Political Legal and Economic Philosophy

Citizens of modern societies are faced with a vast variety of questions concerning the relationship between politics, economics, morality and law. The Master program in Political, Legal, and Economic Philosophy (PLEP) of the philosophical department at the University of Bern aims to provide a context in which students from different countries can address these questions systematically.

This interdisciplinary degree is designed to allow students to study the ethical dimensions of public policy, corporate and non-governmental action in fields as diverse as health policy, employment relations, the environment, and international relations. It aims at providing a structured introduction to appropriate methods of philosophy to ethical reasoning, policy-making, and implementation.

The Master in Political, Legal, and Economic Philosophy is meant to be of interest to students from a variety of backgrounds, including Philosophy, Social Sciences, Law, and Economics. The students will pursue their own research project and will be supervised individually during the whole time of their PLEP studies.

The PLEP program consists of the following two parts.

a) Coursework
b) Master thesis

Mandatory Coursework

The mandatory coursework and course achievements are as follows:

3 seminars in Philosophy (7 credit points each) Colloquium “Methods of Practical Philosophy” (4 credit points) Colloquium “Master Thesis” (4 credit points) 1 compact course from the philosophy department (4 credit points) 1 project on a philosophical topic (paper dealing with a freely chosen topic in consultation with the supervisor, ca. 8000 words, may contain preliminary work for the master thesis) (6 credit points) Freely chosen courses or course achievements in Philosophy on Master level for an amount of 21 credit points total, including: seminars (7 credit points each), colloquia (4 credit points each), compact courses (4 credit points each), conducting tutorials (6 credit points each) Courses in Economics, Political Science, and Law on the Master's level for an amount of 30 credit points total. Master thesis (30 credit points)

Master Thesis

The master thesis (ca. 25000 words, excluding bibliography, 30 credit points) is a more comprehensive treatment of a specific topic from the areas of political philosophy, philosophy of economics, philosophy of law, or of the ethics of publics affairs. It has to be written (and finished) during the last term and is supervised individually. The topic can be freely chosen in consultation with the supervisor. The master thesis has to be presented and discussed in the mandatory Colloquium Master Thesis. It can be written in German or English.

The following academic qualifications are required for admission to the specialized master’s degree program in Political, Legal and Economic Philosophy PLEP (mono):

Bachelor's degree from a recognized university with:

As regards a), if no evidence is provided of 60 ECTS credits in the branches of studies Political Sciences, Business Administration / Management and Economics or Law, suitable courses at bachelor’s level relating to the branches of studies of Political Sciences, Business Administration and Economics or Law to the value of 15 ECTS credits must be completed as admission requirements, which must be fulfilled in order to complete the master's degree program. The ECTS credits will be listed separately in the diploma supplement as extracurricular attainments.

As regards b), c) and d), if no evidence is provided of 60 ECTS credits in the branch of studies Philosophy, the following four introductory courses will need to be completed as admission requirements, which must be fulfilled during the first two semesters of study on an extra-curricular basis:

The bachelor's degree may not be more than ten years old. Exceptions are possible where justified.

Language requirements

The courses are conducted in English. Additional attainments (introductory courses etc.) are mainly conducted in German. 

English language skills

You must provide evidence of having achieved the minimum grade in one of the following language tests (the choice is yours) provided this is not more than 36 months old at the time of application. Any test with a date older than this will not be accepted.

An exemption from the English test is possible if you have completed your studies in English within a language community, in which English is the main spoken language. 

German language skills

If you are applying with a foreign academic qualification and need to satisfy admission requirements (in German) which can be completed during the program of study, you will need – before starting your studies – to demonstrate sufficient proficiency in German comparable with the German test regulations set out by the Executive Board of the University of Bern. Rules for bachelor's degree programs apply in this case. A minimum of level C1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages is required.