ÌìÃÀÓ°ÊÓ

• The programme offers a substantial number of elective courses. You can combine courses from politics, governance, international relations, welfare policies, economics, and management.
• All courses have a global or international approach so you can focus on a country or region you are most interested in when doing your assignments, but also learn about other countries and regions.
• You will complete your studies with a bachelor thesis, which will give you the experience of individual research under the guidance of a supervisor. A good bachelor thesis can also serve as a ticket to your desired MA programme.
• There is no upper limit to the amount of courses you can take – you can study as much as you like.
• Lectures and seminars take place during weekdays. On average, there is about 15 hours of auditory work per week, but there is also a substantial amount of independent work. 

General requirements

• Completed Secondary Education or the equivalent.
• Proof of English Proficiency
• Please see the complete overview of admission and application requirements for Bachelor's level applicants.

Admission exam

1. Exam procedure:

• The admission exam consists of an interview. Maximum points for the interview are 100. The minimum admissions score is 65 points;
• The interview will be 20 minutes long and centres on the CV  (incl. educational background, work experience, other relevant experience i.e any internships, part-time jobs, volunteering, or leadership roles that relate to the study programme), motivation of the applicant and study programme related articles/topics that serve as an input for the exam;
• The admission committee consists of at least two members;
• The interview begins with the identification. At the beginning of the interview the candidate shows their ID and for the purposes of identity verification, the admission committee has the right to record the online interview;
• There is an expectation that the candidate is able to express themselves at least at English level B2 (language proficiency).

2. Evaluation criteria of the interview:

• The candidate`s interest in the programme and motivation to study in the field applying common study methods in social sciences; 
• Capacity to understand the focal arguments of the interview input (eg article) and provide their viewpoints into the discussion; 
• General background and field-related knowledge, language proficiency and the ability to engage in analytical discussions; 
• Capacity to contextualise previous work, study and voluntary activity experience in the frames of the chosen programme.

3. Grading scales

Preparation for the exam 

Please, submit your CV, covering the following topics:

Education background

• Including specialties in schools if applicable
• Any special or additional classes taken the candidate sees relevant

Work and volunteer experience

• Including anything the candidate sees as relevant
• What were the tasks and responsibilities

Previous experience with politics and governance

• Could include volunteer or other experience
• Could also include reading or learning about politics and governance

Other relevant skills and experience

• Whatever other things the candidate deems relevant

Step 2 - Preparation for the interview

Preparation for the interview: the candidate should consider their motivation for the programme, look up the programme, read and prepare to discuss one of these reading materials:

Step 3 - The interview

The interview lasts 20 minutes (CV + articles as a part of input) 

Required documents

Must BE SUBMITTED WITH THE APPLICATION ON THE ONLINE APPLICATION SYSTEM BY THE APPLICATION DEADLINE*:

• CV
• Copy of Secondary Education Certificate/Diploma (an official translation is requested if the document is not in English); 
• Transcript of Records/Academic Transcript (translation is requested if the document is not in English);
• Proof of English language Proficiency;
• Copy of the identification page of the passport;
• Specific documents required for the programme you are applying to;
• Copy of a Sworn Affidavit to Confirmation of Name if the applicant's name stated in his/her passport differs from the name on any of the other required documents;
• Applicants applying for adjustments to be made during the admission exams due to his/her physical or psycho-social special need must submit a copy of medical proof of this special need to the Counsellor for Students with special needs - Kai Rannastu (kai.rannastu@tlu.ee).

 is Associate Professor of Comparative Politics. He has been a visiting professor of the Vienna University (2009 and 2016) and he is also serving as the official representative of The European Consortium for Political Research (ECPR) at the Tallinn University. For the Politics and Governance programme, he teaches Research Design, Political Sociology, Political Parties and Party Systems, and Politics and Government in the Baltic States.

​

is an associate professor of public policy. Triin’s research is mainly focused on the comparative education policy and educational inequality but involves also comparative welfare state, its politics, policies, challenges, and governance.

​

 is Senior Lecturer of Social Sciences. Catlyn is from Estonia and has taught at both Tallinn and Tartu Universities. Catlyn has two master’s degrees in international relations (University of Tartu) and written translation (Tallinn University). Catlyn’s main research interest: from one side cyber security, children's and young people's cyber hygiene, games, education technology and e-learning; from a different field Eastern European politics, European Union.

 is Associate Professor of Public Management. He has served as a  police officer more than 26 years in different positions mostly in law enforcement police but also as a CEO of West Prefecture for about ten years. During this full-time work in the police, he earned his Ph.D. degree in 2016. Since 2017 he teaches Basics of Public Management; Management in Public, Private, and Non-Profit Sector. 

