Social and Cultural Science: Comparative Research on Societies (research)
Have you ever wondered how diversity, solidarity and inequality are connected? Or how to counter radicalisation? How segregation in social networks arises? How organisational processes influence inequality? This programme is the one for you!
Something for you?
- During this Master's programme, you will study topics such as inequality, cohesion and cultural diversity from a comparative societal perspective.
- Dialogue and discussion are central in the many small-group teaching sessions led by inspiring lecturers of the Master’s programme.
- In this Master's programme, you have the opportunity to collaborate with the best scholars of the research institute Radboud Social and Cultural Research.
- A large majority of our graduates start PhD- and other research positions; almost all of our graduates found work shortly after graduating.
This Master's programme teaches you how to perform high-quality cross-cultural comparative research. You'll learn how to translate social problems into empirical research questions and you will be trained in applying diverse theoretical approaches, research designs, data-collections and analyses to get the best possible answer. What's distinctive about the approach of this programme, is that we synthesise theories and methods of different disciplines, like sociology, anthropology, development studies, political science and communication science.
The three tracks of Social and Cultural Science
By choosing one of the tracks below, you will deepen your knowledge in an area that best matches your interests. The tracks have different theoretical and methodological focuses. All students have the possibility to further personalise their programme through elective courses or an (international) internship.
- Comparative Sociological Research. Questions regarding cohesion and inequality; has a focus on cohesion and inequality in Western societies and on quantitative research methods.
- Comparative Anthropological and Development Studies Research. Questions regarding Cultural Diversity and Inequality; focuses on cultural diversity and inequality in non-Western societies and on qualitative research methods.
- Comparative Political Research. Questions regarding political representation, conflict and inequality, focuses on political institutions and actors, in (non-)democracies and on quantitative and qualitative research methods. In this track, you gain insight into how inequalities, social and cultural diversity shape political interests, conflicts and power. Politics is much more than just elections; it’s also about interest groups such as trade unions, grass roots mobilisation, social movements, protests and revolutions. How do social cleavages create conflicting political interests, and how do political actors respond to this? How do institutions enable and constrain political actors, and when do they succeed or fail in creating change? You will learn how to address such questions through rigorous, theory-driven empirical research.
Na studia magisterskie mogą kandydować wszyscy, którzy ukończyli studia licencjackie lub inżynierskie (studia I stopnia), studia magisterskie lub studiują na ostatnim roku studiów I-stopnia. Studia, które planujesz powinny mieć zbliżony profil do tych obecnych lub ukończonych, ponieważ w procesie rekrutacji kluczowa jest ich zgodność programowa.
- Wykaz punktów ECTS – osoby, które są jeszcze w trakcie studiów, muszą załączyć wypis punktów ECTS, w którym będzie wykazane, jakie przedmioty były realizowane na studiach oraz ile punktów za nie otrzymano.
- Dyplom ukończenia studiów licencjackich lub inżynierskich – jeśli jesteś absolwentem wyższej uczelni, nie potrzebujesz wypisu, wystarczy załączyć dyplom ukończenia studiów wraz z suplementem (w języku angielskim lub oryginał z tłumaczeniem)
- Uwaga! Każdy kierunek magisterski może mieć inne wymagania i wymagać specyficznych dodatkowych dokumentów. Przed aplikacją sprawdź na stronie uczelni, jakich dokumentów potrzebujesz!
Spełnienie wymagań w zakresie języka angielskiego można udokumentować w następujący sposób:
- IELTS – 6.5
- TOEFL - 90
A Bachelor degree in Sociology, Cultural Anthropology and Development Studies or Communication Science.
Academic requirement: students who wish to apply must have sufficient experience in formulating research questions, proposing testable problem statements, and have mastered the procedures used in analysing tables as well as the methods and techniques needed to work effectively with data files.
The career prospects of a graduate of Social and Cultural Science are good; a large majority of our graduates gain PhD and other research positions. Almost all of our graduates found work shortly after graduating.
There are plenty of options open to graduates of the research Master’s in Social and Cultural Science, such as:
- Scientific research career (academia). The programme provides an excellent basis for a scientific research career and attaining PhD positions.
- Societal research career. Our graduates can also go on to have careers in relevant non-academic research and policy institutes like government ministries, Statistics Netherlands (CBS), The Netherlands Institute for Social Research (SCP) and The Netherlands Institute for the Study of Crime and Law Enforcement (NSCR) and foreign equivalents.
- Other. Of course, this Master’s programme does not close other doors. Students with a research Master’s are also highly sought after by (commercial) businesses and organisations because of their analytical and communication skills and in-depth understanding of social and cultural behaviour. Other careers, such as policymaker, manager, journalist, etc are certainly within reach.
