The Master’s program “Sociology – European Societies” is a research-oriented program. This implies that the content of studies is chosen according to actual research questions and is taught by experts of the field. Their aim is to enable students to conduct empirical research on their own by providing them with the methodological and analytical skills necessary. The research orientation of the Master’s program is complemented by the involvement of two renowned research centers, the Berlin Social Science Center (WZB) and the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW), as well as by research projects conducted at the Institute of Sociology. Thus, students obtain insights into the research process both within and besides their courses. In addition, a lot of our students work as student assistants for a variety of research projects. This does not only provide an additional income, but it allows students to gain experience in actual research.

It is the aim of the Master’s program to enable students to use the theoretical and empirical tools of Sociology in order to:

• Describe and explain socio-structural, economic, and cultural differences of EU member states in a scientifically elaborated manner;
• Analyze the development of a common European society and the changes within European nation states caused by economic and political integration;
• Analyze Europe in the context of globalization and in contrast to other world regions.