Master Degree Programmes

Master in Anti-Corruption Studies (MACS) 2023

Next class

25 Sep 2023 – Dec 2025

APPLICATION DEADLINE

Scholarship Applications: Closed on 30 June 2023


Self-payers deadline: Applications Open

Language

English

Format

Hybrid and Online

Contact

If you’d like to find out more about learning with IACA, send an email or schedule a call with an IACA Academic Programmes Team.

About

The first global, postgraduate degree programme in anti-corruption and compliance.

  • 2 years with 120 ECTS credits
  • Classes both on campus and online
  • Blend of academic and practical activities
  • Students can enrol for the hybrid MACS programme with the option to attend the interactive classes of all modules virtually or combined with on-campus classes

The programme offers a series of interdisciplinary modules that concentrate on concepts and applied perspectives for preventing and countering corruption and establishing solid components of compliance. Students will also produce a Master’s Thesis for which a supporting course in research methods and writing skills will be running in parallel with other modules.

The programme is delivered in a hybrid format (on-campus and online) and is part-time. The programme can be completed in a minimum of two years, while students can pause their studies if their work or personal commitments require so.

Benefits

  • Earn an internationally recognized Master of Arts degree with 120 ECTS credits while building/continuing your professional career.
  • Learn through synchronous and asynchronous methods with maximum flexibility.
  • Develop your understanding of the way corruption manifests itself and the surrounding social complexities.
  • Gain interdisciplinary insights on corruption from experts in economics, political science, criminology, behavioural science, law, human rights, and compliance.
  • Enhance your skills for identifying and addressing different types of corruption in diverse contexts by integrating theory and practice.
  • Learn and implement the global best practices in anti-corruption including measurement, policy framing, enforcement, and investigation.
  • Strengthen your skills through methodologies and tools provided during workshops and the anti-corruption labs.
  • Share and learn with peers from diverse sectors across the globe.
  • Conduct intensive academic research under the supervision of international anti-corruption practitioners and scholars.

Structure
and curriculum

Each of the seven MACS modules carries between 13 to 15 ECTS (European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System) credits, and the Master's Thesis carries 21 credits. The MACS degree therefore comes with a total of 120 ECTS credits, thus ideal for enrolment into PhD programmes.

The MACS programme runs over two academic years with seven modules and a Master Thesis. Each module runs in 12 weeks. The modules comprise of several core and stand-alone courses, composed of self-study readings, interactive presentations, discussion forums, self-assessment, group work, on campus and instructor-led virtual classes, written assignments, webinars, etc. Upon successful completion of the modules and the master’s thesis defence, the graduation ceremony takes place at IACA headquarters in Austria. The programme also offers an ongoing module on research methods, and an ongoing course on facilitating teamwork in the learning process.

Four modules are completed in the first academic year. Three modules and the Master's Thesis are completed in the second academic year.

The interactive classes of four modules are delivered virtually, and three modules are delivered on campus (with the possibility for students who are unable to travel to participate online).

Admission

Requirements

  • Undergraduate degree, equivalent to a bachelor’s degree
  • Minimum of three years of relevant work experience or a proven history of academic research in areas related to anti-corruption and/or compliance, broadly understood. Candidates who do not have working experience yet and are applying directly from the bachelor’s degree, should have their undergraduate degree qualification such as economics, law, political science, sociology, or any other filed related to MACS studies
  • Proficiency in written and spoken English.
  • 100 EUR application fee (non-refundable) / 50 EUR only for nationals of IACA Parties contributing to the general budget of the organization, listed under 15% and 20% discount scheme. Please refer to the discount scheme for more information.

Admission Process

Submit an online application along with the required documents and the non-refundable application fee. After the admissions office has received all required documents and the application fee, it will review your application and notify you of the outcome within three to four weeks. It may also contact you earlier if additional documents are needed and invite you for an interview where necessary to verify your English language proficiency and other information based on your application. All scholarship candidates will be invited for an interview three to four weeks after the scholarship application deadline.

Guidelines for application

Participants are selected taking into account their professional and academic experience. IACA is committed to promoting diversity and strives to attract participants from various professional backgrounds and geographical areas. Bringing together diverse perspectives and practices to better learn about and tackle corruption is essential to the quality of the MACS programme.

Fees
and Scholarships

Programme Fee

The overall programme fee for the online intake of the programme is EUR 17,900.

The overall programme fee for the hybrid intake of the programme is EUR 22,400.

The programme fee covers teaching, including teaching materials and ICT, and supervision and thesis defence. All other arrangements and associated costs, not covered by the above stated fees, such as, travel, medical insurance, accommodation and subsistence for the graduation ceremony, are Student’s responsibility.

In some countries and jurisdictions, educational expenses can be tax deductible. Please check with your national tax authority.

Discounts

Under the Preferential Treatment Scheme for IACA Parties contributing to the general budget of the organization, IACA is offering different preferences related to member states contributions to the IACA general budget.

Application Fee

Fees can be paid in two equal instalments before programme start and mid programme. Students are recommended to plan their payments in advance and to consult the admissions and finance office for any payment related questions.

To make the application fee payment please click below.

Scholarships

IACA offers a limited number of partial scholarships for students from Least Developed Countries as defined by the United Nations, and for citizens from IACA State Parties, listed under the World Bank Classification of Countries by Income as the Lower-Middle- and Upper-Middle-Income Economies, funded by Siemens Integrity Initiative, Third and Golden Stretch Funding Round. These highly competitive scholarships are merit based and they partially cover the programme fee.

