Master in Social Inequalities
Erasmus University Rotterdam - Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences
Key Information
Campus location
Rotterdam, Netherlands
Languages
English
Study format
On-Campus
Duration
1 year
Pace
Full time
Tuition fees
Request info
Application deadline
15 Jun 2024
Earliest start date
Sep 2024
Introduction
Is this the programme you're looking for?
Why are social divisions in society increasing? Are you interested in knowing how welfare policies can help to reduce social inequality? Then this master track might be the right choice for you.
The study programme in a nutshell
The programme consists of 60 ECTS. Three core courses and a thesis together add up to 45 ECTS focused on the master programme specialisation Social Inequalities. The remaining 15 ECTS are devoted to a methods course and an elective. Please click on one of the courses in the programme overview below to see the course descriptions.
Electives
The programme features one elective in block 2, but an elective can also be selected from courses offered in other master’s specialisations in Sociology.
Mode of education
Each core course is composed of a series of lectures and small-scale tutorials. The lectures present the main theoretical and empirical insights about the topic of the course. In the tutorials, students learn to analyse and apply these insights by discussing and presenting various assignments in small groups.
The curriculum is subject to alteration. No rights can be derived from this information (including the information via the links).
What does this study entail?
Why is the gap in social, behavioural, and financial outcomes between individuals from higher and lower social strata increasing over time? Why are family ties becoming more important in order to be successful in life? How can welfare policies help to reduce social inequality in a given society? This master's programme offers insights into the causes and consequences of social and wealth inequality and sheds light on ways in which social policies can reduce it.
At the local, national and global levels, an intense period of social transformation and fragmentation can be observed. Catchphrases such as detraditionalisation, globalisation, neo-liberalization and automation involve real transformations of work and family life, of cities and states, and of citizens’ entitlements and international mobilities. Certainties in work are increasingly being replaced by uncertainties in the course of flexibilisation. Migration has changed the face and structure of both cities and families whereas new technologies transform both work and urban government. These social transformations have led to growing social inequalities across countries in the world. Within this context, scientists, politicians and policymakers realise that it is vital to gain a better understanding of social inequalities. It enables them to address these issues.
Curriculum
Block 1
- Social Inequalities: An introduction
- Social Science Research in practice
Block 2
- Families and Inequalities
- Elective
Block 3
- Governing Social Inequalities: The role of welfare states and labour market characteristics
- Thesis
Block 4
- Thesis
Electives
- Infrastructures of Power
- Political Attitudes and Behaviour in Context
Program Outcome
After the completion of this Master’s programme you will:
- Have developed theoretical awareness of different conceptions of the meaning of inequality.
- Be able to apply an interdisciplinary theoretical framework to analyse issues of social inequality.
- Have in-depth insight into the complex interplay between individual behaviour, family environment, organisational characteristics and social structure.
- Be able to assess the impact of changes on the macro-level (e.g. policy changes such as those aiming at higher levels of individual responsibility; parental leave) on individual life courses and outcomes (e.g. employment, health, and socioeconomic status).
- Be able to illustrate how the institutions of welfare states and the labour market mitigate social risks while they simultaneously produce new social risk (often as unintended consequences).
- Have critical, analytical and methodological skills with which you can deploy your specialist expertise in a clear, efficient and effective manner.
- Have developed transferable skills in research, analysis and communication, as well as in-depth knowledge that can be applied across a range of domains and contexts.
Ideal Students
Is this the right programme for you?
- A unique interdisciplinary perspective on social inequalities
- Insights into the causes and consequences of social inequality, while also shedding light on ways in which social policies can reduce social inequalities.
- Renown, active and engaged professors with extensive expertise
- Small-scale interactive tutorials to help develop in-depth insights and analytical skills
- An expansion of your professional network with participants from multiple countries
- An international MSc from a top 100 university external.
Career Opportunities
The master programme Social Inequalities is a comprehensive and wide-ranging programme. It provides an introduction to a range of interdisciplinary approaches to the social scientific analysis of social inequalities. This master's programme prepares you for policy, research and applied careers:
- in the government sector;
- at NGOs;
- in politics;
- in public administration;
- at social and health services
- in journalism and (human resource) management.
The programme will enable you to develop theoretical awareness of different conceptions of the meaning of inequality. It introduces you to different methods that can be applied to measure inequality, both quantitative and qualitative. In addition, this programme equips you with in-depth insight in the complex interplay between individual behaviour, family environment, organisational characteristics and social structure. The interdisciplinary nature of the programme provides you with critical, analytical and methodological skills. Thus, you are able to deploy your specialist expertise in a clear, efficient and effective manner. You will develop transferable skills in research, analysis and communication. Furthermore you develop in-depth knowledge you can apply across a range of domains and contexts.