FAQ PolVer

What do Bachelor (BA) and Master (MA) mean?


Studying at a Swiss university is divided into two phases:

1) The first phase is the Bachelor's degree (BA), which lasts three years and teaches the fundamentals of social sciences. The Bachelor's degree is completed with a Bachelor's thesis.

2) The Bachelor's degree is followed by the Master's degree (MA), which usually lasts three or four semesters and provides a more in-depth scientific understanding of theoretical and methodological knowledge. The Master's degree is completed with a Master's thesis. The Master's degree is roughly equivalent to the former licentiate degree.

What do major and minor mean?

As a rule, one subject is studied as a major (main subject) and one or more as a minor (secondary subject) (unless the major is organised as a single subject). The major is the subject that has the greater scope and in which the Bachelor's and Master's theses are written. The minor replaces the term secondary subject and is of lesser scope than the major.

What are ECTS credits?

A certain number of ECTS credits are awarded for each course, which students accumulate during their studies in order to complete their degree. ECTS credits are therefore the unit of measurement for academic achievement. The number of ECTS credits awarded for each course is noted in the course catalogue (KSL).

The number of ECTS credits depends on the amount of work students must complete in order to receive a certificate of achievement. The amount of work includes the time spent attending the various courses, as well as the time spent preparing for and writing papers and other written assignments or preparing for oral examinations. One ECTS credit corresponds to 25-30 hours of work. An average of 30 ECTS credits per semester is assumed, which (full-time) students should complete based on a normal weekly working time.

Registration for participation in courses

Information on the registration process for all courses can be found in the University of Bern's core teaching system (www.ksl.unibe.ch).

Registration for lectures and (pro)seminars is usually done via ILIAS.  Joining the respective ILIAS folder is considered registration for a course. Please note that in most cases this does not constitute registration for performance assessment.

The registration windows (for courses at the Department of Social Sciences) open as follows:

  • for the autumn semester on 15 August at 8 p.m.
  • for the spring semester on 15 January at 8 p.m.

For (pro)seminars, it is advisable to register as soon as possible, as places are sometimes in high demand.

No registration is required for any introductory lectures.

Registration for performance assessment

Registration for performance assessments is done online via the University of Bern's core teaching system (www.ksl.unibe.ch) and is required for all courses (lectures and (pro) seminars). Before the registration deadlines, courses can only be added to the planning view in KSL.

The registration deadlines for performance assessments (for SOWI courses in the main study period) are:

  • in the autumn semester: 15 November - 31 December
  • in the spring semester: 1 April - 15 May

Information on the registration deadlines for performance assessments for individual courses can be found in the electronic course catalogue (www.ksl.unibe.ch).

Schedule compilation: How do I proceed if courses overlap? 

When planning your schedule, the following rule applies: Your major always takes precedence. In other words, it is recommended that you prioritise attending all compulsory courses in your major, as these courses teach important basic knowledge that will be beneficial in your further studies.

If an overlap with the major cannot be avoided, elective courses may also be given priority over compulsory courses, as the order in which the courses are completed is ultimately irrelevant for the completion of the major or minor.

A timetable with the courses offered by the Department of Social Sciences can be found here.

For academic advising on the BA_PolVer programme, please register here: studienberatung.sowi@unibe.ch

Applications / Change of subject

Applications for extension of the study period and recognition of external academic achievements must be submitted to the Examination Board of the WISO Dean's Office (Examination Board).

Applications concerning credits for the PolVer major programme must also be submitted to the Examination Board. 
Changes of major or minor subject can be specified in Self-Service when renewing enrolment. Students will receive a link for renewing their enrolment between semesters, during the break from teaching. Further information can be found on the Enrolment Services website.

Duration of study, study periods

The standard period of study for full-time students is 6 semesters (entire Bachelor's programme – major and minor(s)).

The individual stages of study must be completed within the following deadlines:

  • Introductory studies: after 5 semesters
  • Entire Bachelor's programme: after 10 semesters
  • Master's programme: after 8 semesters

If the deadlines are not met, major students will be excluded from further study at the WISO Faculty.

A justified request for an extension of the study period can be submitted to the examination board of the WISO Faculty (examination board).