(Germany) is a Lecturer for Political Science and International Studies at the School of Governance, Law and Society at Tallinn University and a Kone Foundation Fellow at the Helsinki Collegium for Advanced Studies. Dr Klasche is an International Relations scholar at heart but often draws insights from Sociology and Governance sciences. He defended his PhD in 2021 at Tallinn University with a distinction (Dealing with Global Crises. A Processual-Relational Approach to Studying and Governing Wicked Problems), and holds an MA (cum laude) in International Relations from Tallinn University and a BA in History from the University of Bonn. His main research interests are in relational theory, de-colonization of the social sciences, and the governance of wicked problems (e.g., the Climate Crisis, Migration Crises, Pandemics). He has published in International Relations, International Review of Sociology and International Studies. His forthcoming monograph (co-authored with Peeter Selg and Georg Sootla) A Relational Approach to Governing Wicked Problems will be published by Palgrave MacMillan.  

Have a look at Dr Klasche’s recent contribution on Germany’s reaction to the War in Ukraine: “

Toni ÄŒerkez obtained his IB diploma from United World College in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina, where he is from. He received his BA in Sociology, Anthropology and International Relations (IR) from Lake Forest College in May 2017 (magna cum laude). Since then, he has gone on to receive his MA degree in IR from Central European University in Hungary (with honors) and his PhD in International Politics from Aberystwyth University (highest grade).

Toni’s research is in relational and critical theories of IR, with a specific focus on Anthropocene studies, political ontology of technology (predictive algorithms, AI and cybernetics), cosmological approaches and de-colonial knowledge(s) in IR. In addition, Toni is interested in political theory, specifically the thought of Hannah Arendt, Günther Anders, Yuk Hui, and Bruno Latour, as well as the broader field of philosophy of technology. He speaks BCS and English fluently, in addition to being proficient in German and intermediate in Lithuanian.

 Have a look at Dr ÄŒerkez’s recent contribution on Drone warfare ""

Rünno Lumiste

An experienced lecturer in economics. He has been teaching entrepreneurship, public sector economics, and economic policy for many years. Since 2020, he has been working at Tallinn University. In addition, he teaches at the University of Lyon 1 and Riga Technical University. His research focuses primarily on international economics and entrepreneurship.

• Size means variety – Tallinn University School of Governance, Law and Society (SOGOLAS) is the largest academic unit in Tallinn University with ca. 1800 students, 26 different study programmes and ca. 100 staff members. This means the students can choose from a large set of subjects from all of the major fields of social sciences.
• Internationalised staff with high qualifications - the study areas of political science and governance and international relations and future studies include 7 professors and about 25 other permanent academic staff members, from Estonia and abroad. Everyone teaching in the programme has international teaching experience.
• Opportunities to continue studies with us – the institute also has 1 English MA programme (International Relations), and a PhD programme accessible to English-speaking students.
• Technologically advanced – all course materials can be accessed online, so you do not have to spend extra on coursebooks and copies.
• Small study groups – most of our English courses are relatively small, normally hosting around 15-30 students, which allows a more interactive teaching style.
• Vibrant student life – SOGOLAS has an active student union Civitas, and a vibrant student life around International Relations Society organised by the students themselves. Additionally, you can join the international club of the university.
• Students have an excellent opportunity to use the Erasmus programme possibilities and receive the Erasmus scholarship. The Erasmus programme includes different mobility options in Europe as well as outside of Europe such as long-term and short-term exchange studies and traineeship. For exchange studies, we have a large selection of partner universities and the credits can be easily transferred. 

Environment

Tallinn University has a modern urban campus located in the center of the city. The airport, train and bus stations are just a few minutes away by public transport. The beautiful view of the harbour is a constant reminder that students studying at Tallinn University are in the center of a major European hub. Our students have access to physical and online libraries, computer labs, cafeterias and cafes. Further, the university has all the facilities necessary for a productive learning environment and ample opportunities for leisure, sports, and social activities, all leading to an exciting and well-balanced student life. Take a walk around our campus via the !

Our Politics and Governance programme is taught entirely in the English language. Our student body is international, with students from many countries in Europe, as well as students from Africa, Asia, and the Americas. Day-to-day student life is always international at Tallinn University, as our programme is closely connected with other English language programmes and among your classmates, you will frequently find Erasmus exchange students who have come to visit.

EU/EEA applicants 

Application procedure for the citizens of the member countries of the European Union (EU) or European Economic Area (EEA) can be found here.

Non-EU/EEA applicants

Application procedure for the international applicants from Non-EU/EEA countries can be found here.

Estonian citizens and holders of a long-term residence permit

Application procedure for Estonian citizens or for holders of an Estonian long-term residence permit can be found in Estonian here and in English here.

• Specific questions regarding the programme should be directed to the School of Governance, Law and Society: 

• For additional guidelines regarding the application procedure please contact the International Admission Office: