FAQ

STiNE is the student information network that provides valuable support to students from their initial application through to completion of studies (and even beyond that as alumni). To apply to a program at the University of Hamburg you must use the online application form on STiNE (at the link www.stine.uni-hamburg.de).

Once you have set up an applicant’s account in STiNE you may log in repeatedly during the application period to complete the application form. You must submit the completed form electronically via STiNE and upload your documents.

The application period begins on 15 February. Please do not submit any documents before as your application may not be processed properly in that case. The application process is to apply online.

No. For legal reasons you must use the STiNE for your application. This is only possible during the fixed application period (15 February to 31 March).

No. It is necessary to complete the form in STiNE and upload all required documents with it until 31 March.

No. It is not possible to apply for more than one program at the same time. 

If you do not understand a particular question on the online application form, please contact:

application-pep.wiso"AT"uni-hamburg.de

After submission of the application form you receive a notice confirming that your application was received.

Yes, please contact STiNE-Support.

If you experience technical difficulties using the STiNE portal, please contact STiNE-Support.

No.

This depends on the composition of your particular PPE degree. Each application will be judged on its own merits. In your application, please specify any specialization in one of the PPE fields.

You need to have had at least a strong focus on one of the fields of studies involved. Please visit our website for more detailed information:

• Admission requirements for MSc PEP

Yes. In this case, you must submit your registration for one of the accepted tests (e.g. a copy of your online registration). The test results have then to be submitted as soon as possible, latest by 31 May.

Please note that your admission (if offered) will remain conditional on the subsequent submission of the required proof of your English language proficiency. Delayed submission or insufficient test results may forfeit your admission.

If the deadline for applications has not yet expired, you are welcome to try for another test. If there is not enough time for that, you must submit your registration for one of the accepted tests (e.g. a copy of your online registration). The test results have then to be submitted as soon as possible, latest by 31 May.

Please note that your admission (if offered) will remain conditional on the subsequent submission of the required proof of your English language proficiency. Insufficient test results may forfeit your admission.

We only accept the English language tests that are listed on our website:

• English Language Proficiency Requirement

You are exempt from providing an official language test, if you can proof that your bachelor program was completely taught in English and if the university is located in the UK, USA, Ireland, New Zealand, Australia or the English speaking part of Canada.

In all other cases, you must provide additional proof of your English language skills.

A course qualifies as an advanced course if it builds on introductory courses into general economics, microeconomics or macroeconomics. Examples include courses in Public Economics, Industrial Organization, Political Economy, Financial Economics etc.

It is absolutely essential to upload your application documents as PDF. If you submit documents in other formats, we may have problems to access them. PDF documents can be created directly from WORD documents or most image editing software by using the Adobe PDF function, if installed, or by using free software and the print function.

Please note that the PDF must not exceed the maximum file size of 5 MB. Therefore, please be sure to compress images or image files before converting them into a PDF.

Please submit the following documents:

• An up-to-date transcript of records of all exams taken, including your grade point average (GPA) up to this date.

In case of your acceptance, you have time until the end of the first semester (31 March) to present your final degree.

No. Uncertified copies are sufficient. For your transcript if records you can also use internet print outs from your student account.

The letter of motivation should contain up to 500 words and could refer to the following aspects:

• Why do you want to study MSc Politics, Economics and Philosophy?
• What makes you a good candidate for the program?
• How does the MSc Politics, Economics and Philosophy fit into your overall career objectives?
• Give a brief glance at your personal background.

The letter should answer the following questions:

• How long have you known the applicant?
• How did you first get to know the applicant? Which of your lectures or seminars did the applicant attend?
• What is your opinion of the applicant’s academic and personal qualification?
• Is the applicant qualified for the program he or she applies for?

No. You referee could also decide to write a reference without making use of the form.

The letters of recommendation may be written either in German or in English.

In general, the letter of recommendation should be drafted by someone who is able to comment on your academic abilities and competencies.

International letter of recommendations: The referee must be be a lecturer (at least PhD level) who teaches full-time at your (or another) university. Emeritus professors are also eligible to write a letter of recommendation. Please note that we do not accept references from postdocs/research fellows.

German letter of recommendations:  The referee must be a (junior) professor. Emeritus professors are also eligible, but emeriti from other status groups are not. Recommendation letters from employees with a doctorate who are permanently employed at the WiSo faculty of the University of Hamburg for teaching and who are not active in research (e.g. postdocs) are eligible, too.

No.

The letters of recommendation may be written by lecturers of your choice from your program of studies.

The letters of recommendation are necessary for application. Please get in contact with your university lecturers.

There are two possible ways to submit the letter of recommendation. Either students upload the letter of recommendation as part of their application documents in STiNE or it can be submitted confidentially by using this form:

• Form for submission of letter of recommendation MSc PEP

If your referee prefers to send the recommendation directly to the university, please pass on the link to this form:

• Form for submission of letter of recommendation MSc PEP

In this case, please do not forget to upload a note in the designated field in STiNE. Make sure that the references reach us in time.

A letter of notification will be sent regarding admission. The letter of notification will be made available to you in your STiNE user account (please see “Dokumente (documents tab)”).

You cannot accept a place by email. Instead, you will need to use the template provided or return the enrollment application (attached to the acceptance letter) to confirm. You do not enroll in person.

Please check the website of the Campus Center for more information:

• Information about enrolling in a master's program (Campus Center)

Please have a look at the checklist for enrollment into International Master’s Degree Programs provided by the Campus Center:

• Information about enrolling in a master's program (Campus Center)

If you have to provide certified copies of your documents you will receive a message in your STiNE account. You will be given sufficient time to have your documents certified:

• Information about certification (Campus Center)

If you are not familiar with the German health insurance system, please check:

• Information about health insurance (Campus Center)

You will find a letter of rejection in your STINE account.

Yes, you are welcome to apply next year again, if the reason of your rejection is a lack of places.

No. The program only starts in the winter semester.

Yes, you can study this master’s degree part-time. Detailed information about prerequisites, deadlines, the application procedure, and any exceptions is available on the university's Campus Centers website. 

It is not necessary to announce that you would like to become a part-time student within the application.

Since winter term 2012/13 there are no more study fees at the University of Hamburg. Please have a look at the following link to inform yourself about the current semester contribution.

No. Currently, neither the university nor the program are able to provide any sort of scholarships. Please check the general information on financing your studies.

Comprehensive information on scholarships available from German funding bodies can be found at the website of DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service).