Programme

This joint master's programme boasts a one-of-a-kind cooperation between two leading houses of of political science, namely the ETH Zurich and the Institute of Political Science at the University of Zurich.

Students benefit from small class sizes with a close student-faculty interaction, and an intellectually stimulating environment. Admission is on a selective basis.

With its strong emphasis on theory, methods, and research, the program serves as an excellent preparation for subsequent research leading to a PhD degree, or research-oriented employment in the private of public sector. Approximately half of our students enter a PhD programme at the CIS or elsewhere upon graduation. A further number pursue careers in the private sector, in government, as well as international and civil society organizations.  

MACIS aims at enabling students to conduct high-quality research on a wide range of political phenomena, such as democracy, political violence, European integration, energy politics, security studies, socio-economic development, and global environmental governance. To that end, students take a set of core seminars that deal with theories, methods, and their application to key areas of empirical research in comparative and international politics. Equipped with these skills, students can engage in their own research via participation in research seminars and involvement as research assistants in ongoing projects led by CIS professors.

MACIS comprises 120 ECTS and takes 4 semesters to complete. The basic structure and contents correspond to the educational components of a Master's programme at one of the top universities in North America. It thus equips students with a very solid foundation for subsequent PhD research. Likewise, students pursuing non-academic careers can profit from MACIS due to its strong emphasis on analytical skills- tools which are easily transferable, and useful in the private sector, government, and/or international and non-governmental organisations.