If 1-2 ECTS are still missing to complete the programme, a literature or special study can be completed instead of a course (students should contact a lecturer independently for this).

Extension of study period for major students (BA and MA)

All regular students enrolled at the University of Bern at Bachelor's and Master's level are entitled to submit an application for an extension of their study period.

The major subject is decisive. No additional application needs to be submitted for the minor subject. A reasoned request for an extension of the study period can be submitted to the Examination Board of the Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences. Approval for an extension of the permissible duration of study will be granted for a maximum of two semesters. After that, a new application for an extension may have to be submitted.

If you have any questions about extending your study period, please contact the WISO Dean's Office.

Possible reasons for extending your study period:

  • Paid work (extending your study period by 25% or more)
  • Illness, accident 
  • Childcare and pregnancy
  • Study-related internships outside the study plans and study abroad programmes that are not creditable
  • Language stays
  • Military service, civil service, civil defence (study period extension from 4 weeks)
  • Disability (depending on the degree of impairment)

Legal basis:

http://www.unibe.ch/studium/organisatorisches/studienzeitverlaengerung/rechtliche_grundlagen/index_ger.html

Approval procedure for extending the duration of your studies

If you wish to submit an application, you are required to consult with the academic advisor at least once to discuss any foreseeable extensions to your studies. In any case, the application must be accompanied by a realistic study plan for completing your degree, agreed upon with the relevant academic advisor.

Application for a predictable extension:

You can submit your application to the Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences at bachelor's level from the 10th semester onwards and at master's level (90/120 ECTS) from the 6th/7th semester onwards.

Request for an extension due to unexpected circumstances:

Applications for an extension of study time can be submitted to the relevant faculty dean's office up to three months after the official end of the corresponding Bachelor's or Master's programme (see information in the relevant study plan).

  • Form for requesting an extension of study time
  • Please submit the request together with the required supporting documents, depending on the reason, and the signed letter with your study plan to the examination board of the WISO Faculty for review. Submit your request as soon as possible and not just at the end of your studies. If the conditions for an extension of study time are met, you will save yourself (and us) the stress of an extension request in the final phase of your studies.

Who will the request be sent to?

Please send your requests in a formal letter to the Examination Board of the Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences:

Universität Bern
Prüfungskommission der WISO-Fakultät
Schanzeneckstrasse 1
Postfach
3001 Bern

How and from whom will you receive a reply?

Once your application has been processed, you will receive a prompt reply from the examination board of the Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences.

Tuition fees, tuition fee increase

The tuition fee is 750 Swiss francs per semester.

  • Students who study for more than twelve semesters without obtaining a degree pay 1,500 Swiss francs in the first semester of exceeding this limit. The fee doubles for each additional semester.
  • In cases of hardship, the university management may waive the tuition fee in whole or in part.
  • The number of semesters starts again at 1 when you transfer from a Bachelor's to a Master's programme. This means that the regulation does not apply to you in this case.

Tuition fees for students with more than 12 semesters

Mobility: Registration procedure

  • For general information on exchange opportunities at the Department of Social Sciences, please click here.
    • BA_PolVer students may only participate in political science exchange programmes.
    • PLEASE NOTE: Compulsory courses must be taken in-house. Only elective courses can be taken externally. Students who complete an exchange semester as part of the BA_PolVer programme have only 10 ECTS elective courses. The remaining credits should be taken in the minor programme (with a separate learning agreement for each subject area – major/minor).
  • The registration deadline for exchanges within Europe is 1 March for the following autumn and spring semesters.
  • The registration deadline for exchanges worldwide is 15 January for the following autumn and/or spring semesters. For the spring semester of the following academic year, registration is possible until 15 June.
  • Mobility within Switzerland: The Department of Social Sciences is NOT part of the BeNeFri agreement. However, courses taken at other Swiss universities can still be credited. To do so, a learning agreement must be agreed in advance with the director of studies (Thess Schönholzer).

Introductory studies

Repeating/crediting insufficient performance in introductory studies

Insufficient performance in introductory studies may be repeated once.

A maximum of two unsatisfactory grades from the introductory studies can be credited if the ECTS-weighted grade point average of all grades achieved in the introductory studies is at least 4.25.

How do I put together my timetable for the introductory study programme?

