Information on application and admission procedures

Welcome!

This page provides detailed information on the application and admission process for the Master of Science in Development Economics. Please read the following information carefully, as we provide step-by-step guidance. Please understand that we are unable to accept incomplete applications, or applications that are not submitted by the stipulated deadline.

The application process requires the submission of several key documents.

Please read the application guide (PDF) carefully before applying.

• A list of the required application documents can be found here.

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  Admission requirements and selection process
  
  
  
  

  
  

  Admission to the Master’s programme in Development Economics is competitive. Admission into the programme is based on proof of relevance of previous studies.

  
  

  Proof of relevance of previous studies

  
  

  
  
  • A course of study of at least 6 semesters in length with a Bachelor's degree comprising at least 180 ECTS credits in the subject of Economics or a closely related subject.
  
  
  • Verification of at least 150 of the 180 ECTS credits is required at the time of application (83% of your overall credits for programmes with any other structure)
  
  
  • Academic achievement in Economics and/or Agricultural Economics and/or Econometrics totalling at least 60 ECTS credits (as measured for a 180 ECTS bachelor's programme; for any other programme types at least one third of overall courses taken), including courses in Economic Theory, Agricultural Economics, and Development Economics totalling at least 30 ECTS credits (or one sixth) altogether.
  
  
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    As part of fulfilling the minimum of 30 ECTS course requirements in Economic Theory, Agricultural Economics, and Development Economics:
    
    
    
    • A minimum of 18 ECTS must be from modules with intermediate or high scientific level. For courses to be considered intermediate or advanced, the course content must clearly go beyond introductory or basic concepts.
    
    
    
    
  
  
  • Academic achievement in Mathematics or Statistics or Econometrics (in addition to the courses possibly counted above) totalling at least 12 ECTS credits (or 7% of overall credits for other structures).
  
  

  
  

  Proof of relevant language skills

  
  

  
  
  • English language skills
  
  
  • For a list of accepted documents, see: "Required application documents"
    Please note that we can only accept one of the listed certificates.
  
  
  • The accepted language certificate has to be uploaded until the end of the application period. It is NOT possible to hand it in later.
  
  

  
  

  Please pay attention to the following details

  
  

  
  
  • The determination of the relevancy of previous studies is based on the documents enclosed in the application. Please submit documents that verify special knowledge for the selected course of study (for example syllabi or course descriptions). This does not apply to bachelor’s degree holders of the Faculty of Business and Economics of the University of Göttingen.
  
  
  • Unless needed as part of an EPOS scholarship application, please do not enclose any letters of recommendation. They will not be evaluated.
  
  

  
  

  Selection procedures and criteria

  
  

  
  
  • The selection process is a two-stage process. The initial selection round will evaluate candidates based on their submitted application. The second round will evaluate candidates based on personal interviews.
  
  
  • The following points are evaluated in the selection procedure: The overall grade of the degree on which application is based upon. In addition, special knowledge and abilities in those fields that specially qualify the applicant for the Master's programme (for example, special knowledge in the areas of economics), documented by a corresponding specialisation respectively performance in the programme, on which application is based upon.
  
  
  • Further information on the application process and eligibility requirements can be found in the admission regulations ("Ordnung über die Zugangsvoraussetzungen und die Zulassung") for the Master’s degree in Development Economics (see: "Admission regulations").
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  



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  Application periods
  
  
  
  

  
  

  Berlin Time Zone: UTC+2 / UTC+1

  
  

  The Master's programme accepts applications during the call for applications for the winter semester:

  
  

  
  
  • Application window for citizens from the EU/EEA (European Economic Area) OR applicants with a bachelor’s degree from an EU/EEA country beginning in the winter semester: 1 April to 15 May of the same calendar year (until 23:59 UTC+2)
  
  
  • Application window for citizens from non-EU/non-EEA (European Economic Area) countries AND a bachelor’s degree from outside an EU/EEA country beginning in the winter semester: 1 October to 15 November of the previous calendar year (until 23:59 UTC+1)
  
  
  • Application window for EPOS scholarship beginning in the winter semester: 1 October to 15 November of the previous calendar year (until 23:59 UTC+1)
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  



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  Application for double degree and joint programmes
  
  
  
  

  
  

  You can apply for the following double degree programmes as part of the Master's degree programme in Development Economics:

  
  

  
  
  • Double degree programme with the School of Economics and Management of the University of Florence, Italy
  
  
  • Double degree programme with the University of Clermont Auvergne Ecole d’Economie (School of Economics), Clermont-Ferrand, France
  
  

  
  

  In addition, you can apply for the joint programme with the University of Stellenbosch in South Africa:

  
  

  
  
  • Joint programme with the University of Stellenbosch in South Africa
  
  

  
  

  A prerequisite for participation in the double degree and joint programmes is acceptance to the Master's programme in Development Economics.

  
  

  
  
  • You apply to the Master's programme in Development Economics and to the double degree/ joint programme for which you wish to apply. The application for the double degree/ joint programme is part of the application form for the Master of Science in Development Economics.
  
  
  • Please note: You must meet both the application requirements for the MSc in Development Economics and for the double degree/ joint programme for which you wish to apply (please see the websites of the respective double degree/ joint programme).
  
  
  • As a student of the University of Göttingen, application for the double degree/ joint programme is always possible for the winter semester.
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  



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  Application form
  
  
  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  
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    The online application form is online only during the application periods.

    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  

Come and meet us and register for the Responsible Innovation event on 11 June 2026!

At our annual “Responsible Innovation Summit”, we explore the topic of corporate innovation capacity from various perspectives and address the relevant issues. Our professors organise the lectures and workshops together with company representatives, who have usually also studied at the Faculty of Business and Economics. They present current topics from their professional lives.The conference will be held in German.

Prospective students and current applicants to our Bachelor’s and Master’s programmes are also warmly invited to attend the Responsible Innovation Summit (RIS): get to know the Faculty and gain an initial insight into our research and teaching content, as well as into the corporate and professional lives of our former students (alumni)!

You can take part in the RIS programme free of charge, and we are also offering an information session on our degree programmes in the morning. Please register online using the registration form (in German). We look forward to seeing you!

Register now!

Learn more: Detailed information on RIS 2026

Application Process

The application will be completely digital. If requested, you are obliged to submit original documents subsequently. The application process consists of four steps: 

1. Fill in our online application form for the Master's programme in Development Economics during the application period and send it by clicking the send button at the end of the form.


2. Hereafter, you will receive an email with a link to our document upload portal. The email also contains your login data (user name and password) for this upload portal. You will also find two PDF documents in this email: a summary of your data from step 1 and additionally a list with the required application documents that you have to upload (checklist application documents).


3. Go to the upload portal, enter your user name and password from the email and follow the steps in the upload portal to upload your documents. 


4. Once the selection procedure is completed, you will receive a reply via email regarding your application. You can expect this possibly six weeks after the end of the application deadline.

Please check your application materials for completeness before clicking on “Binding Submission” in our upload portal. Unfortunately, incomplete applications, or those sent after the deadline will not be considered.

For any further questions, please feel free to contact the Student Advisory Service of the Faculty of Business and Economics - our study advisors are looking forward to assisting you.

We wish you the best of luck on your application, and look forward to hearing from you.