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?

The ?programme offered by??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.??

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.

Careers

There is a need in society for well-trained researchers with extensive knowledge of social science theories and methodologies. This Master?s programme connects with current major social issues and prepares you for a career in research, whether in academia (PhD training), at research institutes, or governmental organisations. You will also be prepared for a non-scientific career path.