Master of Political Science (M.Sc.)

Political decisions give direction to society. But how are political decisions made? The Master of Political Science provides you with specialist, in-depth knowledge of decision-making in politics. The Master's programme is taught in English. This way you will be prepared to access the political world in which English plays an increasingly important role. The programme is open to international students and carries a workload of 60 ECTS-credits.

You will study political decision-making within and between local, national, European and international administrations from four different perspectives:

• Citizens
• Politicians
• Policy professionals
• Institutions

To understand political decision-making you should be able to adopt these four (sometimes very different) perspectives. After all, elected politicians make binding decisions for society but the participation of citizens is the bedrock of legitimate decision-making.

The Master's programme does not exclusively aim at the acquisition of theoretical and analytical insight, you will also practice some of the core skills involved in political decision-making, such as argumentation, negotiation and lobbying.

Your lecturers

The MSc Political Science programme has a strong research-based focus and builds on the extensive experience of the UAntwerp Department of Political Science. The 2020 ShanghaiRanking's Global Ranking of Academic Subjects (GRAS) ranks UAntwerp highest among Belgian universities for Political Science and for Public Administration. The Department of Political Science ranks in the top ten of universities in EU member states. All courses critically engage with scholarly work. Several courses aim at developing research skills. We believe that a researchers’ mindset is of great value for all professional contexts for Masters in Political Science.

The University of Antwerp scores extremely well in Young University Rankings, obtaining the 5th place in the Times Higher Education Millennials 2020, the 7th in the Times Higher Education 250 under 50 2022 and the 20th place in QS 50 under 50 2021. On a global scale, the university ranks 131st in the Times Higher Education 2023 and 280th in QS World Ranking 2023.

Read more about learning outcomes:

Your future

During the Master's programme, you will learn the science, craft and art of political decision-making and prepare for positions that require you to analyse aspects of policymaking and to guide and influence decision-making.

• Monitor, analyse and act on key policy developments taking place in Europe as a public affairs manager
• Find yourself right in the epicentre of politics as a politician
• Identify threats and opportunities emerging from new policies as a researcher
• Use your strong understanding of the European/international institutional landscape as a diplomat or lobbyist
• Cut down a 30-page political article in an academic journal to 800 words in the newspaper as a (political) journalist