1. 2018-19 School Year Two-year MA Program in Political Science
Welcome!
School Year
Two-year MA Program in Political Science

2. Topics to Be Covered Who’s Who Calendar Diploma requirements
Sample study plan
Faculty & supervision Interests
Certificate programs
Course readers, communication
Student representatives
Departmental office
Q&A

3. Who’s Who
Head of Department Zoltan Miklosi Associate Professor Office: Október 6. Str. 12, Room Tel.: /2569 MA Program Director Attila Folsz Assistant Professor Office: Október 6. Str. 12, Room Tel.: /2074

4. Who’s Who 
Administrative Staff Eva Lafferthon Department Coordinator Office: Október 6. Str. 12, Room Tel.: Ildiko Tropa MA Program Coordinator Tel.: Fax: Borbala Darabos MA Program Coordinator She will join our office in November, 2018.

5. Calendar Pre-session (September 3 – 7) Prepare for the semester:
settle down in Budapest;
get to know CEU facilities like the computer system and the library ;
attend orientation sessions
start thinking about what classes to register for;
Mandatory Scope and Methods class at today.
Mandatory Academic Writing courses
For further details see the departmental schedule at

6. Calendar
Zero Week (September )
One introductory class from each course (try to attend all these classes and check out the cross-listed courses);
Mandatory Exemption/Placement test in Quantitative Methods (September 12 at 14:30)
Welcome Reception - September 12, Wednesday at 4 pm in the Rooftop Garden
Opening Ceremony September 14, Friday 3 pm

7. Calendar Fall term, 2018 (September 17 - December 7)
Take four mandatory courses, remedial course if required, and quantitative methods course, if necessary.
Winter break (December 8 – January 6)
No exams, just holidays! (but final papers).
Winter term (January 7 – March 29)
Take two mandatory courses + elective courses;
Spring term (April 1 - June 14)
Special elective courses held by visiting faculty
Fall term 2019
Take missing mandatory course, choose a mandatory elective course and take elective courses (register at least for 8 ECTS) & Thesis writing
Winter and Spring term 2020
Take elective courses (register for at least for 8 ECTS)

8. Calendar 2019 March 7-8: Thesis writing workshop - attend only
Thesis scheduling
2019
March 7-8: Thesis writing workshop - attend only
March 11: Thesis questionnaire & preliminary decision on supervision
April 3: Thesis topic and abstract (approx. 500-word)
April 25: Detailed thesis proposal (approx. 2,500-words) including
milestones/deliverables
April 11: submit first draft of intro/theory chapter of thesis;
May 30: First draft of an introductory/theory chapter (of approx. 5,000 words)
June 7: Thesis writing workshop - present first chapter
Summer, 2019: Individual fieldwork/analysis

9. Calendar
Thesis scheduling
Sept.-Oct.: Thesis draft consultation with Center for Academic Writing
October 14: Second draft: Intro + Fieldwork/analysis chapter (50% of the thesis. apr. 8,000 words)
2020
February 10: Revised/expanded fieldwork/analysis chapters (2/3 of the thesis, approx. 12,000 words)
March 5-6: Thesis writing workshop - present most interesting part
May 4: 15,000-word full draft
May 28: 18,000-word final thesis
June 2-4: Defense + oral exams

10. Calendar
Graduation Ceremony
June 19, 2020

11. Diploma requirements
I. Complete mandatory and elective credits in courses in two years, earn 100 ECTS credits, which
1. HAVE TO include
Scope and Methods (two-credit course)
and
Introductory courses (mandatory)
- Academic Writing (Fall) - 0 ECTS
- Remedial courses (Fall) - Depending on educational background, you will be contacted directly via .
Foundational theoretical and methodological courses (mandatory courses)
- Foundations of Political Philosophy (Fall) – 4 ECTS
- Comparative European Politics (Fall) – 8 ECTS
- Political Economy I (Fall) – 4 ECTS
- Political Communication I (Winter) – 8 ECTS

