Sociology and Social Research - MSc

Explore pressing societal issues

What glues a society together? How can trust and cooperation be promoted and conflict be avoided? What is the role of social networks, social norms and formal institutions in these processes? What causes inequality in general and inequality between men and women in the job market in particular? Why do immigrants have higher unemployment rates and lower-paid jobs? How do environments and institutions shape people’s values, attitudes and behaviours? And how do these individuals’ values, attitudes and behaviours shape society at large?

In the Master’s programme Sociology and Social Research, you will learn how to answer these questions. We will teach you to develop explanations for relevant social phenomena using state-of-the-art theory from Sociology, but also other disciplines such as Economics and Psychology. You will test these explanations using quantitative empirical research methods.

This programme is closely related to the research programme of the Department of Sociology and is embedded in the Interuniversity Centre for Social Science Theory and Methodology (ICS). The programme is recognised as a high quality programme and has been awarded high ratings by different organisations in the Netherlands. 

International orientation and individual development

The programme’s international character offers you global perspectives on sociological topics as well as a broad range of research opportunities. About 40% of our students come from abroad and prominent international scholars teach masterclasses. During your electives, you have the opportunity to follow courses or do an internship at another university or research institute in the Netherlands or abroad. You will be able to choose your thesis topic from a broad range of topics.

Programme objective

In this two-year Master’s programme, you will learn to operate as a highly qualified social science researcher. You will integrate social theory and state-of-the-art quantitative empirical research methods. You will have the opportunity to make choices that fit your goals, by choosing to do an internship and by selecting the topic of your thesis from a list of major sociological research questions, provided by our excellent researchers and lecturers who will be your supervisors. Interdisciplinary cooperation and methodical rigor are the basis for a creative addressing of today’s and future societal challenges, and these are the skills that you will acquire in the Master’s programme Sociology and Social Research. Your studies will prepare you for a career that requires strong research skills in the public or private sector, or as a PhD student.

Visit the Sociology and Social Research - MSc page on the Utrecht University website for more details!