General Information
Students in the Master Program Social Policy bring in a wide range of different university degrees within the social sciences with differing methodological and theoretical qualifications. It is one of the main purposes of the introductory modules to guarantee that all students acquire a consistent and integrated basic knowledge of the essential fields of social policy research.
The module Comparative and European social policy deals with the development and analysis of social policy in Europe and beyond from a comparative point of view. Governance focuses on the institutional arrangements and administrative procedures with regard to social policy. In all these modules students are introduced to the relevant literature in the field and should be enabled to apply the concepts and theories in their own research.
In the second semester, students have a module on Inequality and Justice and they can deepen their knowledge in one specific field of social policy. Students can choose between three different fields:
- Health Care System and Health Care Policy
- Work and Social Security
- European Labour Studies
In their third semester, students either go abroad for one semester or they do a research internship. Students who have decided to specialise in European Labour studies spend the third semester abroad in one of the partner universities of the MEST network. Students with a specialisation in Health Care System and Policy or Work and Social Security start a research internship in an academic institution or an institution of social security. The internship is followed by a colloquium. Students finish their studies in the fourth semester with their M.A. Thesis, which is accompanied by a research colloquium during their last semester.