12. Diploma requirements Core discipline mandatory courses
- Research Design and Techniques [Scope and Methods] (Fall) – 4 ECTS
- Constitutional Democracy (Winter) – 8 ECTS
- Multivariate Statistical Analysis* (Winter) – 8 ECTS
- Thesis Writing – total of 4 ECTS.
Mandatory Electives (choose one out of six, recommended in the second year)
- Concepts in Political Economy/ Political Economy II– 8 ECTS;
- Introduction to political theory: Justice and Equality/ Political Theory – 8 ECTS;
- Comparative Politics/Topics in Comparative Politics – 8 ECTS.
2. include elective courses offered or cross-listed by the department and...
3. MAY include:
4 credits offered by the Department of International Relations or the School of Public Policy
4 credits of any other courses offered at CEU without permission
and/or 4 credits in PhD-level political science courses, with a permission of the doctoral committee and the department. Such a request must be sent to ds(at)ceu.edu AND polsci(at)ceu.edu.
II. Defend a thesis

13. *Multivariate Statistical Analysis
You will have to take the Multivariate Statistics course in the Winter semester – this course requires some background knowledge in statistics. This course has a prerequisite of
either passing Exemption test in quantitative methods (to be held on 12 September at 14:40)
or passing the Introduction to Statistics course in Fall. Attending the classes should give you the proper background necessary for Multivariate Statistics.

14. Sample study plan
Fall 2018 Academic Writing Foundations of Political Philosophy (Fall) – 4 ECTS Comparative European Politics (Fall) – 8 ECTS Political Economy I (Fall) – 4 ECTS Research Design and Techniques [Scope and Methods] (Fall) – 4 ECTS Intro. to Statistics (Fall) – 4 ECTS + Elective courses ECTS Winter 2019 Political Communication I (Winter) – 8 ECTS Constitutional Democracy (Winter) – 8 ECTS Multivariate Statistical Analysis* (Winter) – 8 ECTS

15. Sample Study plan
Fall and Winter 2019/20
One of the following courses
Concepts in Political Economy (Fall)
Political Economy II (Winter)
Introduction to political theory: Justice and Equality (Fall)
Political Theory (Winter)
Comparative Politics (Fall)
Topics in Comparative Politics (Winter)
+ Elective courses
Take mandatory thesis writing courses (altogether 4 ECTS starting in Winter 2019)

16. Faculty & supervision Interests
Besides courses, you will also need to write a thesis, therefore pick a thesis supervisor.

17. Certificate programs
Basic idea In the course of your studies for an MA in Political Science you can, if you so wish, specialize in a field of your choice, and receive from the department – in addition to your MA diploma – a certificate proving this.

18. Certificate programs Available programs in 2018/19
Social and Political Theory
Comparative Politics
Political Economy
Political Communication
Electoral Politics
Research Methodology
Comparative European Politics
Post-Communist Politics
Public Policy
Constitutional Politics

19. Certificate programs Requiremens
you will earn at least 40 ECTS (20 CEU credits) in courses related to the given specialization,
receive a B+ or better grade in each course and
write your MA thesis on a topic related to the given specialization.
The list of courses belonging to each specialization will be available through the departmental website (

20. Course readers, communication
Course readers The readers for all the courses are available in electronic form. You will get information on them via . Please check also CEU's e-Learning site: Communication Primary communication is via . It is your duty as a student to check your CEU regularly (at least daily) and respond promptly to all departmental requests. If you receive regular mail it will be delivered to the secretariat and an notification will be sent to you.

21. Student Representatives
As MA students of the Department of Political Science, you have the right to vote and the right to be elected as a representative to the Student Union of the MA students.
You are to elect your representative and his/her deputy.
Representatives will be invited to dept. meetings to take part in decisions. Representatives can also take up positions in various university bodies.
As of the rights and obligations of students and their representatives, please visit the site of the CEU Student Union
Please send a short statement that you would like to run as a candidate to the departmental (polsci(at)ceu.edu) by Monday, September 10. There are no other requirements for nominations, and we will circulate these statements to all.
Election date and time will be announced later on. (Please note that MA1 students will elect their own representative so there will be two elections.

22. Departmental office Central e-mail address: polsci@ceu.edu
Our offices have an open-door policy.
Please visit the Secretariat between 9:30 -16:30, if possible.
Location: October 6. str. Building 12 / room 307
Central address:

23. Q&A