The degree program begins in the winter semester and has a standard duration of study of six semesters. During the first three semesters, students are taught fundamental knowledge of sociology, psychology, economics and data science. During the fourth semester, students choose between three specializations. The specialization “Economy, Work, and Inequality” prepares students for work in HR departments or in the field of political consulting. The specialization “Digitalization and Media” is suited to all those who would like to work in market and media research or public relations. The specialization “Global Governance and Sustainability” offers students the opportunity to specialize in tasks in international organizations or in the field of social corporate responsibility.

A copy of the degree program structure is available on the degree program website.

Students can select between three specializations: “Economy, Work, and Inequality”, “Digitalization and Media” and “Global Governance and Sustainability” at the beginning of the fourth semester. All three specializations are divided into core subjects and one free elective.

Core subjects teach fundamental knowledge for the specialization.

The core subjects of the specialization “Economy, Work, and Inequality” include the modules “Economy, Organization, and Social Inequality”, “Fundamentals of Social Policy”, “Human Resources and Organization” as well as “Occupations, Labor, Human Resources”.

The specialization “Digitalization and Media” includes the modules “Digital Technologies and Society”, “Consumer Behavior”, “Social Networks” and “Occupational Psychology and Digitalization”.

The specialization “Global Governance and Sustainability” includes the modules “Global Governance”, “International Comparative Analysis of Social Structure”, “The Sustainability Governance of Global Supply Chains” and “European Climate Policy”.

In the free elective, students can choose from a wide range of specialization modules according to their own individual interests. They can also choose to take another of the three specializations using their free elective, which is then also included on their degree certificate.

The relevant selection options within the specializations are listed in the individual study plans and the module handbook. The subject advisors can offer assistance in choosing and combining modules.

Good prerequisites for successfully completing the Bachelor’s degree program in Socioeconomics include:

• An interest in questions related to economics and social issues
• An interest in school subjects such as politics, civic education, economics, and geography
• No fear of subjects like mathematics and English, since the degree program contains modules in statistics and subjects taught in English (however, they do not have to be your favorite subjects either).
• An awareness that socioeconomics is not the same as degree programs such as social work or social education. Graduates of socioeconomics do not usually work in counseling services, rather, they analyze and organize needs and measures.

Our students’ café, called “Der Trichter”, is the perfect place to take a break and meet fellow students.

Due to the interdisciplinary nature of the degree program, it opens up an extremely wide range of career options for graduates. Employers value the fact that socioeconomists are able to analyze problems from a variety of perspectives and that they can back up their arguments with data.

After completing their degree, most graduates of socioeconomics work in the following fields:

• Human resources and organization development
• Research and teaching
• Marketing
• Political consulting, NGO or associations
• International project management
• Market and media research
• International organizations
• Public relations
• Corporate social responsibility
• Consulting, e.g. in digital transformation