Information for Applicants: Global Demography
Here you can find information for applying to the Master Programme Global Demography at the University of Vienna.
Do you enjoy solving puzzles where the pieces are individual stories and the board is the entire planet? Just keep your mathematical and analytical tools handy.
The principal aim of the master’s programme in Global Demography at the University of Vienna is to give students a strong scientific grounding in the analysis and forecasting of demographic developments across the globe – in particular, fertility, mortality and migration trends. Guided by leading experts in the field, students will be given the opportunity to explore the multidimensional ramifications and implications of demographic change on economic, social, and environmental issues.
Studying Global Demography in a Nutshell
-
Five Topics
you should be interested in:
- Global population change: patterns & trends
- Quantitative reasoning
- Using the tools of quantitative research, such as statistical & econometric methods
- Working with real-world data
- Programming in software for data analysis
-
Five Concepts
which you will deal with during your studies:
- Past and future of global population changes
- Multidimensional population dynamics
- Fertility, mortality and migration - the “big three” of Demography
- Population, health and environment
- Human capital, economic development, wellbeing
-
Five Skills
which you will master during your studies:
- Calculation and interpretation of demographic indicators
- Investigation and storytelling
- Multidimensional population projections
- Linking theories to methods
- Academic writing and critical thinking skills
-
Five Highlights
which you can expect during your studies:
- Excellent preparation for career paths in quantitative analysis
- Small group teaching and close supervision
- Collaboration with leading experts in demography
- Data analysis skills that are useful across disciplines
- Present your work in front of various audiences
-
Five Possible False Expectations
you may have about your studies:
- Demography is a qualitative social science, because it’s about societies
- Demography has no theory
- Demography is just showing a few population trends
- A good understanding of mathematics or statistics is optional
- It’s a dry or impersonal science
-
Five Current Social Challenges
for which demographic research is indispensable:
- Fertility decline and socioeconomic polarisation of the family
- Healthcare demand and planning
- Ageing and the sustainability of welfare states
- Humanity's carbon footprint under different population scenarios
- Migration processes: challenges and opportunities
How are demographic figures calculated, and what can we deduce about the future of our society from statistics and graphical representations?
Students enrolled in the Global Demography master’s programme will explore the international demographic literature, learn important methodological tools, and gain an array of transferable skills reaching beyond academia. A graduate of the Global Demography programme will thus be able to successfully deal with large volumes of complex scientific data, evaluate their practical meaning, and apply the findings to advance research and influence regional and global policymaking. Alumni will be well-prepared for a large variety of careers in academia, international organisations, NGOs, think tanks and research centres, national planning and statistical agencies, government bodies, and consultancy.
If you are interested in past and future population changes, this master’s programme is for you.
Application Period
The Master Programme Global Demography is a degree programme with an selection procedure. Application is only possible once a year during the application period. The application period for the academic year 2026/27 has already passed. The application period for the academic year 2027/28 will be announced in early 2027.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Application
The Master Programme Global Demography is a degree programme with a selection procedure. Admission to the Master Programme is only possible once a year during the application period. If you are admitted, your admission letter is valid for the winter term that you have applied for as well the following summer term. Please note that there is no separate admission procedure for a summer term (spring) intake.
You can find more information on the application, including required documents and deadlines for the current academic year, on the website of the University of Vienna's Admission Office: Master Access Guide: Global Demography. We recommend that applicants submit their application at the beginning of the application period to ensure a smooth process.
Please note that your steps in the admission process vary depending on whether you completed your degree at the University of Vienna, or at a different University. Additionally, depending on where you obtained your degree, your documents may need to be legalised, as well as translated if they weren't issued in German or English. If your previous degree was obtained in Bangladesh, India, or Pakistan, you also have to complete a competence check at VFS Education Services before applying for admission.
To be admitted to English language Master Programmes at the University of Vienna, you must provide a proof or certificate of English language proficiency at level B2. You can find more information on which proofs and certificates are accepted on the website of the University of Vienna's Admission Office: Proof of English Language Proficiency. Please also take note of the FAQs on the same page.
