Department of Political and Social Sciences

Yes, if your first degree (Bachelor or equivalent) incorporates at least 60 ECTS credit points (European Credit Transfer System) in Sociology, of these, 10 ECTS have to be in social scientific methods.* In this case, you have to attach a list of all of your courses (ToR - Transcript of Records) to your application and additional descriptions of relevant courses and course contents.

The admission committee is only allowed to assess and evaluate classes, credit points and qualifications which are provided by the application documents submitted in time.

Course titles from which the admission committee can't infer the sociological component won’t be counted in the selection process! In case of insufficient course titles it is the task of the applicants to provide further documents including descriptions of course contents. Documents subsequently delivered after the application deadline by the applicant will not be taken into account.

Every course with primarily sociological content counts as sociological. It does not have to have "sociology" in the title.

However, the rules set for the admission of students do not allow us to count other subjects, even related ones - such as political science, economics, psychology, cultural studies, ethnology, anthropology, philosophy, European/Global/Area Studies, social work/ social pedagogy etc..

Yes, if your course is scheduled to finish during the ongoing summer semester. Proof of degree(s) or course achievements of the ongoing semester can be submitted at a later point. In this case please attach an official confirmation from your higher education institution regarding the expected completion date of your current course or an up to date record of your course achievements (Transcript of Records). Furthermore, your transcript has to incorporate a final/average grade - please take note of the hints and rules for the application process via the website "Application Procedure for Consecutive Master Programs at Freie Universität Berlin".

This, however, does not exempt you from handing in the official final degree certificate after your course has finished. You have to submit your graduation certificate/ diploma during the first master semester in the enrollment office - otherwise your (preliminary) license is rendered invalid. Please find more information here.

Students with a first degree in Germany (Bachelor or equivalent) apply directly via the Freie Universität Berlin application portal. Please read all information concerning the application procedure carefully.

Foreign prospective students who have not received their university degree in Germany have to apply via uni-assist. Uni-assist is an administrative agency that will first check the sufficiency of your documents and then forward them to Freie Universität Berlin. Subject-specific entry requirements are not checked by uni-assist. The university itself decides whether to admit each candidate.

Please assure that your application arrives at the uni-assist office before the application deadline ends! Due to the high number of applicants, uni-assist may need a longer period of time to process and check your documents. Therefore, we recommend to apply early and to send all documents to uni-assist as soon as possible.

Please take some time to read the following detailed information carefully:

• Application Procedure for Consecutive Master Programs at Freie Universität Berlin
• uni assist

• diploma/graduation certificate including a list of courses (ToR, Transcript of Records) with grades for individual examinations, credit points/hours and a final grade (!)
• respectively Transcript of Records/preliminary up-to-date course list including credit points/hours and average grade (!)
• proof of English proficiency (according to accepted proofs and certificates, see corresponding FAQ question)

All applicants who have completed their degree at a higher education institution outside of Germany must also attach a Diploma Supplement to the degree certificate when applying. The Diploma Supplement contains descriptions of the national grade scale and gives an overview over the specifics of the respective national education system. The Diploma Supplement is issued by the higher education institution from which you received your first degree. Additional information can be found here: www.europass-info.de.

In case that the higher education institution at which you have studied cannot provide a Diploma Supplement, please enclose a letter to your application documents that describes the specifics of the national grade scale of the country. You may also refer to a website that contains the required information.

Please do not attach a letter of recommendation, a letter of motivation or your CV to your application form. In the selection process these documents are not required and therefore will not be considered.

Please note: This might not be a complete and conclusive list of all required documents. Depending on your country of origin or the type of certificates, additional documents might be required. For this, please follow the instructions of the application portals and please ensure submitting your documents in due time and as required (via post mail/e-mail, uploaded files; as officially certified copies etc.).

All original documents have to be included in your application. For documents in languages other than German or English you need to present a certified translation into German or English.

What precisely is understood by officially certified copy can be found under the following link.

If you are not a native English speaker, or if the language of instruction at your previous university was not English, we ask you to provide evidence of strong English language competence. Your level of competence should be equivalent to level B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.

The following test results, among other tests and certificates, will be accepted as proofs for B2:

• TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language):

• paper based: 500
• computer based: 170
• internet based: 80

• IELTS (International English Language Testing System):

• >= 5.0 scores

• ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) / Cambridge Certificate:

• First Certificate (FCE)
• Advanced (CAE)
• Proficiency (CPE)

• UNICERT:

• UNICERT II, at least with grade C (3.0)

• School English:
  • at least six years of school instruction in the subject English

• Stay abroad:
  • Studies at an anglophone university/in an anglophone program/of anglophone courses of at least one semester/trimester and three courses

The acceptance of other forms of evidence for English language competency is at the committee’s discretion. To that effect, amount, level and evaluation (grades) of your English course or test must be identifiable for an adequate assessment.

The Master’s program is research-oriented – we work with various statistical procedures and methods. You will be instructed to conduct empirical research independently. Expertise of these methods will be acquired and deepened during the studies. You will learn to critically evaluate corresponding literature and learn how to answer your own research questions with quantitative data.

If you do not have any experience with statistical methods, then you should acquire these before you start to study the Master's program or in the beginning of your studies.

If you wish to focus on the qualitative methods and to improve your knowledge of them, you should choose a different Master’s program that is dedicated to them.

No, there is no option for handing in the documents later. Application period is April 15 to May 31 for the first master semester. All documents have to be submitted in due time. In case you do not complete the application within the time periodand send all required documents/certificates needed for the assessment of your entry requirements, your application is incomplete.

Notifications of admission and denial will be send by the admission office and by post mail after the selection process has been completed. For study programs with an application deadline on May 31, you can expect to receive your notification around mid or end of July.

Lectures that are obligatory for everyone in the program are taught in English. Furthermore, in every module at least one seminar will be taught in German and one in English. This bi-lingual arrangement is quite rare in Germany. The language that is used to describe the seminar in the course outline will be the language of instruction, too.

No, all lectures that are obligatory will be taught in English only. In every module there is at least one seminar in German and one seminar in English. Students with a good command of both languages of instruction can choose from all units available.

Yes, the entire Master's program is offered in English. Students without English as their mother tongue need an English certificate.

There are no final examinations. All examinations take place after the respective lectures or seminars. The following assessment methods are possible:

• written examination of 60 minutes for lectures in the 1st and 2nd semester
• written assignments of 3,000 words for seminars in the 1st and 2nd semester
• a research report of 10,000 words for the research practicum in the 3rd semester
• the master thesis in the final semester should consist of approximately 25,000 words (80 pages).

For an overview of the course program and examinations please consult Course structure and Modules.

Failed examinations can be repeated once without further consequences.

There are no course fees for the Masters program "Sociology – European Societies". Students will only pay a fee (Semestergebühren) of currently €311,59 per semester. This includes administration fees for (re)registration, a social service contribution to the German Studentenwerk, a contribution to the student union and costs for a student ticket for the tariff zones ABC (Greater Berlin). Further information can be found here: Study Fees.

The Master's program is a full time study (around 35 hours per week). However, we try to accomodate you with this by leaving one day a week lecture-free.