This research master teaches you how social scientific research creates knowledge and how you may design and conduct your own empirical research. You will explore the main lines of theoretical inquiry and contribute to the academic debate.
You are eligible for admission to the research master if you meet the following requirements:
- You have or will obtain a university bachelor's degree in the social sciences or the arts.
- You have basic knowledge of social scientific research methods.
- You have an average grade of your prior education of at least 7,5 according to the Dutch grading system.
You meet our English language requirement when:
- You hold a Dutch VWO diploma and have a grade of 7 or higher for English on your final grade list;
- You are a native speaker of English (i.e. a national of one of the following countries: Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States of America) and you have received secondary education in English for at least two and a half years in one of the above countries;
- You have obtained your diploma of higher education in English (the entire programme) in one of the following countries: Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States of America.
- We usually deem bachelor programmes taught entirely in English at Western European or Scandinavian universities sufficient to meet the English language requirement as well.
If you do not meet one of the above requirements, then you need to demonstrate proof of proficiency in English through one of the following tests (you need to take the test in a test center, online IELTS and TOEFL tests are not allowed):
- IELTS Academic with a minimum overall band score of 7.0 and minimum sub scores of 6.5
- TOEFL iBT with a minimum score of 100 and minimum subscores of 23
- Cambridge C1 Advanced or Cambridge C2 Proficiency with a minimum score of 185
Important! Test scores may not be older than two years at the time of application. Note that it takes several weeks before the results of the tests are known. If you have not yet taken any English test, then we recommend that you take the IELTS or the TOEFL (you need to take the test in a test centre, online IELTS and TOEFL tests are not allowed).
Deadlines for submitting proof of English proficiency:
- Non-EEA students: 1 May
- EEA students: 1 August
Among candidates who meet the above requirements, a further selection is made on the basis of the following criteria:
- connection between prior education and the research master;
- Grade Point Average (GPA);
- academic writing and analytical skills;
- motivation letter;
- curriculum vitae;
- international background;
- reference letter.
Abridged programme
As a rule, students are admitted to the full two-year programme. If you have demonstrated academic excellence (minimum GPA of 8 and at least an 8 on your thesis) and motivation during one of the regular Erasmus University Rotterdam one-year master programmes in Sociology, Arts and Culture Studies or Media and your English meets the requirement, then you may apply for admission to an abridged version of the programme. If you are admitted, then you are exempt from the research traineeship and exchange, resulting in an abridged version of the programme of approximately one year.