Erasmus University Rotterdam - Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences

Master in Social Inequalities

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?

Why is the gap in social, behavioural, and financial outcomes between individuals from higher and lower social strata increasing over time? Why are family ties becoming more important in order to be successful in life? How can welfare policies help to reduce social inequality in a given society? This master's programme offers insights into the causes and consequences of social and wealth inequality and sheds light on ways in which social policies can reduce it.

At the local, national and global levels, an intense period of social transformation and fragmentation can be observed. Catchphrases such as detraditionalisation, globalisation, neo-liberalization and automation involve real transformations of work and family life, of cities and states, and of citizens’ entitlements and international mobilities. Certainties in work are increasingly being replaced by uncertainties in the course of flexibilisation. Migration 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, scientists, politicians and policymakers realise that it is vital to gain a better understanding of social inequalities. It enables them to address these issues.