Applying for the MA Development and Governance

There are two ways to apply for the programme:

1. Scholarships are granted to a limited number of highly qualified applicants by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD).

2. Self-financed students are invited to to submit their application via the online application portal during the application period.

For more details on each application procedure please follow the respective links in the navigation sidebar (<-- on the left side)

General admission requirements

Irrespective of the mode of application, the following admission requirements have to be met.

  • Higher education entrance qualification
  • Bachelor's degree requiring four years of full time study in political science, social science, law, economics, geography or related discipline
  • Strong academic record
  • Minimum of one year full-time professional work experience at time of application (in a field relevant to our Master's)
  • Very good English language proficiency: Applicants must provide a recent language certificate (TOEFL, IELTS) giving evidence of their level of proficiency in English
    • TOEFL: Paper based test: minimum score of 550; Computer based test: minimum score of 213; Internet based test: minimum score of 80 (university code Duisburg-Essen: 1703)
    • IELTS: minimum score of 6.0
    • Applicants can be exempted from the language requirement only if they hold a bachelor’s or higher degree from an English-language college or university. In this case they are required to provide proof that English was the language of instruction and of all examinations of their degree course, issued by their previous university

Please note that the University of Duisburg-Essen is a public university and does not charge an application fee nor tuition. However, after admission students need to register with the university. The (re-)registration fee is currently (effective summer semester 2022) 346,60 € per semester and allows you to use the university facilities and also includes the right to use public transport facilities within North Rhine-Westphalia (Semester Ticket).