Our Master Programs are pre-experience programs designed for recent graduates with ages between 20 and 26 that have or will complete an undergraduate degree within the last three years.
Masters Programs - Frequently Asked Questions
The Masters of Science are pre-experience programs, which means it is suitable for those who have just graduated or are about to graduate from a Bachelors program and have less than 3 years of professional experience. An MBA or an Executive Master is designed as a post-experience program, which means it is mandatory for graduates with more than three years' professional experience.
We recommend a bachelor degree in Management, Economics or other quantitative background.
Upon completion of the program, the Universidade Católica Portuguesa will grant you the Master Degree. Our Master Programs alumni have the best reputation among Portuguese schools and Career Placement is consistently ranked as a TOP10 worldwide by the Financial Times Rankings for Master Programs. A CATÓLICA-LISBON degree is recognized worldwide as we are part of the restricted group of 1% of Business Schools worldwide accredited by all three management education associations (AACSB, EQUIS and AMBA) and CATÓLICA-LISBON is consistently ranked in the Top 30 of European Business Schools (Financial Times Top European Business Schools Ranking).
You are more than welcome to speak with a current CATÓLICA-LISBON student or alumni. We invite you to contact us by e-mail (msc@ucp.pt) and we will gladly establish contact for you.
For application purposes, we do not require a formal certificate from your school, but we do require a non-official document from your home school with all the courses you have attended and respective grades [you may extract this information from your students’ personal webpage]. However, you will need to have completed your undergraduate degree to be able to join the MSc program.
No. CATÓLICA-LISBON is a pontifical university (meaning it is statutorily ruled by an agreement between the Portuguese State and the Holy See), but we host students, faculty and staff from multiple creeds. Your religious background (or lack of it) will not be a factor in our admissions criteria or in the course of the programs and you will only be asked to follow a code of conduct similar to any other university.
The first step to start your application is to create an account in our platform. After that, you have to submit your Curriculum Vitae (in English), Transcript of Records (courses, grades and ECTS) and pay the application fee (non-refundable).
Two weeks after the end of each round, you will receive a decision by the Admission Jury and in case your application is successful, you will have to pay the enrolment fee (non-refundable).
The Admission Jury bases its decision on the strength of the application as a whole. Apart from the academic background and GPA, aspects like professional experience, international exposure and extracurricular activities are taken into consideration by the Admission Jury.
We highly recommend all candidates to apply as early as possible since places are limited and the admissions process is highly competitive. Keep in mind that places are offered in each round, which means that applications submitted in the last rounds, have less probabilities to be successful.
In your application, you can apply up to 3 Master’s Programs (by order of preference). In case you are not admitted to your first choice, the Admission Jury will consider your application to the second and third choice.
No, there is only one intake per year and classes start in September.
Our MSc programs are fully taught in English and the thesis must be submitted in English, so you will need a high level of fluency. During your application process, you don't need to prove your English proficiency but if you wish to do so, you can submit one of these exams: TOEFL (recommended score): 600 (PBT), 250 (CBT), or 100 (IBT); IELTS: (recommended score): 7.0; CAE: a minimum of C.
No, neither GMAT nor GRE are required but you can submit them. Our minimum recommended score for the GMAT is 600.
No, there is no minimum GPA required.
For the International MSc in Management, it is mandatory to have professional experience or an internship (minimum 4 weeks).
Yes, internships are considered work experience.
If you are interested in a Double/Joint Degree Program, you will have the opportunity to apply during the program selection step of the Online Application Form. This is the only way to apply for a Double/Joint degree. You can select up to 3 Double Degree Programs for each Master Program selected. You will have to submit a motivation letter for each Double Degree chosen in your application.
In your application, you will have the possibility to apply to CATÓLICA Top+ Scholarship. This is the only way to apply for our scholarship.
All applications are considered on merit. We consider not only the marks on your transcript but also your profile as a whole. Academic references, personal statement, professional experience, international exposure, extracurricular achievements, and any additional test scores should be submitted for consideration. Your application will be strengthened if you are able to present a high GRE/GMAT score. However, take into consideration that the selection process is highly selective and a low GPA will reduce chances for admission.
You will receive a confirmation e-mail from the Marketing & Admissions Office.
After you submit your application, it is not possible to make any kind of changes or add new information/documents. Information or documents received by e-mail will not be considered.
The Admissions Jury may request an interview. This can either be face-to-face or online.
No, since you can apply to more than one program in the same application, you just need to pay the application fee once.
We only accept one application per intake. If your application was unsuccessful and you wish to reapply to our Master Programs, we strongly recommend you to improve your profile and to wait for the next intake.
If you are a non-European (Non-EU) Citizen, you will need to ask for a Visa. If you become a CATÓLICA-LISBON full-time MSc student – you will have to request a Residence Visa for Study Purposes (which will allow you to require, once in Portugal, a Resident Permit for Students in Higher Education). Based on our experience, we recommend you not to request a Student Visa (which can only be temporarily extended and does not allow you to request a Resident Permit for Students in Higher Education).
Even though it is the students’ responsibility to deal with the Portuguese Immigration and Border Services and to obtain a visa, our International Relations Office will be pleased to give you advice on visa related matters upon your enrollment.
For additional information click here.
Master students are required by law to present an original or an authenticated copy of their Undergraduate Diploma/Certificate at the Central Administrative Services by the end of October.
Yes. The Bologna guidelines designate a PhD program as the third cycle. According to these guidelines, access to a PhD program can no longer be granted straight from a first cycle Bachelor Degree.