During the master's degree program Political Science – Inequality, Power, Conflict, students will independently investigate empirical questions concerning political phenomena, applying appropriate data collection and analysis methods. Teaching focuses in particular on current challenges such as inequality, power, and conflicts. Students can choose to focus on a variety of topics, such as peace and conflicts, parliamentary processes, the representation of women, digital democracy, coalitions, the career paths of politicians, political polarization and inequality, or the political consequences of global environmental changes resulting from climate change.

In addition to conducting independent quantitative or qualitative research on their chosen issue, students will also expand their knowledge of political science and other humanities subjects thanks to a broad range of courses which can be freely chosen. They also have the option of completing an internship. This degree program prepares students for employment in diverse and challenging occupations in politics, administration, business and the media.

The Master’s degree program Political Science – Inequality, Power, Conflict at the University of Basel places a strong emphasis on political sociology, comparative politics, and international relations. It enables students to focus especially on the analysis of inequality, power, and conflicts. During the master's program, students acquire skills in scientific research as well as specialized knowledge of their chosen topics and methods. 

This specialized approach enables diverse teaching and research collaborations with other departments. 

The master's program builds consistently upon the knowledge of political science theory and methods acquired during the bachelor’s program, and consists of three modules. The module «Inequality, Power, Conflict» offers students the opportunity to set their own thematic focus according to their personal interests after completing a general introductory course. In the module «Research Methods in Political Science», students learn the necessary skills for answering an empirical research question. In the module «Extension Social Sciences», students can supplement their studies with courses from related subject.

In addition to acquiring subject-specific and interdisciplinary knowledge, students will also learn to independently design and carry out research projects, critically reflect on their research approaches, and successfully convey scientific knowledge and interdependencies both orally and in writing. The program is further complemented by a master's colloquium, a master's exam, and, if studied as a major, a master's thesis.