Master in Social Inequalities
Rotterdam, Netherlands
DURATION
1 Years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
17 Jun 2025*
EARLIEST START DATE
Sep 2025
TUITION FEES
Request tuition fees
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* application deadline for non-EEA students: 15 May.
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?
How are social inequalities produced and maintained? Why are family ties becoming more important in order to be successful in life? How can public policies help to reduce social inequalities? This master programme offers insights into the causes and consequences of social inequality and sheds light on ways in which public policies can reduce it.
At the local, national and global levels, an intense period of social transformation and fragmentation can be observed. We are witnesses to increasing social and political polarisation in our communities and countries while catchphrases such as detraditionalisation, globalisation, neoliberalism and automation involve real transformations of work and family life, of cities and states, and of people’s entitlements and international mobilities. Historic forces, such as colonization, are increasingly entering the public sphere of conversation as we connect the dots to pervasive inequalities today. Migration, whether voluntary or forced, 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, it is vital to gain a better understanding of social inequalities to spur change.
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?
In this society studies programme, we want to understand the complex interplay between social structure, family environment and individual behaviour. Therefore, it is important to bridge divisions between disciplines. This provides a detailed understanding of the ways in which social inequality manifests itself across diverse communities and contexts. Both at the national and international level.
Due to the unique interdisciplinary approach, you will learn to answer questions like:
- How do social divisions such as race, ethnicity, class and gender frame our experiences of inequalities the world?
- What has been the impact of the recent economic crisis on individuals' living and working conditions, their family and career choices, and on social inequalities?
- How does the interaction between markets (e.g. availability, quality, and cost of services) and states (e.g. social policies and national laws) shape family experiences and social inequalities?
- What is 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)?
- How can policies and institutions produce, maintain, mitigate, or exacerbate social inequalities?
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 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.
After graduation
After the completion of this master 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 in 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 on individual life courses and outcomes;
- be able to illustrate how public policies and institutions mitigate social risks while they simultaneously produce new ones (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 transferable skills in research, analysis and communication, as well as in-depth knowledge that can be applied across a range of domains and contexts.
Program Tuition Fee
Program Admission Requirements
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