their German equivalents. As some courses are conducted mainly in German, applicants need to be sufficiently proficient in German.

  It is essential that applicants use the applications webpage as a channel of communication with the University. Each applicant receives an applicant number which facilitates the processing of enquiries relating to the application procedure. A copy of a printout of the online application will come in useful if the applicant applies for a visa.

  The following documents should be uploaded:

  1. A bachelor‘s certificate
  2. A transcript of records providing details of all the courses taken by the applicant
  3. A complete CV
  4. A certificate attesting that the applicant has a sufficiently sound grasp of German
  5. A certificate attesting that the applicant has a sufficiently sound grasp of English

  In certain cases, the applicant is required to provide detailled descriptions of individual modules. Such descriptions are necessary whenever the title of a module does not clearly indicate that the course content is relevant to the degree program to which the applicant is seeking admission. Descriptions of modules should be attached to the file containing the transcript of records.

  Applicants from non-EU countries

  Special regulations apply to applicants from non-EU countries. These regulations can be found here. Despite the online application procedure, applicants are still required to send printouts of their application documents to the Student Admissions Office (Schlossplatz 2, 48149 Münster, Germany).

  As application documents are not returned to senders, original documents should never be submitted with letters of application, and there is no point in enclosing postage stamps.

• Admission Requirements

  It is essential that admission requirements be met when the number of applications received exceeds the number of places available on the master’s programm in Public Policy.

  The Applications Committee examines the applications that have been received and awards points for each of the requirements. Each requirement is weighted differently. Points are distributed as follows:

  Marks	Required Level of Knowledge	Weight	Points
  Final BA mark (ECTS)		50%	0-50
  Grades awarded for economics attested in the BA certificate or the transcript of records (in case of more than 50 credit points in economics, a maximum of 50 credit points for either political science or law is taken into account)	a comparable BA degree in economics awarded by the University of Münster (100 credit points for economics)	30%	0-30
  Grades awarded for mathematics, statistics and econometrics attested in the BA certificate or the transcript of records	a comparable BA degree in economics awarded by the University of Münster (30 credit points for economics)	20%	0-20
  Total			Maximum   100

  Points are awarded on the basis of the grades earned by the applicants. Fewer points are awarded for knowledge which is below par, but this does not preclude admission to the master’s program. What counts here is the total number of points. It is up to the Applications Committee to decide whether a lack of knowledge in one domain is compensated by above-average knowledge in another field. Applicants who lack knowledge in one of their subjects (e.g. econometrics) are not obliged to remedy this deficiency after embarking on the master’s degree course.

  No points are awarded for the applicants’ knowledge of English and German, but a good knowledge of both languages is an essential requirement for admission to the master’s program.

  Reapplications are admissible since the program is filled on a space-available basis.

• Contact Information

  For technical or organizational questions relating to application and enrolment contact the Student Admissions Office.

  For questions relating to the content of the master’s programm in Public Policy and the admission requirements, please contact the program’s study advisor.