The Research Master’s programme in Social and Cultural Science has a course load of 120 EC (two years). Half of the Master’s programme in Social and Cultural Science consists of practical research training.
In the first year, you will do a research project in which you conduct a small-scale empirical research under guided supervision of a researcher. You will write your process and research results like a scientific journal paper. The project is done in small groups (2-3 students) and prepares you well to independently conduct a comparative empirical social science study for your Master’s thesis in the second year.
Core of the programme
In the core of the programme, students will be made familiar with the theories and methodological approaches that bind the different social science disciplines. The courses that constitute the core are followed by all students together. This ensures multidisciplinary views on the research themes inequality, cohesion and cultural diversity. Furthermore, you will can choose from restricted elective courses and free electives so shape the programme to match your interests.
Electives
During the programme students may choose elective courses (4 EC in year 1 and 6 EC in year 2). In choosing your electives, you have the opportunity to select Master's courses offered within or outside the faculty or even outside Radboud University. To give you some inspiration, please have a look at the following list of courses (pdf, 154 kB) that previous students have followed as elective course. Students have to apply for approval for elective courses by the examination board. For more information on the procedure see the EER of Social and Cultural Science.
Master’s thesis
For your Master’s thesis you are completely free to tackle any social issue in the disciplines of sociology, anthropology, development studies, political science or communication science. Important is the ability to reflect on the societal significance of your research question and the societal importance of your research. The end product will be a manuscript ready to be submitted to a scientific journal. A large number of our students have been able to publish papers based on their thesis which is a great start to a promising career in research.