The students are intended to improve their ability of putting their acquired knowledge into practice, so as to: 1) encourage a qualified professional performance, specialised in social and political reality; 2) develop the practice of scientific research by learning how to articulate  various types of knowledge with research methods and techniques.

The Master's course in Political Science has an experienced faculty composed by Portuguese and international professors, with a broad curriculum in the fields of teaching and political research. A great part of the faculty is connected to the Centre for Research and Studies in Sociology (CIES-IUL), a research centre that has always maintained the classification of Excellent in the evaluations carried out by Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (Foundation for Science and Technology). The students are encouraged to develop empirical research and to apply their knowledge in a professional context, namely by means of undergoing internships in the considerable number of public and private institutions, with which Iscte has established protocols.