The academic year at Pompeu Fabra University is organized in three trimesters. Most classes of the Master of Research in Political Science take place during the first two terms (i.e., September - December and January - March). The third term (April - June) is mainly dedicated to working on the final Master thesis. 
The Master of Research in Political Science includes compulsory and optional courses. All classes are taught in English.

 

Students must complete 60 ECTS credits
(European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System)

Compulsory courses:  25 ECTS (5 courses)
Optional courses:       15 ECTS (3 courses)
Final Master thesis:    20 ECTS

 

The compulsory courses focus on research methods and quantitative analysis:

• Fundamentals of Political and Social Research
• Idioms of Analysis in Political Science
• Techniques of Statistical Analysis I
• Techniques of Statistical Analysis II
• Master Thesis Seminar

The optional courses in the study plan are:

• Electoral Systems
• Federalism and Federations: Political Theory and Comparative Politics
• The Current Financial and Economic Crises and their Impact on the Social Wellbeing of Populations
• Research and Data Analysis Seminar
• The Consequences of the European Integration on EU Citizens
• Migration and Society
• Qualitative Research Methods
• Democracy and Political Liberalism: Theoretical and Institutional Features
• Actors and Institutions in the Analysis of Public Policies
• Citizenship and Democracy in the European Union
• Comparative Political Economy: Regimes, Conflict and Development
• Social Psychological Approaches to Society and the Individual
• Multilevel Political Competition: Parties, Citizens and Elections
• Diversity and Immigration Policies
• Causal Modelling
• Politics and Gender
• Political Ecology
• Employment Policies and Labour Market
• Management of complex organizations
• Problems and changes of democratization in contemporary states
• Social networks analysis
• Immigration governance
• Global Environmental Change and Governance
• Political Parties Compared
   

The list of courses that are finally offered can vary slightly from one year to the other. For the current edition of the master, see Courses and Syllabus.