Master of Arts in Political Science – Comparative Politics (MCP)

120 ECTS

Profile

The Master of Arts program in Comparative Politics – MCP is the first MA program fully taught in English at the University of Bucharest. Several generations of successful and influential MCP graduates have found employment with high-profile international organizations, European agencies, multinational companies, European and North American universities, governmental or financial institutions. 

This is a graduate study program of two years (four semesters), which consists of 120 ECTS credits and leads to a two-year master’s degree.

In May 2022, the University of Bucharest and the University of Naples Federico II signed a double-degree agreement leading to a double master’s degree in Comparative Politics (Bucharest) and International Relations (Naples), after two years of study (one in Bucharest and one in Naples). In late September, a joint committee will select from among the candidates admitted to the MCP program four candidates for the double-degree program on the basis of their MA research projects (for further details, please contact the academic coordinator of the program at dragos.petrescu@unibuc.ro).

Content

The program provides in-depth instruction in the field of comparative and global politics, and addresses fundamental issues related to democracy, democratization, security and development in Europe in a global context. The MCP program is based on core values rooted in observance of fundamental human rights and rule of law principles, as well as on trust, respect and responsibility.

The academic staff is composed of professors who hold doctoral degrees from European and North American universities. Most of them worked in collaborative international projects, advised politicians and political parties, helped building key public institutions in post-communist Romania or commented on political events in national and international media. It is an academic staff perfectly trained to help students developing key employability skills and become internationally competitive in the public and private sectors.

The courses offered within the framework of the MCP program focus on contemporary debates about challenging global problems, cover a large variety of subjects and include, but are not confined to: political parties and political representation; identity politics and ethnic conflicts; new social movements and political conflicts; regime changes and democratic transitions; post-communism and postcolonialism; constitutionalism and constitutional choice; populism, political corruption and authoritarian backsliding; international terrorism and European security; environmental issues and climate change; emergence of new and disruptive technologies (such as Quantum and Artificial Intelligence) and techno politics.

In addition, the program offers a variety of events, ranging from workshops and seminars with local politicians and experts to lecture series with international scholars. The MCP program collaborates closely with the Konrad Adenauer Foundation – Bucharest Office to support the professionalization and civic involvement of the students enrolled in this program.

This program benefits from a truly international environment of academic excellence provided by the Faculty of Political Science, University of Bucharest, which offers full education in three languages: English, French and Romanian. In this program, international students will benefit from expert knowledge in the field of global and comparative politics.

Career opportunities

The program develops a theoretical and practical understanding of politics and policy making in the under-researched region of Southeast Europe, against the backdrop of EU politics and policy making, as well as the global challenges Europe and its various regions are facing today.

Academic coordinator: Prof.univ.dr. Dragoș Petrescu