Are you interested in social scientific research, and do you want to pursue a career in academic or (non-academic) research environments? The Research Master Social Sciences (RMSS) is designed for excellent students with an interest in research from multidisciplinary and disciplinary perspectives. Due to an extensive focus on advanced quantitative, qualitative and mixed research skills, students who have finished the RMSS will be able to carry out high quality scientific research independently.

The Research Master Social Sciences offers you advanced training in contemporary social science research. The programme combines advanced social theory with innovative methodologies in a rigorous and multidisciplinary social science research environment.

Specialisations 

You will specialise in one of five fields of research:

• Institutions, inequality and life courses
• Anthropology of healthcare and the body, 
• Comparative international politics, 
• Globalisation, flows and localities, 
• and Migration and integration.

During the programme, you will choose between three research methods tracks: empirical-analytical, interpretative, and mixed. All tracks offer a wide range of advanced research methods courses.

Research internship 

An internship allows students to become actively involved in ongoing research projects. The final thesis takes the shape of a manuscript that can be directly submitted to an international peer-reviewed journal.

What is a Research Master's programme?

Research Master's programmes are two-year programmes specifically designed for excellent students aiming for a career in research. These programmes include additional research methodology, skills training, as well as hands-on experience in the top research groups of the Amsterdam Institute for Social Science Research.

The programmes prepare students for writing a PhD thesis and an academic career, as well as for a research oriented career outside academia. 

In this video, the features of a Research Master's programme are explained by a current student, an alumni and an academic staff member: 

Student profile

A defining feature of this Research Master’s programme is the extensive focus on research skills. You will obtain these skills through substantive and methods courses, as well as during a six to eight week internship.

Competencies

You will be able to tackle modern social challenges and problems through innovative and multidisciplinary social science research, both in academic and non-academic research environments. You will gain the ability to formulate socially and scientifically relevant research problems within the key areas of social sciences. The programme develops your capacity to construct a research design to solve these problems through the use of advanced quantitative and/or qualitative techniques. You will be able to report on their research process and conclusions clearly and concisely. 

Focus on research

The RMSS is strongly affiliated to strong research groups of the Amsterdam Institute of Social Science Research (AISSR), which is one of the most prestigious institutes of its kind. Striving for research based education, we select our best scholars and our best teachers as staff in our programme. The teachers incorporate their ongoing research as part of the courses. Their extremely broad range of interests and their elaborate research experience provide students with a complex and thorough picture a range of social and political processes.

Degree certificate 

Upon successful completion of the Research Master's programme in Social Sciences students receive a Master of Science (MSc) degree in Social Sciences (Research).