Published 31 March 2006
Admission criteria Admission criteria
Type of master Master
Language of instruction English
Duration of programme 1 year (Part-time study is not possible)
Track of the MSc in Sociology
Title Master of Science (MSc)
CROHO-code 66601 (Sociologie)
Brochure Download brochure here (PDF)

Social Theory and Public Affairs (MSc)

The MSc in Social Theory and Public Affairs allows students to develop a grasp of social theory and public affairs, their symbiosis and their role in the modern world. It focuses specifically on social sciences approach to issues in public affairs, working on the assumption that the practical challenges encountered public service and the theories developed in academic work in the social sciences should be mutually informing. The historical and comparative dimensions emphasised in the majority of the courses train students to analyse public affairs issues from a fundamentally interdisciplinary perspective, and to locate them in various sociological, political and cultural contexts.

Studying Social Theory and Public affairs at the University of Amsterdam

The Master's programme in Social Theory and Public Affairs is a flexible programme, which  gives students the opportunity to choose research topics that are relevant to their own interests and experiences. Students can increase the interdisciplinarity of their programme by taking electives from other related programmes at the Graduate School of Social Sciences. The University of Amsterdam is a major international centre for research in the social sciences, and many of the lecturers in the Master's programme are researchers at the Amsterdam School for Social science Research (ASSR). In particular, the ASSR's ‘Institutions, Inequalities and Internationalisation' research cluster houses researchers whose work deals with issues in social theory and public affairs. Graduates of the Master's programme are in an excellent position to apply for the ASSR's international, English-language PhD programme. 

What our students say

Click here to read the testimonial Barak Kalir, programme director and lecturer of/in the Master's programme Social Theory and Public Affairs.

Accreditation and degree

Students of the Master's programme in Social Theory and Public Affairs receive a Master's degree in Sociology (Sociologie). The quality of this Master's degree has been accredited by the Accreditation Organisation of The Netherlands and Flanders (NVAO). This means that upon successful completion of the Master's programme in Social Theory and Public Affairs students will receive a legally recognised Master of Science (MSc) degree.

You can find more information on accreditation and degrees through the links below.

Source: Graduate School of Social Sciences