Double MA Degree in Sociology

Participants acquire a double Master's degree either from the University of Trento (Sociology and Social Research), the University Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona (Sociology and Demography), or the University of Tilburg (Sociology), combined with a Master's degree in Sociology from the University of Bamberg. In the Trento programme, students can spend their first year either in Trento or in Bamberg. Students in the remaining two programmes spend their first year in Bamberg, and their second year in either Barcelona or Tilburg. Trento: The double degree programme with Trento focuses on social research.  The combination of the two international degrees is the perfect synergy to achieve skills pertinent to sociology and social research. In the first year, students select courses from the following different sociological fields: Sociological Theory, Research Design, Data Collection, and Methods of Data Analysis (Quantitative and Qualitative Methods). The second year offers a choice between the following two focus topics: "Education, Labour, Inequality" or "Communication and Internet". The focus on "Education, Labour, Inequality" gives students the opportunity to choose between supplementary courses in Social Inequality and Social Structure Analysis, Methods and Statistics, and specific sociological subjects related to the focus area (e.g. Education, Labour Market). "Communication and Internet" entails elective courses in Sociological Theory of Culture, Methods and Statistics, and specific sociological subjects like Technology and Communication. Barcelona: The double-degree programme with Barcelona has a strong emphasis on sociology and demography. As in Trento, in this programme students follow advanced data analysis courses including the use of STATA. During the two-year period, students attend some mandatory courses and some elective ones. The first year entails mandatory courses like Sociological Theory, Research Design, and Empirical Research Methods. The second part contains elective courses in the area of Demography and Family as well as Migration and Integration. In their second year, students have to take the following obligatory courses in the area of socio-demographic analysis: Demographic Changes and Social Dynamics, Social Policy and the Welfare State, Analysis of Social Inequalities and Family, and Gender and Society. Two courses are electives in the thematic area of Migration and Society or Health and Inequality. These programmes offer students the possibility of discovering different branches of research while studying at well-known universities and learning interdisciplinary approaches. Tilburg: The complete double-degree programme can be studied like a normal two-year programme because both universities have agreed on a list of courses that are mutually recognised. During the first semester, students will be assisted in designing their individual study plans. In Bamberg, students take courses in Sociological Theory, Research Design, and Advanced Methods of Data Acquisition. Four elective courses in Advanced Methods of Data Analysis and two in Education and Work in the Life Course are provided in Bamberg. In Tilburg, students take courses in Social Capital, Social Policy and Social Risks, Social Structure of Western Societies, Populism in Comparative Perspective, and the Theory of Research.