Why do social inequalities arise? How do political decisions really work? And how can social developments be analysed empirically? In the Bachelor's degree programme in Social Sciences, you will learn to systematically analyse social and political processes - on the basis of social science theories and empirical data.

What you can expect: The degree programme combines exciting theories from sociology and political science with broad training in empirical methods. You will learn how to collect, analyse and critically interpret quantitative and qualitative data, e.g. in interviews and surveys, using both quantitative statistical procedures and qualitative research methods.

The central contents include

• Methods of scientific work
• Introductions to sociological and political science theories
• Organisational and microsociology
• Analysing the social structures and inequalities of a society
• International relations
• Quantitative and qualitative methods of empirical social research

You will not only learn how to talk about society - you will learn how to study it scientifically and produce well-founded analyses!

Teaching research is a special element of the programme. In small groups, you will develop your own research question, collect data and analyse it under professional supervision. This allows you to gain practical research experience early on and build up in-depth theoretical, analytical and methodological skills.

You can set your own specialisations in the compulsory elective area. From a wide range of special sociology and political science specialisations, you can choose topics that are of particular interest to you and give your studies an individual profile, e.g. in the fields of work and education, political sociology, electoral research, migration or special empirical methods.

The degree programme is primarily aimed at students who want to understand and critically classify social developments and develop well-founded analyses and recommendations on this basis. Graduates work wherever scientific knowledge, data handling and analytical thinking are required. They often analyse or interpret current data, assess social developments, design and evaluate programmes or prepare empirical results in the form of reports, expert opinions and advice for decision-makers.

The degree programme does not qualify you for traditional academic appointments in social work or similar educational or therapeutic activities. Instead, you will acquire the skills to investigate social problems from a social science perspective, analyse them with data and prepare results for politics, administration and organisations - skills that are becoming increasingly important in an increasingly data-driven world.

As part of your studies, you will develop the ability to analyse complex social contexts and develop evidence-based decision-making principles.

If you would like to gain international experience as part of a semester abroad, the 5th semester is suitable for this, as all compulsory courses in the introductory phase have been completed.

The programme concludes with an internship and a Bachelor's thesis. Both offer you the opportunity to further sharpen your profile, gain practical experience and make your first academic appointments.

Possible fields of activity include

• national and international organisations and NGOs
• public administration
• Policy advice and think tanks
• foundations and project management organisations
• Educational planning and educational management
• Market, opinion and social research
• Human resources and strategy departments of companies
• Management consultancy and organisational development
• Media, journalism and data-based research
• Science and research

Module guide

Select „Originalversion als PDF” in the action area on the left-hand side under 'Aktuelle Modulhandbücher'.