BA in Economics, Politics, and Social Thought

4 Years On Campus Bachelors Program

Bard College Berlin

Program Overview

Bard College Berlin's BA in Economics, Politics, and Social Thought provides rigorous disciplinary training that prepares you for careers in public policy, international relations, economics, or political science—or for advanced study at top graduate institutions. This program uniquely combines economics and politics within a liberal arts framework, encouraging you to question assumptions and engage deeply with how global policy shapes our world.

Curriculum Structure

First Two Years: Building Your Foundation

You'll start with essential coursework in both economics and politics, establishing the mathematical and theoretical groundwork you'll need. These foundational years include courses in economic principles, quantitative methods in economics and politics, and introductory political theory—all designed to give you a comprehensive overview before specializing. You'll also complete Bard's distinctive core curriculum, including "Origins of Political Economy," which explores the intertwining of economic and political theory from Enlightenment thinkers onward.

Years Three and Four: Advanced Specialization

Once you've moderated into your concentration—either Economics or Politics—you'll dive into advanced modules tailored to your interests. Economics concentrators explore econometrics, behavioral economics, ethics and economics, and development economics, while also investigating how human decision-making behavior is viewed through an economic lens. Politics concentrators examine pressing contemporary challenges like globalization, income inequality, labor policy, migration, and public health, while deepening your understanding of political philosophy. Both paths emphasize qualitative and quantitative methods, and you'll have the option to pursue internship placements or study abroad during your third year.

Focus Areas

Economics concentration, Politics concentration

Learning Outcomes

Graduates develop advanced analytical skills, critical thinking capabilities, and the ability to synthesize complex global issues through economic and political frameworks.

Professional Alignment

The program prepares graduates for careers in public policy, international relations, economics, and political science, with pathways to prestigious master's programs including the Hertie School's Master of Public Policy and Master of International Affairs.

Reputation & Employability

Bard College Berlin alumni have pursued advanced degrees at institutions like Central European University and secured positions as data analysts and policy professionals at leading organizations. The program's integration of practical experience—including the Bard Globalization and International Affairs (BGIA) program in New York City and Erasmus exchanges at partner universities like the University of Bologna and Sciences Po Paris—ensures you gain real-world experience alongside your academic studies.

Experiential Learning (Research, Projects, Internships etc.)

Why the BA in Economics, Politics, and Social Thought at Bard College Berlin?

The BA in Economics, Politics, and Social Thought prepares you for meaningful careers and advanced study by combining rigorous theory with real-world application. This isn't just classroom learning—it's designed to equip you with the practical skills employers and graduate programs actually want.

Gaining Real-World Experience

At Bard College Berlin, experiential learning is embedded throughout your degree. You'll develop quantitative analysis skills, engage in field research, and apply economic and political theory to contemporary global challenges like migration, labor policy, and income inequality. The program actively supports you in translating classroom concepts into professional practice through several key opportunities:

- Internship placements and practical training periods: The curriculum explicitly builds in time for you to work with real organizations, with the college maintaining established connections across Berlin's professional sectors
- Thesis project preparation: Your final-year capstone can incorporate a practical training component, allowing you to conduct original research or work on a live project
- Field research methods course: You'll learn qualitative and quantitative research techniques essential for social science work
- Civic engagement pathway: Courses focused on project organization, leadership, and community activism help you develop practical organizing skills
- Study abroad opportunities: Politics students have access to a wide network of study abroad placements in the third year to deepen learning in global contexts
- Joint degree pathway with Hertie School: If you're interested in public policy or international affairs, you can complete most of your fourth year studying at the Hertie School—Germany's leading professional school for public policy—with those courses counting toward your Bard degree

Career Outcomes

Graduates are prepared for careers in public policy, international relations, economics, and political science, or for direct entry into master's programs. Recent alumni have gone on to prestigious graduate programs like the Central European University's Master's in Global Studies and specialized Bard programs in international affairs.

Progression & Future Opportunities

The BA in Economics, Politics, and Social Thought is designed to prepare you for meaningful careers and advanced study by combining rigorous academic training with real-world application. This isn't just theory in a classroom—you'll develop practical skills that employers and graduate programs actually value.

Experiential Learning and Practical Opportunities

Throughout your four years, you'll move beyond textbooks into hands-on experience. The program emphasizes quantitative methods and econometric techniques alongside ethical reasoning, giving you tangible analytical skills you can apply immediately. You'll work with data, engage in group projects across disciplines, and have structured opportunities to test your knowledge in professional settings. Here's what makes this program distinctive:

- Internship and practical training placements integrated into your final two years, allowing you to work in policy organizations, financial institutions, or international development sectors
- Study abroad opportunities in your third year, with an extensive network of international partnerships for relevant placements
- Final-year thesis projects that often build on or follow periods of practical training, combining independent research with real-world context
- Hertie School BA-Master's Pathway Program, which allows you to complete portions of your fourth year at Germany's leading professional school for public policy, earning graduate-level credentials while still an undergraduate
- Civic engagement program and community-based project courses that develop leadership and activism skills
- Interdisciplinary electives across philosophy, literature, film, art history, and social theory—courses explicitly available to economics students to broaden your perspective beyond traditional economics
- Berlin's intellectual and cultural network, which the college actively leverages to connect students with internship opportunities and professional mentors

The program builds skills that recent graduates have carried directly into careers: alumni have pursued roles as data analysts, executive economists, and policy professionals at organizations like Deloitte and international development firms.