In the motivation letter, we want to learn more about our applicants – the following questions should be answered in it:
- Why are you interested in applying for the Master’s Programme Global Demography at the University of Vienna?
- In which ways will your prior experiences, qualifications, and skills support your studies in this new programme?
- What qualifications do you expect to obtain from the MA Global Demography, and what role will these qualifications play in your further academic, personal, and professional development?
You do not need to include the statements above in your letter verbatim, but we ask that you use them to shape your letter to ensure our questions are answered.
The letter should be no more than one A4 page. There are no specific formatting requirements, but we suggest using a commonly available, easy-to-read font at no smaller than 11 pt. The letter can be single-spaced, double-spacing is not required.
Admission to the Master Programme Global Demography requires the completion of a bachelor's degree (or diploma degree) in the same or a related discipline. Equivalence will be verified in the course of the selection process. If only individual additions to full equivalence are missing, additional courses and examinations can be prescribed. Please understand that we cannot verify equivalence outside the selection procedure.
40 study places are available each academic year in the Master Programme Global Demography. These places are allocated during the selection procedure. Applicants are ranked in three domains:
- Their overall academic grades (based on their academic transcripts)
- Their previous quantitative experience in an academic and/or professional capacity (based on their CV and academic transcripts)
- Their understanding of/curiosity for demography (based on the motivation letter)
Rankings in these three domains are combined into an overall ranking, which the selection is based on.
We welcome applications from international applicants. The deadlines are the same for all prospective students, whether they are local or international. However, as an international applicant, there are a few other things you may have to consider:
- Depending on where you obtained your degree, your documents may need to be legalised, as well as translated if they were not issued in German or English.
- If your previous degree was obtained in Bangladesh, India, or Pakistan, you also have to complete a competence check at VFS Education Services before applying for admission.
- You may need a visa or residence permit to live and study in Austria. You can find general information on entry and residence in Austria here: OeAD - Information on Entry and Residence for Students and Researchers. If you have specific questions on immigration matters, please contact the Austrian Embassy at your place of residence: BMEIA - Embassies and Consulates
The admission letter for any given academic year is valid for the winter term that you have applied for, and the following summer term. You can find information on how the academic year at the University of Vienna is organised here: Studying at the University of Vienna - The Academic Year
Funding and Fees
The Master Programme Global Demography and the Department of Demography do not offer funding directly. You can find information on other funding opportunities here:
The Master Programme Global Demography is designed to be a two-year, full-time committment and some classes have mandatory attendance. Please take note of the Study Programme and Curriculum for details on the recommend path through the programme. You can find the course directory for the current semester in u:find for an example of how classes are scheduled.
In principle, students can choose freely which classes to attend each semester. However, please note that some classes are only offered in the summer or winter terms, and the prerequisite for admission to classes in Module 5 is completion of Modules 1 and 2. Therefore, it may delay graduation if students are unable to commit to the programme full-time, which in turn may mean additional tuition fees.
If you are an international student, please check whether your visa or residence permit allows you access to the labour market.
The amount you have to pay depends on your citizenship and duration of studies. Waivers exist for certain countries. You can find more information on the University of Vienna's tuition and students' union fees here: Studying at the University of Vienna - Tuition Fee/Students' Union Fee
Other
The courses in the Master Programme Global Demography are organised into modules. You can find more information on the modules in the Study Programme and Curriculum, and detailed information on the courses (content & aims, assessment, etc.) in the University of Vienna’s course directory for the current semester (u:find).
You can find general information on entry and residence in Austria here: OeAD - Information on Entry and Residence for Students and Researchers.
If you have specific questions on immigration matters, please contact the Austrian Embassy at your place of residence: BMEIA - Embassies and Consulates
Contact
-
Any questions?
Reach out to the MPGD Team:
master.demography(at)univie.ac.at