A basic timetable can be found on the WISO Dean's Office website: Basic timetable. However, this timetable only lists the compulsory courses and must be supplemented with the elective courses.

It is recommended that you distribute the courses (and thus the workload) evenly across both semesters (approx. 30 ECTS per semester).

Compulsory courses: Which courses in the PolVer introductory programme are compulsory?

  • Lecture: Introduction to Political Science I
  • Lecture: Introduction to Sociology
  • Lecture: Introduction to Communication and Media Studies
  • Lecture: Introduction to Empirical Social Research
  • Lecture: Understanding Administration
  • Lecture: Introduction to Public Law
  • Lecture: Introduction to Management
  • Lecture: Financial Accounting – Fundamentals
  • Lecture: Introduction to Financial Management and Accounting
  • Lectures: Statistics I and Statistics II
  • Lectures ‘Mathematics I’ and ‘Mathematics II’
  • Lecture ‘Introduction to Economics’
  • Lecture ‘Introduction to Microeconomics’
  • Lecture ‘Introduction to Macroeconomics’

The remaining 4 ECTS are earned by choosing a proseminar (offered by SOWI/KPM).

Elective courses and proseminars

According to the Bachelor PolVer study plan, at least one proseminar (4 ECTS) must be selected from the courses offered by the Department of Social Sciences (specifically from the Institute of Political Science) or the KPM.

  • The proseminars offered can be found in the course catalogue (www.ksl.unibe.ch).
  • The KPM (Competence Centre for Public Management) offers only one proseminar per year. This takes place in the spring semester.
  • Some proseminars have participation requirements, which are noted in the course catalogue (e.g. ‘completed introductory studies’). You can only attend proseminars for which there are no conditions for participation or for which you meet the conditions for participation.

More than 60 ECTS in the introductory year

The introductory year is officially completed with a maximum of exactly 60 ECTS credits. 

Main studies

Repeating insufficient performance assessments

Insufficient performance assessments in compulsory courses can be repeated twice, while insufficient performance assessments in compulsory elective courses can be repeated once.

Insufficient performance assessments in the main studies cannot be credited to the degree programme, but will appear on the study record in KSL.

Exams for insufficient elective courses do not necessarily have to be repeated. Another elective course can be taken instead. Only sufficient performance will be credited upon completion of the programme.

Sufficient performance cannot be repeated.

Compulsory courses

The compulsory courses of the main study period:

  • Lecture and exercise ‘Introduction to Social Science Statistics’
  • Lecture ‘Qualitative Methods in the Social Sciences’
  • Research internship (political science)
  • Lecture: Introduction to Legal Working Techniques
  • Lecture: The Political System of Switzerland I
  • Lecture: Organisational Management in the Public Sector
  • Lecture: Introduction to International Law
  • Seminar: Regulation (available from HS26)

The remaining 20 ECTS consist of freely selectable lectures from the SOWI and RW offerings (10 ECTS) and the Bachelor's thesis (10 ECTS).

Research Practicum

The research practicum must be completed at the Institute for Political Science (KSL: 484718). Only transfer students will be credited for a previously completed research practicum (SOZ/IKMB).

Work Practicum

It is NOT possible to receive credit for a work practicum at BA_PolVer.

Minor subjects: What needs to be considered when choosing minor programmes?

a. Possible combinations of minor programmes

The institutions offering the minors are responsible for their administration. The ‘Bachelor PolVer’ study plan contains some guidelines regarding the choice of minors for major students:

All minors offered at the University of Bern in the corresponding scope can be chosen as a major; EXCEPT:

  • the minor programmes in social sciences comprising 60, 30 or 15 ECTS credits,
  • the minor programmes in public law comprising 60 or 15 ECTS credits, and
  • the minor programme in constitutional law and political theory comprising 30 ECTS credits.

The following minor combinations are possible in the 120 ECTS major:

1) 1 minor worth 60 ECTS
2) 2 minors worth 30 ECTS
3) 1 minor worth 30 ECTS and 2 minors worth 15 ECTS
4) 1 minor worth 30 ECTS credits, 1 minor worth 15 ECTS credits and free credits worth 15 ECTS credits

b. What are free credits?

