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01.10.2021

Now accepting applications for the MPP, MIA and MDS!

Illustration of two miniature people standing in front of an oversized laptop with the Hertie School admissions portal on the screen.

Apply now for your master’s degree at the Hertie School and start your studies in fall 2022.

Our application portal is now open! From today onwards, you can apply to the Master of Public Policy (MPP), the Master of International Affairs (MIA) and the Master of Data Science for Public Policy (MDS).

Important deadlines

Our priority deadline for the MPP, MIA and MDS is on 1 February 2022. We encourage you to apply by this deadline for three main reasons: 1. You’ll know your admission decision earlier and can already start planning your move to Berlin, 2. Financial aid and admissions are granted on a rolling basis, meaning you’ll have a greater chance of receiving funding from the school the earlier you apply, and 3. 1 February corresponds with most full scholarship deadlines, so you’ll need to apply by then anyway if you’d like to be considered.

The final deadline to apply to these three master’s programmes for intake next fall is 1 May 2022. We make admission decisions on a rolling basis, and we usually reply with a decision around 4-6 weeks after your application is complete.

The programmes at a glance

The MPP, MIA and MDS are all two-year, full-time graduate programmes taught completely in English. All curricula incorporate practical training and have a required summer internship component. Plus, when you graduate from the MPP, MIA or MDS programme, you will be eligible to apply for an 18-month job-seeking visa that will allow you to stay in Germany and work.

Here are a few key facts specific to each programme:

Master of Public Policy

  • Specialise in policy analysis or management and organisation
  • Second semester project course with a public policy institution
  • Earn an MPP degree

Master of International Affairs 

  • Specialise in international security, European governance, or human rights and global governance
  • Second semester international negotiation course on conflict management, the Council of the EU, or diplomacy
  • Earn an MA degree

Master of Data Science for Public Policy

  • Specialise in data science
  • Earn an MSc degree
  • Prerequisites: proof of prior technical or quantitative experience (such as courses or certificates in statistics, econometrics, programming, bootcamps, hack-a-thons, etc.)

Can’t decide on a programme just yet? You can apply for more than one at a time and decide later! But you’ll need to submit separate applications in our application portal, and separate letters of motivation.

For questions about your MPP, MIA or MDS application…

Check out our FAQ page! If you can’t find what you’re looking for, reach out to us at grad-admissions[at]hertie-school[dot]org. Please keep in mind that we don’t provide personalised feedback on individual documents such as your CV or letter of motivation. For tips and pointers about what we think makes a strong application, read our graduate school application tips series on our Admissions Blog!

In addition to regular webinars, we also host weekly admissions office hours where you can ask an admissions rep your application questions directly.

What if you want to apply to the Executive MPA?

We start accepting applications for our flexible Executive Master of Public Administration on 1 December. So you can already start preparing your application materials and get in touch with us at empa-admissions[at]hertie-school[dot]org if you have any questions about the programme.

Get to know more