If you have earned at least 120 ECTS credits in a Bachelor's degree program at the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (PhF), you may complete pre-Master's modules from the PhF worth a maximum of 30 ECTS credits (overall & including all semesters) in the following semester. You can book these modules yourself via the module booking tool.

General Study Guide Chapter 3.8

Which modules can I book as pre-Master's modules ?

The module catalog indicates whether the module is suitable as a pre-Master’s module. At IKMZ, this includes the compulsory modules "Multivariate Statistik" and "Wissenschaftstheorie und Forschungslogik", but also all elective modules from the group "Forschungsbereiche der Kommunikationswissenschaft".

Module catalogs for different MA programs (in German only)
Legal bases Master

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Admission

What requirements do I have to fulfill in order to enter one of the specialised Master programs?

The requirements differ slightly in the different programs. On the IKMZ website you can find the amount of ECTS that are required in the different subjects. For all specialized master’s programs the overall Bachelor grade (or equivalent) has to be 5.0 or better.

Major Political Communication & News
Major Strategic Communication & Management
Internet & Society

Is it possible to enter a Master's program with a Bachelor from a University of Applied Sciences?

If you have completed a Bachelor’s study program at a Swiss university of applied sciences you can apply for a Master’s program at UZH. However, you must reckon with additional requirements if you do not fulfill the academic requirements.
For admission to a consecutive or specialized Master’s degree program you must have earned your Bachelor’s degree with an overall grade of at least 5 (unrounded) in accordance with the Swiss grading system.

Admission to a Master’s Program with a Degree from a University of Applied Sciences or Teacher Education
Regulation on the admission to studies at the university Zurich §30

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Transfer of credits

Can I have modules from my former studies credited?

Modules can only be credited if they have not been credited to another degree before. If a module is already listed in a certificate, it can no longer be credited for another degree.
In some cases, compulsory modules can be transferred. The respective ECTS, however, will have to be compensated.

Recognition of academic achievements

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Transitional rules

Who do the transitional rules concern and where can I find them?

The transitional rules apply to all students who:

a) began their studies before the fall semester 2019 (August 1, 2019) in one of the old programs and
b) resume or continue their studies in the major study program of communication science and media research up to and including 2023.
If conditions a. and b. are not met, the appendix to the study regulations valid at the time of the change will be applied.

Transitional Rules MA 90 (available in German only)
Transitional Rules MA 30 (available in German only)

If a module from an old study program does not have the same amount of ECTS as rge equivalent module in the new program, how many ECTS are credited to me?

The amount of ECTS of the module you passed will be credited. If, for example, you have successfully completed an old core lecture to the extent of 4 ECTS, 4 ECTS will be credited to the corresponding module group.

Transitional Rules MA 90 (available in German only)
Transitional Rules MA 30 (available in German only)

How do I know what achievements will be credited after changing into a new study program and what modules I still have to book?

With the requirements lists from the different module groups and the equivalence tables in the transitional rules. The transitional rules indicate how many ECTS are required for each module group and which compulsory modules are required.

Transitional Rules MA 90 (available in German only)
Transitional Rules MA 30 (available in German only)

If a module of a new study program gives more ECTS than the old equivalent, do I have to gain extra ECTS in order to pass the module?

No, you completed the module group if you successfully completed all the modules from the equivalent table, even if you reached less ECTS than you would with the new modules. In total you do obviously need 120 resp. 60 ECTS in order to complete your studies. If you, however, met all the requirements of the modulegroups, you can then choose any modules to reach the full amount of ECTS.

Transitional rules BA 120 (available in German only)
Transitional rules BA 60 (available in German only)

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Booking modules

I am soon starting my Master program at the IKMZ. What should I book in my first year?

In all of our Master study programs, you should book the compulsory module “Multivariate Statistics” and “Theory of Science and Principles of Research (Wissenschaftstheorie und Forschungslogik)” during the first two semesters. If you have been admitted to a Master study program with conditions, we recommend that you fulfill these conditions early on in your studies.

Sample curriculums:
MA Internet & Society (available in German only)
MA Strategic Communication & Management (available in German only)
MA Political Communication & News (available in German only)
MA Communication Science and Media Research Major (available in German only)
MA Communication Science and Media Research Minor (available in German only)

What is a compulsory module?

Compulsory modules are offered regularly (each semester or each spring or autumn semester) and are obligatory for all students of the given study program. A failed compulsory module can be repeated once. A substitution is not possible. A module failed twice will lead to a definite rejection from the program.

General Study Guide Chapter 3.3

How do I know what module group a given module belongs to?

