Master of Arts (MA) in Politics, Administration & International Relations | PAIR

Structure & Content

Major Phase Mandatory Modules 

Semester 1-2 | to the extent of 30 ECTS

Mandatory Modules 


Research Methods

  • Research Design and Methods I
  • Research Design and Methods II



Modules from the core area of  Politics, Administration & International Relations

  • Comparative Politics & Institutions
  • Administrative Law
  • International Relations

Major Phase Elective Modules 

Semester 2-4 | to the extent of 66 ECTS (with at least 36 ECTS from the tracks)

Elective Modules


Track: International Relations & Global Politics

  • European Institutions
  • Global Governance
  • International Law
  • War & Peace
  • Democracy & Justice in International Politics
  • Selected Topics: International Relations & Global Politics


Track: Political Norms, Institutions & Behavior

  • Political Behavior and Public Opinion
  • Modern Political Theory
  • Human Decisionmaking
  • Inequality & Justice
  • Decisions, Games and Negotiations 
  • Selected Topics: Political Norms, Institutions & Behavior


Track: Public Management & Digitalisierung

  • Public Management & Digital Transformation
  • Administrative informatics and artificial intelligence
  • Administrative Law 
  • Digitalisation in the public sector
  • Governance & Controlling of Public Organizations
  • Selected Topics: Public Management & Digitalisierung

Elective Modules without Track
max. 2 multidisziplinary Modules or Research Project


  • Comparative Public Policy Analysis / Politikfeldanalyse
  • Computational Political Science
  • Applied Data Analysis


Elinor-Ostrom-Projekt


  • Research Colloquium 
  • Research Project (Elinor-Ostrom-Projekt)
  • Advanced Methods

Internship (at least 6 weeks)


Advanced Methods

  • Advanced Methods I
  • Advanced Methods II


Master Phase

Semester 4 | to the extent of 24 ECTS


Final Module

  • Masterthesis
  • Disputation


ZU|plus

Semester 1-4 | to the extent of 4 ECTS

Optional modules that do not count toward the final grade.


  • Workshop Fundamentals of Entrepreneurship
  • Workshop Creativity & Performativity 
  • TandemCoaching


Fall Semester 2022


Course Catalogue

Program Director

Behnke, Joachim
Behnke, Joachim Prof Dr rer pol
Academic Program Director Politics, Administration & International Relations | BA/MA PAIR | MA IRPG | MA PMD
Phone:+49 7541 6009-1431
Fax:+49 7541 6009-1499
Room:Semi 0.02
Bürgin, Alexander
Bürgin, Alexander Dr
Program Director of the study programs in the fields of Politics | Administration & International Relations I BA/MA PAIR | MA IRPG | MA PMD
Phone:+49 7541 6009-1405
Room:FAB 3 | 0.71
Time to decide

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