BA Political Science (Curriculum 2026)

The following information on the Bachelor’s degree program in Political Science refers to the new curriculum based on the major/minor model, adopted in 2026. This curriculum applies to all new students enrolling from winter semester 2026/27 onwards.

  • If you are enrolled in the 2016 curriculum, you can either complete your studies according to this curriculum by September 30, 2027 at the latest or switch to the new curriculum by notifying the Office of Admissions.
  • If you are enrolled in the 2024 curriculum, you can either complete your studies according to this curriculum by September 30, 2029 at the latest or switch to the new curriculum by notifying the Office of Admissions.

 

General Information

The bachelor’s program comprises 6 semesters of study and requires 180 ECTS credits for completion – one ECTS credit equals 25 hours of academic work

From winter semester 2026/27 onwards, you will have greater scope to tailor your degree programme to your individual needs. Under the major/minor model, you can choose from four options, depending on the extent to which you wish to study political science and whether you are aiming for a Bachelor’s degree in the subject:

  • Option 1 (Specialist Bachelor): You study political science full-time (100%), i.e. to the extent of 180 ECTS credits, which also includes 24 ECTS credits for free electives and 6 ECTS credits for the interdisciplinary module on socio-ecological topics. The Bachelor’s degree is in Political Science.
  • Option 2 (Major): You choose Political Science as your major, comprising 120 ECTS credits. You supplement this major with another field of study as a minor, comprising 48 ECTS credits. In addition, you will complete 12 ECTS credits from free electives or the interdisciplinary module on socio-ecological topics. When registering for the major, you must also specify which subject you are choosing as your minor. The Bachelor’s degree is awarded in Political Science; the minor subject is also listed on the degree certificate.
  • Option 3 (Minor): You choose Political Science as a minor comprising 48 ECTS credits alongside another field of study that you have chosen as your major. The Bachelor’s degree is awarded in the major subject, and Political Science is additionally listed as the minor subject on the degree certificate.
  • Option 4 (Skills Extension): You choose Political Science as one of two Skills Extensions, each worth 24 ECTS credits. You will graduate with a Bachelor’s degree in the field of study you have chosen as your major. In addition, both Skills Extensions will be listed on your degree certificate.

Building on an introductory module, the BA curriculum is divided into six core areas: Comparative Politics, International Relations (these two areas are mandatory in the Specialist Bachelor and in the Major), Austrian Politics in Comparative Perspective, Politics of the European Union, Political Theory and History of Political Thought, and – new since 2024 – Politics and Gender, Diversity and Equality (from these four areas two must be chosen in the Specialist Bachelor and in the Major). In each of the resulting four core areas, students must take a foundational introductory lecture. Then the students must  attend a more in-depth proseminar and two thematically focused seminars, where they write research papers.

  • As part of the Minor, students may also choose two core subjects, each comprising two thematically focused seminars (alternatively, one of the two core subjects may be replaced by a methodology module).
  • In the Skills Extension component, students are free to choose two thematically focused seminars from two core subjects.

Training in empirical research methods is a particular priority in the bachelor’s program. To complete the Specialist Bachelor or the Major, students will need to take coursework in quantitative and qualitative research methods (to be taken prior to attending seminars), free electives, and an internship.  As such, methods’ training begins in the summer semester with a lecture on research design to be accompanied by a pro-seminar on qualitative research methods and continues in the winter semester with a lecture on quantitative methods and a corresponding pro-seminar. Students of the Specialist Bachelor’s programme can further develop their methodological skills by choosing additional advanced methods courses.

Important information: The teaching language of our bachelor’s program is German! For additional information about our BA Politikwissenschaft please take a look at our German website.

 

What will I learn?

In the BA degree courses in Political Science, you will deal with political players, institutions and processes, the political culture of various countries and selected fields of politics. You will examine how political players understand their roles and the motives by which they are driven, how their actions are restricted by political institutions and how political power is exerted. Moreover, you will develop empirical and analytical, professional and methodical skills. These skills enable you to develop innovative research questions and to compose written works, which are theoretically and methodically profound. Students acquire the ability to grasp political and social problems, to work out practical solution strategies, to present them convincingly and to advocate them argumentatively.

 

Which career opportunities do I have?

Through these BA degree courses, you are qualified for responsible tasks in public administration, lobbying and non-government organizations (NGOs), in the field of PR and foreign ministries.

 

Why Salzburg?

There are several good reasons to enrol for a BA degree program in Political Science at the University of Salzburg, such as the high quality and international orientation of teaching and research, the flexible and individual organisation of the courses, small seminar groups, close supervision, the cooperation with the Salzburg Centre for European Union Studies (SCEUS), and the appeal of the course locations.

 

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