There are two ways to determine to which module group a module belongs:
1. All core elective and compulsory modules, as well as many of the elective modules, can be found in the module catalogue of the study program. In this document, the module group is mentioned for every module. You can find the module catalogue in the legal bases of the faculty of arts and social sciences.
2. The module groups and their associated modules can be viewed in the UZH course catalog.

Legal bases Master (available in German only)
Course catalogue
How to book modules

How do I find a module in the course catalogue?

The modules of our MA programs are listed under Faculty of Arts and Social Scieces – Master of Arts in Social Sciences (RVO19) – 120 (Mono), 90 (Major) or 30 (Minor). The search function helps to directly find modules, courses and lecturers.

Course catalogue

What to do if having technical problems with bookings or cancellations of modules?

If you have technical problems with the booking or cancellation of modules, please contact the Faculty of Arts and Social SciencesStudent Services: modulbuchung@phil.uzh.ch

I missed a deadline. Can I still book a module?

The deadlines are binding!
After these dates, bookings or cancellations are generally no longer possible.

For questions concerning bookings and cancellations please contact: modulbuchung@phil.uzh.ch
Booking and Cancellation Deadlines

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Overlap of modules

I just started my studies and realized that some of the modules from my major and minor overlap. What should I do?

This is a problem many students have to deal with. Considering the large number of subjects and possible combinations it is unfortunately not possible to prevent this. First make sure whether you can complete one of the modules later in your studies without prolonging them. If this is not possible, you can think about starting your minor only in your second study year. Do not forget, however, to make sure your minor can be completed in only two semesters if you do not want to prolong your studies.

General Study Guide Chapter 2.5

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Exams

How many times am I allowed to fail an exam?

Compulsory modules can be repeated once. If a compulsory module is failed twice, this leads to a subject ban. Other modules can be substituted. The type of repetition is indicated in the module catalogue.

Framework Regulation on the Bachelor and Master programmes at the Faculty of Philosophy of the University Zurich (RVO PhF) (available in German only)Repetition of modules, §28, §29

Do I have to register separately for the examination?

If you book a module, you are automatically registered for the exam. You don’t have to register separately for the exam.

Framework Regulation on the Bachelor and Master programmes at the Faculty of Philosophy of the University Zurich (RVO PhF) (available in German only) §20

How can I register for a retake in a compulsory module?

If you have not passed the exam of a compulsory module on the first date or were unable to take it, you can register for the retake in the same semester. You need to register yourself within a defined period (see course catalog).

General Study Guide Chapter 3.5

What do I have to do if I failed an exam?

For compulsory modules, a retake is offered in the same semester. If you did not pass the exam on the first date or were unable to take it, you can register for the retake. You need to register yourself within an indicated time period (see course catalog). If you do not want to take the repeat exam, you can book the module again in a subsequent semester. For elective modules no possibilities for repetition are offered. In that case you need to book another module in a following semester. Remember that you have the right to access the examination papers after receiving a grade.

General Study Guide Chapter 3.4 and 3.5
Study regulations §23
Framework Regulation on the Bachelor and Master programmes at the Faculty of Philosophy of the University Zurich (RVO PhF) (available in German only) §28, §29

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Master thesis

What is the scope of the Master thesis and what should be taken into account when booking the thesis module?

All MA major students as well as mono master students of the internet & society program will have to write a master thesis with a scope of 30 ECTS. For more information regarding the length of the paper and other formal guidelines, please ask your supervisor.
The colloquium for Master theses offers a platform to develop and present a personal research concept as well as to critically discuss the concepts of others. Students who write a thesis in one of the four Master programs at the IKMZ are obliged to visit the master’s colloquium of the supervising professor.
Towards the end of each semester obligatory pre-discussions are hold in the divisions.

Study regulations §30-33

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Graduation

I would like to graduate my Master's studies. What do I have to do?

You can register for graduation via the app “study progress and graduation” in the student portal. You can only register for graduation when you have fulfilled all requirements of your program.

General Study Guide Chapter 6
Further information about completing your Master's studies

What is the composition of the grade in the Master's diploma?

The degree is assessed with a weighted overall grade. The graded modules flow into the respective study program with the weight of their ECTS. The study programs flow into the weighted overall grade with the weight of the given study program size. Both the study program grades, and the weighted overall grade are calculated with unrounded initial values.

Framework ordinance governing study in the Bachelor's and Master's degree programs offered by the University of Zurich's Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (available in German only) §51

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Contacts

Who can I contact if my question was not answered here?

General questions about the studies at the faculty of arts and social sciences:
studium@phil.uzh.ch

Module bookings:
modulbuchung@phil.uzh.ch

Information about graduating:
abschluss@phil.uzh.ch

Specific questions about IKMZ study programs:
programmkoordination@ikmz.uzh.ch

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