Hertie School

Executive Master of Public Administration (EMPA)

The Executive MPA is designed for mid-career professionals who want to take the next step. The programme provides participants with a solid foundation in principles of governance, public policy and management, empowering them to lead teams and organizations, shape decision-making and manage change in the workplace across all sectors. Additionally, participants specialize in one of three areas of concentration:

• Leading innovation and managing change
• Digitalisation and big data
• Global governance challenges

Participants also complete skills training for personal and professional development on topics such as negotiation techniques, data science, scenario-building and political communication. Workshops allow participants to get behind-the-scenes insights into policymaking in key European hubs such as Berlin and Brussels. The Executive MPA curriculum is modular with 43 days of attendance on campus, which gives participants flexibility to accommodate their busy work schedules with the programme.

The programme offers participants a stimulating environment to debate and network with peers and professors, who are highly qualified and have an international background. Executive MPA participants can also apply for a partial scholarship from the Hertie School. For more information on deadlines and requirements please visit our funding page.


Admission requirements

• Your curriculum vitae (in English or German)
• A letter of motivation (in English or German, preferably in English – two pages or 900 words maximum)
• Copies of official academic transcripts and diplomas of all attended universities.
• Two letters of reference (at least one from the applicant’s current or last employer)
• English proof

TOEFL | PBT 577 | CBT 233 | iBT 90
IELTS | Overall score of 7.0
Cambridge ESOL | CPE (A, B, C) | CAE (A, B)
Duolingo | 115


About Hertie School

The Hertie School is a public policy school with an interdisciplinary, international and intersectoral approach. Founded in 2003, the Hertie School was Germany's first professional public policy school.

Our campus is located in the heart of Berlin, and we currently offer four master's programmes: Master of Public Policy (MPP), Master of International Affairs (MIA), Master of Data Science for Public Policy (MDS) and Executive Master of Public Administration (EMPA).

We also have Doctoral programmes, a Data Science Lab and five research centres: Centre for Digital Governance, Centre for Fundamental Rights, Centre for International Security, Centre for Sustainability, and Jacques Delors Centre.

With a highly international student body and exceptional professors, the Hertie School offers students academic excellence plus real-world relevance through our practice-oriented programmes. As an international university, the instruction language of our study programmes is English.

We also have over 30 top-ranked academic partners worldwide and are part of the following associations: GPPN (Global Public Policy Network), APSIA (Association of Professional Schools of International Affairs) and CIVICA (European University of Social Sciences). Students also have the opportunity to do a dual degree or exchange semester within our vast partner network. For even more hands-on experience, students can do a Professional Year between the first and second study years.