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3. Programme Structure

The programme is built from five interlocking modules that together account for the full 120 ECTS of the MA degree. Modules 1, 2 and 5 are compulsory; modules 3 and 4 give you space to specialise, take optional courses or pursue interests outside the curriculum.

This master programme has a very clear interdisciplinary focus. It gives you a thorough understanding of politics and governance, and combines this knowledge with building your critical thinking and analytical skills. The curriculum offers a variety of courses to build up those skills and to acquire the relevant knowledge.

You are free to create your own study plan. It is however strongly recommended to complete the first two modules (or most of them, at least) during the first year, as well as some elective courses. Please keep in mind that most courses (including all the compulsory courses) are offered annually (not every semester), but some (electives) are only offered every other year or every third semester. This is especially relevant if you decide to complete an internship or semester abroad in your third semester of studies. In that case you have to complete specific courses in the first year. If you are not sure what exactly you need to study and when, please do not hesitate to contact the Academic Affairs Specialist, Oliivia Võrk ([email protected]) or the Programme Director, Martin Mölder ([email protected]).

A general guiding rule is to complete 30 ECTS per semester, to distribute the workload of 120 ECTS of the curriculum equally to the four semesters. You can take more, but it is not recommended to take less credits per semester.

Module overview

More information about the curriculum and courses is available on the UT student platform OIS – https://ois2.ut.ee/#/curricula/129637/details (select your admissions year at the ‘version’ box to see the courses that apply to your intake).

Description: The goal of the module is (a) to provide an overview of social science methodology, (b) to introduce the main approaches and methods used in the study of contemporary democratic governance, and (c) to teach how to use these methods in applied problem-solving settings.

All courses of this module are compulsory.

Courses:

  • Qualitative and Interpretive Research Methods (6 ECTS)
  • Quantitative Methods (6 ECTS)
  • Social Science Methodology (6 ECTS)

Description: The objective of the module is to provide a comprehensive overview of the main fields of democratic governance and to develop students’ knowledge of concrete political systems and of societal development.

All courses of this module are compulsory.

Courses:

2.1 Sub-module in politics

  • Comparative Politics (6 ECTS)
  • Elections and Political Behaviour (6 ECTS)
  • Political Theory and Ethics (6 ECTS)

2.2 Sub-module in governance

  • Administration of Democracy and Elections (6 ECTS)
  • E-Governance (6 ECTS)
  • Public Governance (6 ECTS)

Description: The aim of the module is to complement the other modules of the curriculum with specializations that (a) deepen the postgraduate student’s knowledge of specific areas of governance (b) expand on more general phenomena in politics and governance, (c) relate to the digital transformation, (d) develop entrepreneurship in students and strengthen the practical output of the curriculum, (e) provide additional analytical and methodological skills.

Note: Not all of these courses are taught every academic year and some courses that the institute offers and that are suitable as electives are not listed here (e.g. courses that are taught by a visiting professor only once or twice). What counts as an elective course is flexible – the general rule is that all courses at the institute or at the university that relate to society, politics or research design/data analysis can be considered as electives. If you have further questions about this, please consult the Programme Director.

Courses (choose freely up to 30 ECTS):

  • Big Data and Society (6 ECTS)
  • Cyber Defence (3 ECTS)
  • Political Culture (6 ECTS)
  • EU Institutions and Policy-making (6 ECTS)
  • Global Governance (6 ECTS)
  • Internship in the Public Service, Private Sector, Civil Society (6 ECTS)
  • Introduction to Impact Assessment (6 ECTS)
  • Policy Writing and Advocacy (6 ECTS)
  • Political Culture (6 ECTS)
  • Project Management (6 ECTS)
  • Quantitative Methods II (6 ECTS)
  • Estonian for Beginners I, on the Basis of English, Level 0 – A1.1 (6 ECTS). NB! Mandatory for foreign students.

Description: This module gives you the opportunity to choose courses from any other curricula at the UT or other universities in order to improve professional knowledge and skills. You can also select courses from the elective module. An optional course can be any course taught at the university (or at another university, if you are doing an exchange semester), it does not need to be related to the content of the program.

Courses:

  • Encounters with Estonian Culture (3 ECTS)
  • How to Build a Startup Company (3 ECTS)
  • Introduction to Programming (3 ECTS)
  • Introduction to Programming II (3 ECTS)
  • Project-based Internship (6 ECTS)
  • Teams in Organization (3 ECTS)
  • The Basics of Innovation (3 ECTS)

Description: The goal of the MA thesis is to carry out in-depth research on a topic or problem related to the curricular field, to gather original empirical material or data within a suitable conceptual or theoretical framework, and to convey these research results in a clear and argued form.

This module is compulsory.

Course: MA Thesis (30 ECTS)

If you are a student that requires assistance throughout your studies because of physical or psycho-social needs, the University offers a range of support services. The objective of providing support services is to help students with such needs to cope independently, support their social integration and equal opportunities and promote efficient involvement in studies. Therefore, the University of Tartu helps with administrative tasks, participation in studies including meeting deadlines or providing study materials as well as specific special needs advisers who help with all potential needs.

Specifically, the University’s library offers home service for members with special needs, for example it has audio files of literature for students with visual disabilities. Moreover, when moving to Tartu, the Students Village offers rooms that are adjusted for persons with reduced mobility in the dormitory located at Raatuse 22. There are also "support" students, i.e., volunteer students who support other students with their specific needs.

More information, specific services, and dedicated advisers can be found on the University’s website (https://ut.ee/en/content/counselling-students-special-needs). You can also subscribe to an e-mail list which shares information related to this topic (https://lists.ut.ee/wws/subscribe/strukt.erivajadused?previous_action=info).

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