Sociology
Sociology (M.A.)
The focus of the explicitly research-oriented Master’s degree program “Sociology” at the Institute of Sociology at FAU is to develop sociological questions theoretically guided, to implement them in an empirical research design, and to conduct the research, and its evaluation.
- Degree
- Master of Arts (M.A.)
- Duration of studies in semester
- 4
- Start of degree program
- Summer semester, Winter semester
- Study location
- Erlangen
- Number of students
- 1-50
- Subject group
- Economic Sciences, Law
- Special ways to study
- Part-time degree program
- Teaching language
- completely in German
- Admission Requirements
- Qualification assessment
What is the degree program about?
The Master’s degree program in Sociology is designed to provide our graduates with systematic theoretical and methodological knowledge of the subject and, according to their research-oriented specialization, the skills to independently design, conduct and complete a sociological research project. With the degree, they also have the professional prerequisites necessary for a doctorate.
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The Master’s degree program “Sociology” has a standard period of study of four semesters. It is a consecutive research-oriented degree program with 120 ECTS credits, of which 20 ECTS credits must be earned in a supplementary subject.
In the first semester, the theoretical and methodological foundations are laid and an initial focus is placed on content. In the second and third semesters, students work on a concrete teaching research project in a two-semester research seminar (qualitatively or quantitatively oriented) and also complete two additional content areas and the supplementary subject. In the fourth semester, the independent scientific achievement is developed in the form of the master’s thesis.
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The tools for research are, on the one hand, the current theoretical approaches of sociology (including its history of development) and the common quantitative and qualitative methods of social research. Based on these foundations, our programs offer specific master’s courses in the specialized subject areas of work&organization, education&life course, culture&communication, and comparative social analysis. Thus, a sustainable occupation with intensive supervision is possible.
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For a Master’s degree in sociology, you should be prepared to read a lot and also to deal with challenging texts, which may also require a higher level of reading and discussion.
The courses in Methods of Empirical Social Research require that you deal with the computational procedures of statistics. Accordingly, mathematical understanding is an advantage. Computers usually do the actual computational work, but an understanding of the procedures is necessary for interpreting the results.
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The research orientation enables graduates of the Master’s degree program to conduct empirical research in accordance with scientific standards, or to receive research results and make them usable for practical purposes – a qualification that is required and in demand in an increasing number of non-university fields of work far beyond the area of university social science research.
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- Admission requirements (first semester)
- Qualification assessment
- Application deadline winter semester
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15.07.
- Application deadline summer semester
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15.01.
- Content-related admission requirements
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If you would like to apply for the Master’s program in Sociology, you should have a B.A. in Sociology (grade at least 2.5). For applicants with an overall grade of the degree or, in the case of § 34 para. 4 ABMStPO/Phil, an average of the previous performance of 2.51 to 3.00, a selection interview will take place; the other applicants will not be admitted to the second stage of the qualification determination procedure and will receive a rejection notice with appropriate reasons. In order to be admitted, applicants from other disciplines or related disciplines must provide evidence of sociological knowledge amounting to at least 50 ECTS and may be required to acquire additional sociology credits within one year. In exceptional cases, students who are enrolled in a Bachelor’s program may be admitted to the Master’s program if they have earned at least 140 ECTS credits. However, this is strongly discouraged because the workload in the master’s program is very high and there is hardly any time to catch up on achievements from the bachelor’s program.
Language skills
- German language skills for international applicants
- DSH 2 or equivalent
- Details and notes
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Only part-time study is possible when starting in the summer semester.
Do you need help or more information?
Our Student Advice and Career Service (IBZ) is the central point of contact for all questions about studying and starting a degree programme. Our Student Service Centres and subject advisors support you in planning your studies.