How to Apply for the Master’s Program in PEP

Applicants must meet the following requirements to be considered for admission to the MSc Program in Politics, Economics and Philosophy at the University of Hamburg.

University degree

Applicants must have completed a first university degree (e.g., Bachelor degree or equivalent of at least 180 ECTS) in one of the following fields of study:

• Political Science
• Economics
• Philosophy

Applicants must demonstrate that at least 60% or its ECTS equivalent (108 ECTS from 180 ECTS) of their first university degree is in one of the above-named fields of study. Applicants with a first degree in PPE (or similar) should consult the FAQs (see Questions Regarding Admissions Requirements).

Applicants with a first university degree in Economics must provide evidence for the successful completion of the following courses:

• mathematics, statistics and econometrics with an equivalent of at least 15 ECTS,
• advanced courses in economics with an equivalent of at least 24 ECTS.

Applicants with a first university degree in Political science must demonstrate the successful completion of at least 12 ECTS in courses pertaining to the methods of empirical research in Social Science/Political Science.

Applicants with a first university degree in Philosophy must demonstrate the successful completion of at least 8 ECTS in formal methods (e.g., logic and argumentation theory, decision theory, mathematics).

In the event that at the time of submission of your application you have not received your degree certificate, you will have to submit this by the end of the first semester of your studies in the M.Sc. PEP program.

English Language Proficiency

All applicants must provide proof of proficiency in English language in the form of one of the following English language tests and minimum scores:

• Revised TOEFL Paper-delivered Test: at least 22 points per skill (Reading, Listening, Writing)
• TOEFL internet-based test (test date scores): at least 92 points with at least 22 points per skill (Listening, Writing, Speaking, Reading)
• International English Language Testing System (IELTS) – Academic: Overall Band Score with at least 6.5 (Good Competent User) with at least 6.0 per skill
• Cambridge Certificate of Advanced English (CAE)
• Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE)
• Cambridge Higher Business English Certificate (BEC)

Test results remain valid for two years (counting back from the beginning of the application period on 15 February).

For details of the legal basis for this regulation, please see the admission bylaws for your chosen degree program (only in German).

You will need to complete the online application available on the University of Hamburg's application portal during the application period.

• Please create a user account,
• chose the application form "Politics, Economics and Philosophy (WiSe 25/26, admission restricted)",
• enter your information online,
• upload the required documents to your online application and
• submit your application electronically.

The application procedure for the master program is an online procedure. This means that you do not need to submit any documents in paper form or via email to the University of Hamburg. Instead, you have to upload the documents. Selection is based on the information you provide online and the documents you upload. 

If you want to submit an additional special application (e.g. hardship application), you will need to send this special application separately via the online application portal together with the required proofs as an upload by the application deadline. For more information:

• Master's Program
• Special Applications

If you have queries regarding your application, if you have technical problems or if you wish to make changes to the application you have submitted, please get in touch with the relevant point of contact by 28 March at the latest.

When uploading your documents, please note the following points:

• Degree certificate or provisional Transcript of Records
  • Please highlight the courses, which are mandatory for admission (see Admission requirements). If you are still studying when you apply and cannot yet provide a final certificate containing your grades, please submit your current Transcript of Records confirming your provisional grade point average. You will then need to submit your degree certificate by the end of the first semester of your master’s program. 
  • Please make sure, that the grading scale of your primary degree is available on your degree certificate or the current transcript of records. If the grading scale is not clear on these documents, please submit another proof of the grading scale of your primary degree.
• Proof of English language skills: Applicants who, at the time of their application, are not able to prove their English language skills as listed above, must provide a proof of their registration for the next possible test date (e.g. print-out of the online registration). In this case, the deadline for late-submission of the test results will be postponed until 31 May. For late submission, use this link.
• Letter of motivation (500 words max., in English)
• Two letters of recommendation from a university lecturer in your primary degree program. In general, the letter of recommendation should be drafted by someone who is able to comment on your academic abilities and competencies. Students upload the letters of recommendation as part of their application documents in StiNE. Lecturers, who want to upload their letters confidentially, can submit it at our website.
  • International letter of recommendations: The referee must 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.

If the number of applicants exceeds the number of places available, a selection will be made on the basis of ranking. Candidates who meet the formal requirements for admission will be ranked according to the following criteria:

• Final or current GPA of your first degree: 50%
• Letter of motivation: 20%
• Letters of recommendation: 20%
• Proficiency in the respective two other disciplines of the program (proven through Transcript of Records), i.e. proficiency in Economics and/or Philosophy, if your first degree is in Politics; proficiency in Economics and/or Politics, if your first degree is in Philosophy; proficiency in Philosophy and/or Politics, if your first degree is in Economics: 10%

For details of the legal basis for this regulation, please see the selection bylaws for your chosen master’s program.

Once your application has been reviewed, an acceptance or rejection letter will be made available in your STiNE account under the Dokumente (Documents) tab. Please see the information about the declaration of results and end of acceptance period. An enrollment deadline will be indicated in your acceptance letter - please submit the documents required for enrollment by this date. Detailed information about the enrollment process can be found at the website of the Campus Center.

If you have been admitted, please submit the paper documents required for enrollment to the Application and Admissions Team (Team Bewerbung und Zulassung) by the deadline indicated in your acceptance letter.

All Information about the program is available on the MSc PEP website.

For queries regarding questions in the online application form please contact the Campus Center of the University of Hamburg.

If you have technical problems (e.g. your username or password, etc.) with the online application form, please contact the STiNE support.

For all other questions regarding your application, please check the FAQ section and/or contact the MSc PEP application team(application-pep"AT"wiso.uni-hamburg.de).