Master in Electoral Policy and Administration

Elections have become a major factor in the stabilization and democratization of emerging democracies and post-conflict countries. However, the risk of a relapse into war and violence is considerable. Elections in these countries are a tightrope walk between war and peace, stability and instability.

Built on the expertise of UNITAR, the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna and the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA), the Master in Electoral Policy and Administration (MEPA) provides advanced learning on electoral processes for current and aspiring election professionals. The Master targets mid/upper level professionals who want to acquire the specific knowledge and skills to work as election administrators and/or to work as a part of Election Management Bodies (EMBs).

The Master focuses on the development of “electoral professionals”, that is, professionals who share a common set of norms, behavioral standards, and qualifications to assume specific roles and responsibilities in the area of electoral policy and administration. Responding to a global, structural demand for qualified electoral professionals, the Master offers a systematic and comprehensive approach to the professional development of those enrolled and places particular emphasis on the importance of advancing equal career opportunity for men and women.

MEPA is composed of an online component (nine months) and an optional residential component at the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna in Pisa, Italy (up to two weeks). Internships are encouraged but they are not compulsory in order to earn the Master's Diploma.

A student-centered, multidisciplinary approach, in which the workplace is used as the main learning environment

UNITAR has developed an extensive expertise in the delivery of online programmes. Using Internet as a medium, students, practitioners and scholars are brought together in a unique virtual learning environment designed to valorize experiential and collaborative learning.

Distinctive features of the Master include:

• Full online delivery, allowing for a flexible schedule designed to fit the specific needs of full-time working professionals;
• Student-centered approach, in which the learner and the learning experience at the core of the programme;
• Leading-edge insights into prevailing theories and practices;
• Lifelong learning approach, in which the workplace is used as the main learning environment;
• Multi-cultural pedagogy, particularly attentive at the diversity of paradigms, perceptions and intellectual traditions;
• Multi-disciplinary approach.

Visit the Master in Electoral Policy and Administration page on the United Nations Institute for Training and Research website for more details!