Scholarship applicants are encouraged to plan well in advance for the remaining fee payment not covered by the scholarship.

Individual Sponsorship

Companies, organizations, and public-sector entities often provide financial support or grant educational leave to their employees to continue their education. IACA will work with applicants who have submitted their application in preparing a sponsorship proposal for their employers or potential donors.

Impact stories

Bernardo Damm

Head of the Regulatory Affairs Office, FEMSA Mexico.

MACS 2017 - 2019 class

MACS is a program for people who have a passion about leaving a better world and at the same time people who want to make the most out of life, working and studying at the same time. Being in a classroom with 17 different nationalities is a unique experience by itself. The teachers are passionate about the topics and renowned worldwide. If you want to take the fight seriously, this is the place to be.

Musa Modoi

Advisor, Human Rights and Accountability, Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, Uganda.

MACS 2017 - 2019 class

IACA is a place where theory meets practice and people from different nations exchange cutting edge perspectives and experiences in anti-corruption. The learning environment is amazing. IACA, and particularly the MACS, is a prism of different approaches – a hub where global anti-corruption practice is interrogated and validated, and new approaches unveiled through critical thought and innovation. When it comes to anti-corruption programmes around the world, I know no better than the MACS.

Mirte van den Berge

Strategic Analyst / Deputy Head Intelligence Centre, Security and Integrity Management, ABN AMRO Bank.

MACS 2016 - 2018 class

The MACS programme has a solid structure, analysing corruption from all relevant angles. The programme is truly multidisciplinary and offers state of the art insights on fighting corruption through discussions with renowned academics and practitioners. The course has been highly relevant for my career. In my job I benefit a lot from the knowledge and international network I have developed during the MACS programme.

Nitish Kumar

Dy. Inspector General of Police, South Kashmir Range, Jammu & Kashmir, India.

MACS 2015 - 2017 class

IACA’s Master programme in Anti-Corruption is a fabulous course. This course has enabled me to view corruption from perspectives I never imagined existed. Apart from being exposed to the lectures by the best academics and experts from the field, cross-cultural interaction with fellow students on the MACS programme from 18 nationalities is so enriching and profound - both professionally and personally.

Lecturer
Experience

Lloydette Bai-Marrow

Anti-Corruption & Economic Crime Lawyer

The MACS course is a rigorous and intensive programme of study. I was particularly impressed by the breadth of material covered and the highly effective use of practical exercises to embed learning. The students are exposed to teaching of the highest calibre and from a broad spectrum of experts. The MACS class of 2018 were an incredibly diverse group of dedicated and skilled professionals from all over the world. They worked incredibly hard during each Module and would return home exhausted but it was clear to see that this programme was already making a difference to their professional lives. They were all excited and expectant about future opportunities once they had conclude the course. It was a delight and an honour to be part of the teaching faculty on this flagship and premier programme of study.

Alexandra Malina Manea

Legal Counsel World Bank, Office of Suspension and Debarment

Through its programmes in general and the MACS in particular, IACA is becoming a key player in the global efforts against corruption. The MACS curriculum reflects well the understanding that corruption needs a multidisciplinary and complex approach. The programme also strongly encourages knowledge exchange not only between the trainer and the students but also between the students themselves. This is particularly valuable because students come from different countries and sectors and I have directly observed how exchanges between them catalyze creative analysis of entrenched problems and they all benefit from exposure to different local settings.

Drago Kos

Chair of the OECD Working Group on Bribery

Meeting so many people different in age, geographical origin and culture but all sharing an unstoppable desire not only to learn about fighting corruption but also to do it in practice, is a privilege for every lecturer. This privilege becomes even greater after recognizing that only a few lessons connect these different people into a homogenous front against the evil of corruption.

Michael Johnston

Charles A. Dana Professor of Political Science Emeritus at Colgate University, United States of America

The MACS programme at IACA offers young professionals and civil society activists from around the world a unique opportunity to develop a detailed understanding of corruption and the challenges of reform.

Lecturer
Experience

Mikhail Reider-Gordon

Director in the Global Disputes & Investigations practice at an international consulting firm

After a week of teaching, one comes away exhausted, but inspired and exhilarated - by the students’ passion for learning, collaborative mindset, and innovative approaches to a complex topic. Their optimism is infectious, and their courage is humbling when one learns of the obstacles many have confronted to even get to IACA.

Daniel Ming-Chak Li

Deputy Commissioner and Director of Operations (ret.), Hong Kong Independent Commission Against Corruption

Fighting corruption is not simply a form of governance; it is a tool of governance upheld by responsible humanity. In the MACS programme, students learn the art and science of this important discipline. They are the steering force to a clean, fair, and just society.

Max Kaiser Aranda

Anticorruption Director, Mexican Institute for Competitiveness (IMCO)

Corruption is a complex disease that erodes democratic governance. It requires first a comprehensive understanding, and then a holistic response. The MACS creates professionals with the capacity to understand the phenomenon and approach it in a creative and multidimensional manner.

International Anti-Corruption Academy

Laxenburg/Vienna, Austria  |  T: +43 2236 710 718 101

© 2023 IACA. Developed by IACA.

Laxenburg/Vienna, Austria  |  T: +43 2236 710 718 101

© 2023 IACA. Developed by IACA.

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