Branch programme/details

Geopolitical Studies (GPS) is a unique, multidisciplinary, two-year English-language programme, offering students a chance to learn from the best academics and experts. Moreover, an optional double degree is being offered in cooperation with the National Taiwan University.

The GPS is focused on understanding how the world works in the age of unprecedented connectivity, security downgrade, and growing geostrategic tensions. Students learn why geography may be a tyranny but also country´s greatest advantage. In the GPS you will become skilled at geopolitical and geoeconomic analysis, gain empirical knowledge of regions and countries, develop your analytical, writing, and argumentation skills as well as understand cutting-edge theories. In the GPS you will be taught by leading academic specialists with extensive policy networks and practitioners to understand the geopolitical landscape and events shaping the environment in which states and businesses operate. 

Some of the areas that the specialized courses and modules will focus on include:

• World politics, great powers geopolitics, global power shifts, border hardening;
• Disintegration processes, failed states, violent non-state actors, unrecognized states;
• War, natural resources and conflicts, international law;
• Political risk analysis, foreign policy analysis;
• World regions and their position in the current global order;

In addition to a robust empirical and theoretical knowledge, the GPS as a career-focused program emphasizes hands-on experience and offers practically oriented courses such as Political Risk Analysis, Geopolitical Debates, Geopolitics of Defence Industry and Arms Trade, or Internship. Throughout the curriculum, interactive  lectures and seminars are designed to: build empirical knowledge, acquire analytical, language, writing, and argumentation skills in practically oriented courses, classes taught by world-renowned guest lecturers, exprienced senior policy makers. Through a wide offer of courses and extra-school activities, students are gradually encouraged to acquire skills but also build their networks necessary for their future career-paths.

Description of verification and evaluation criteria:

In addition to the application form, every applicant needs to provide the following documents:

a) A copy of a diploma to show at least completed Bachelor studies or confirmation that ongoing Bachelor studies will be completed in the current academic year

b) Transcript of records and academic results from previous studies

c) Structured CV

d) Motivation letter

e) Document showing the level of English proficiency.

Ad a) Confirmation of studies may be substituted with a transcript of records, provided that these are from the same academic year as the application.

Ad d) Motivation letter should highlight the motivation of the student to study the programme, it should be programme specific. The recommended length of the motivation letter is approximately 2 000 characters, including spaces.

Ad e) Applicants should provide a certificate from one of the following standardized tests:

• IELTS Academic - the minimum required overall band score of 6.5, with band score 6.0 or above in all four components;
• TOEFL Internet-Based Test (iBT) & TOEFL iBT Home Edition - the minimum required overall score of 83, with a minimum scaled score in the four sections: reading 21, writing 22, listening 20, speaking 20;
• Cambridge ESOL FCE - minimum Cambridge English Scale Score of 180;
• Cambridge ESOL CAE and CPE receiving a certificate.

A standardized English test is not required from applicants who:

• are native English speakers;
• have studied in English at the secondary school level for at least two years;
• have studied in English at the university level for at least one year;
• have worked for at least one year at a company where the language of communication was English.

When a score from an English-language test is not presented, the applicants should provide a certificate/official letter of their use of English during their prior studies or employment to support their claim. The certificate/official letter should contain contact information (an email address and a telephone number) to a person (a program director, high school counselor, or an employee supervisor) who has observed your ability to write and communicate in English and can confirm the scope of the use of the English language in the program or employment.

All documents which are not originally in Czech, Slovak or English must be officially translated into English.

The admissions committee will assess applicants on the basis of the submitted documents. Firstly, the documents proving English proficiency are examined for the level required for study. Only those applications that fulfill the requirements for English proficiency are assessed further by the admissions committee and given a ranking from 0 - 100 points. The following criteria will be evaluated: (i) the academic credibility of the university attended by the applicant graduated (0-30), (ii) motivation and recommendation (0-20), (iii) grade points evaluating the provided transcript and assessment of the preparedness of the applicant to meet the coursework requirements of GPS (0-30), (iv) proficiency in English (0-20). The point limit for accepting applicants is set by the Dean with respect to the number of applicants and the capacity of the programme.

Admission to Master's studies is conditioned by completed secondary education confirmed by a school-leaving certificate. Admission to Post-Bachelor studies (Master's programme) is likewise conditioned by completed education in any type of study programme.