Power, Publics and Engagement Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences (ESSB), Erasmus University Rotterdam

Is this the programme you're looking for?

If you're interested in how algorithms can be racist, how your smartphone is a political object, or how climate change becomes an issue through activist engagement, this master programme (MSc) is for you.

The study programme in a nutshell

• provides the tools to critically analyze the key issues of today;
• works from, and helps develop, students own engagement with those issues;
• has dedicated professors, awarded with the best teacher awards by students in their department, and with experience in public social science;
• has small-scale, interactive tutorials, with lots of attention for the individual student;
• improves students’ ability to meaningfully work with people who come from a variety of backgrounds.

What you will learn

This programme doesn’t place one issue front and center. It provides you with the tools to navigate and broker public issues, to develop your own engagement with them and to intervene in them.

Is this the right programme for you?

This programme: 

• improves students’ ability to meaningfully work with people who come from a variety of backgrounds and have different types of expertise.
• The Social Sciences Department of Erasmus University Rotterdam ranks the highest of all of the continental European universities in the Shanghai Ranking

Career opportunities after graduation

The ability to dissect major public issues and to consider them from multiple perspectives is key whether you will be a journalist, NGO worker, teacher, social worker, entrepreneur or policy maker.

Entry requirements

Prior education

Depending on the specialisation you wish to apply for, you are eligible for admission to the master’s programme Sociology if you have obtained a relevant Bachelor’s or undergraduate degree* from a research university that includes at least 7.5 EC in social science research methods and techniques, in the following fields of study:  

• Social Sciences; 
• Psychology; 
• Political Science; 
• Media- & Culture Science; 
• Public Administration; 
• Communication Science; 
• Science & Technology Studies; 
• Economics; 
• Pedagogical Sciences; 
• Health Sciences, Policy & Management; 
• Philosophy; 
• Anthropology. 

If you have successfully completed a comparable bachelor’s or undergraduate degree* in disciplines related to sociology, and that includes at least 7.5 EC in social science research methods and techniques, you may also be eligible for admission to the master’s programme Sociology. This depends on the contents of your prior education. Examples of some bachelor’s degrees with which you may be eligible for admission are: European Studies, International Relations, Political Sciences, Liberal Arts & Sciences. When you apply to the master’s specialisation of your preference, the Admissions Committee will assess whether you are eligible for direct admission to that master’s specialisation.  

We expect a comparable degree in disciplines related to sociology to include courses in sociology and courses related to the specialization of your preference. 

* Comparable to the Dutch academic level according to the standards of the Dutch Organisation for International Cooperation in Higher Education (Nuffic).

Read more here: Admission requirements for Master Power, Publics and Engagement | Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences | Erasmus University Rotterdam