Admissions requirements
To be eligible to join the Master of Data Science for Public Policy, you need to fulfil the following requirements:
- a Bachelor’s degree
Either a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree with 180 ETS credits from an accredited college or university - English language proficiency: strong command of the English language
Strong command of the English language as established by completion of an undergraduate or other university-level degree at an English language institution or by attaining a score of 100 on the TOEFL, an IELTS writing score of 7 or above, or a score of 125 on the Duolingo English Test.
If you do not yet have your undergraduate degree at the time of application, please indicate when you will receive it on the online application form. You must complete all of your undergraduate academic course work and exams before 1 September 2021 in order to matriculate.
Step 1
Create an online account in our applications portal and follow the step-by-step instructions. Fill in the online application carefully and completely. Incomplete applications cannot be accepted.
Step 2
Please upload the following required supporting documents to the online application portal:
- Your current CV indicating your academic background, work experience and voluntary activities. Please do not include a photo on your CV.
- A letter of motivation explaining your specific interest in the study programme and how it relates to your professional aspirations. Your letter should be 500-900 words.
- Copies of official academic transcripts of all attended universities. Every transcript must include a transcript key (an explanation of the grading system). If not in English, we require a certified translation into English. Hard copies are not required until after acceptance into the programme.
- A copy of an English proficiency certificate (for non-native speakers). For more detailed information about which tests and minimum scores are accepted, please consult our Frequently Asked Questions section. Please note that English test results can be provided after you submit your application to the Hertie School. You must send the certificate to the admissions team per e-mail at grad-admissions[at]hertie-school[dot]org. The deadline to submit English test results is 1 June 2021.
All documents, including letters of reference, must be submitted in .pdf format.
Step 3
- Applicants who will earn or have earned their most recent degree in 2021, 2020 or 2019 must submit two academic letters of reference.
- Applicants who were awarded their most recent degree in 2018 or 2017 can supply one professional letter of reference in place of one of their academic references.
- Applicants who were awarded their most recent degree before 2017 may supply two professional letters of reference if no academic references are available.
However, it is in your best interest to submit academic references wherever possible.
We encourage you to use the Hertie School form, but we also accept references in a letter format. Your letters of reference must be directly submitted by your referees. Referees will not be contacted by the Hertie School. It is your responsibility to make sure they submit their letters of reference. For information on how referees can submit their letters, please see the application portal or our FAQs.
Step 4
An application can be saved and revisited until it is "submitted". Once submitted, the application will no longer be accessible to the candidate.
All documents must be submitted in English. Please note we are not able to return any application materials.
The priority deadline is 1 February and the final deadline for applications is 1 June.
Please keep in mind that only complete applications will be evaluated. It is the responsibility of applicants to make sure they submit all required documents and that the submitted documents are valid.
To increase your chances of a scholarship or financial aid, you are encouraged to apply by 1 February. Applications are accepted until 1 June.
Selection criteria
All applications are assessed on the basis of the following criteria:
- Academic excellence
Strength of academic background, academic performance - grades/transcripts, general academic qualification, linguistic qualification. - Quantitative and technical ability
Understanding of statistics, mathematics and/or programming, as proven through a relevant degree, coursework or extracurricular activities (e.g. competitions in programming, hackathons, personal data-related projects and research). - Personal suitability and motivation
CV, professional experience, entrepreneurship, international experience, civic engagement.