Politics is usually associated with elections and all kinds of bickering associated with party politics or government quarrels. Politics, however, is much more than that. It influences daily life and is tied in with social order, with the way in which society is organized. It is, if you will, society's control tower. The key word in all this is power. The pursuit of power, and the preservation, legitimation and distribution of that power is the motor of the political event, at all levels. Who makes the decisions and how they come about is therefore one of the most important focuses of study in political science. We also consider why certain decisions were taken in a certain way.
Who has which interests? How important are ideology or political principles? How is the political agenda determined? Political science tries to answer these and other questions in a sound and academic way, and tries to e.g. discover the underlying mechanisms of decision-making. At the national level, the political scientist studies, among other things, the influence of parties, pressure groups and the media, or the functioning of government in the light of strategies adopted by political parties. In addition to a focus on Belgian politics, we also deal with international politics. The increasingly cross-border nature of aspects of social life implies that domestic and foreign politics are becoming ever more intimately linked. As a result, the contemporary world order has become highly complex indeed. Political scientists always approach their objects of study from different angles, including the historical, legal, psychological, demographic, sociological, economic, ... persective.

The Faculty of Political and Social Sciences offers three Bachelor's degree programmes, i.e. Political Sciences, Communication Sciences, and Sociology. From the first year onwards, you choose one of these three discipines. 

• Bachelor

The Bachelor's Programme of Political Sciences offers you a broad social education, in which you learn to reflect on, and from within political events. The aim is to acquire specific knowledge and competencies. You are made familiar with academic research in the field of political sciences, and you learn to consider this research critically. Elective courses and the minor in the second year allow you to personalize your curriculum. This is also the case in the third year. You either choose the Major National Politics or the Major European and World Politics.

•  Master

A Master's programme is an academic programme, during which students immerse themselves in the chosen field. The acquired knowledge, skills and attitudes must be consolidated in a Master’s dissertation, an independently written academic paper. The Bachelor’s degree in Political Sciences gives direct access to three Master’s programmes: the Master of Political Sciences (with two specializations: International Politics and National Politics), the Master of EU studies and the Master of Conflict and Development Studies 

In addition to the (domain) master described above, you can also choose a Master's Programme in Teaching (in Dutch: Educatieve Master). For more information, go to de educatieve master (90 sp).

The Political Sciences Programme offers ample and highly diverse employment opportunities. After all, graduates know how politics and society work, how policy is pursued or how it is influenced. The labour market values our broad social education and our graduates' critical, substantiated and creative insight. You see political scientists in or around administrative institutions at all possible levels: at municipalities, cities or provinces, but also at the Flemish, federal, European or even international level (such as at the UN or NATO). You can find a job there as a policy officer or advisor, cabinet officer, spokesperson, diplomatic representative, etc... . 

Some graduates opt for education or academic research or start a career in the media, for example as  journalists or editorial staff. Political scientists are also valuable additions to companies, e.g. when it comes to applying for subsidies or to defend certain interests.