Bard College Berlin and Hertie School to Offer a Joint BA-Master’s Degree Pathway in International Affairs and Public Policy

Bard College Berlin and the Hertie School Berlin will from Fall 2025 offer undergraduate students to obtain a BA (at BCB) accredited in the United States and Germany and a Master’s degree (at the Hertie School) in either Public Policy or International Affairs within 5 years of study. Accredited at state level in Berlin and at federal level by the Wissenschaftsrat as a German University, it is affiliated in the United States with Bard College Annandale, New York, a leading institution in the liberal arts. The Hertie School, a renowned policy and international relations institution located in the heart of Berlin, trains exceptional graduate students from around the world in for leadership in government, business and civil society.

Director of the Politics Program at Bard College Berlin Professor Dr. Boris Vormann noted that BA-Master’s trajectory allows BCB students to obtain a graduate qualification in fields that are central to their undergraduate studies in the social sciences. It also creates a pathway to professional training and career development in areas where BCB graduates (including those from the arts and humanities) have already excelled.

The Hertie School, which was the first professional school for public policy in Germany, was recently recognized by QS Rankings as one of the top four universities in the country for Social Policy and Administration and among the top seven in Politics. The Master of Public Policy (MPP) is an interdisciplinary, and practice-oriented social sciences degree that enables future leaders to understand complex governance challenges and design and implement innovative and sustainable solutions. The Master of International Affairs (MIA) equips students with tools of international policymaking and the practical skills to devise sound policy proposals in a global multilevel system.

The pathway is best suited to Bard College Berlin students pursuing a concentration in Politics or Economics in the BA Economics, Politics and Social Thought, or a concentration in Ethics and Politics in the BA Humanities, the Arts and Social Thought. Students will decide at the end of the second year of study, whether they wish to apply for the pathway program. If accepted, students will then complete most of their fourth year of BA study at the Hertie School, with Hertie courses being recognized for Bard College Berlin BA requirements.

To learn more about this partnership, visit the program page on the Bard College Berlin website. 

Post Date: 04-29-2025