  • Free credits are credits from courses that are not part of the major or minor and are marked as such in the course catalogue (www.ksl.unibe.ch) (‘credited as elective or free credits’).
  • PolVer major students cannot therefore count courses offered by either the Department of Social Sciences or the KPM as free credits, nor can they count courses that are part of a minor programme they are enrolled in.
  • The easiest way to find free credits in KSL is to use the ‘Advanced Search’ function, selecting the desired subject, institute or faculty and ticking the box ‘Credited as elective or free credit’.

c. Study cycles

  • The Department of Political Science recommends that students only begin their minor studies in the third semester, after completing their introductory studies.
  • Note: Some minor programmes have study cycles. This means that certain compulsory courses are not offered annually or require proof of participation in other courses as a condition of enrolment. It is recommended that you check with the providers of the minor programmes in advance to find out about any study cycles.

Completion of studies

The Bachelor's degree in Political Science is completed when

  1. the introductory studies have been successfully completed,
  2. the compulsory, compulsory elective and freely selectable courses of the main study period have been completed,
  3. the minor(s) or, if applicable, the free elective courses have been completed in full,
  4. and the Bachelor's thesis has been accepted and graded at least as satisfactory.

The final grade corresponds to the ECTS-weighted average of all grades from courses credited to the programme in the major and minors/elective courses. Registration for graduation takes place via the WISO Dean's Office. Further information on the registration procedure can be found on the WISO website (Graduation).

After the Bachelor's degree

Successful completion of the Bachelor's degree in Political Science and Public Administration opens up a range of opportunities for graduates: they can either enter the workforce directly or continue their studies with a Master's degree.

With a solid understanding of political and administrative processes as well as analytical and methodological skills at bachelor's level, graduates are qualified for a variety of professional activities. Possible fields of work include public administration, political institutions, international organisations, associations, NGOs or the private sector – for example in the areas of consulting, public affairs or political communication.

The Bachelor's degree in Political Science and Public Administration qualifies graduates to transfer to Master's programmes in political science and public administration. At the University of Bern, it is possible to enrol in Master's programmes in Political Science and Public Management and Policy (it is not possible to transfer from BA_PolVer to Master's programmes in law at the University of Bern).  It is also possible to transfer to other universities, although additional requirements may apply for certain programmes. This degree thus provides a solid foundation for further academic study or a varied career in the political and administrative fields.

Switching to the new programme

Current students who would like to switch to the new programme should note the following information: 

  • Students who have completed the introductory year in social sciences must make up for the missing basics (without credit towards their main studies):
    • Administrative and legal studies
      • Understanding administration
      • Introduction to public law (unless this course was already taken as an elective within the introductory studies in the SOWI major)
    • Economics
      • Introduction to Management (unless see above)
      • Financial Accounting – Fundamentals (unless see above)
      • Introduction to Financial Management and Accounting (unless see above)
  • Students with an introductory year in business administration/economics must also make up for the missing basics.
  • Students who have been credited with a completed assessment year must also make up for the missing basics.
  • Please register for the semester and/or change your field of study for the autumn semester at www.selfservice.unibe.ch from 20 May onwards.
  • If the introductory programme is not completed within the scheduled 5 semesters, an application for an extension can be submitted to the examination board of the WISO Faculty.
  • Insufficient performance records acquired in a previous WISO introductory programme will remain in place even after a change.
  • Courses in the main study period that require completed courses or modules in the introductory year can also be taken in parallel.
  • If students have already taken the work techniques course in SOWI, this course can be credited towards the elective courses in the main study period PolVer (this credit is granted on an individual basis; please contact the SOWI programme director). In this case, the credit transfer amounts to 4.5 ECTS – i.e. the compulsory elective courses increase by 1.5 ECTS to a total of 11.5 ECTS.
  • Any ‘surplus’ proseminars or seminars from the introductory or main study period that have already been attended CANNOT be credited towards the compulsory elective courses of the main study period in PolVer. However, it is possible to include these ‘surplus’ credits in a minor in free electives.
  • Students who have been excluded from the Department of Political Science at a university are not eligible to attend the BA_PolVer programme (see RSL WISO Art. 9 para. 3). This also applies to students who have been excluded from another study programme, but at a faculty of economics.