Master of Arts in Social Sciences (Global Studies Programme) University of Freiburg

The Master of Arts in Social Sciences (Global Studies Programme) is the oldest higher degree of its kind worldwide. It is an interdisciplinary international programme comprising sociology, political science, anthropology, and human geography. During the two years of the programme, students work in these disciplines at prestigious institutions on three continents. The high-ranking institutions offer students a unique study experience, while at the same time, students have the exceptional opportunity to learn outside the classroom through the Master's programme. They study together all around the world as a group composed of students from all corners of the globe. The intercultural, interdisciplinary, and intercontinental experience makes them experts in the currents of globalisation and their study.

In the Global Studies Programme (GSP), students acquire profound theoretical knowledge, methodological training, and practical skills for the comparative analysis of the social, political, economic, and cultural dimensions of globalisation processes in a research-led institutional framework. Students learn to approach social phenomena and processes of globalisation from at least four disciplines, comprising sociology, political science, anthropology, and human geography.

Due to the fundamental insight that all global processes are at the same time of local-regional as well as of global-transregional importance, the programme aims at understanding the manifestations of transnational processes on the concrete local/regional level and the interdependencies between different regions as well as between regional and global processes. Accordingly, students learn to analyse the various forms, manifestations and impacts of globalisation from different regional perspectives.

As social scientists, the students examine a variety of social phenomena and institutions in an interconnected interdependent world. The thematic focus here depends on current global events and regional research interests. These can include migration, social movements and civil society, inequalities, climate politics/sustainability, pandemics, populism, and knowledge production, to only name a few.

Studying at three places on three different continents in a flexible and student-centred learning environment with international faculty makes students aware of the relativity and constructedness of societies, politics, and cultures. Besides their further qualification as experts of transnational interconnections and interdependencies, it strengthens their intercultural competence.

The course of study comprises of three semesters on three different continents, each covering four modules. The four modules are globalisation, global governance, cultural change, and methodology. Each module corresponds to one course per semester. This is followed by an international internship and a final thesis semester. All courses are held in the style of lectures or seminars and are weighted equally.

Chulalongkorn University (Bangkok), FLACSO Argentina (Buenos Aires), Jawaharlal Nehru University (New Delhi) and the University of Cape Town (Cape Town)

An internship of at least three weeks, between the third and fourth semesters, is a mandatory component of the programme.

• BA with above-average results or the equivalent in a social science discipline or a related subject
• Motivation letter (600 words)
• Essay (max. 800 words excluding references)
• English language skills (at least B2)

190 EUR per semester:

• Administrative fee: 80 EUR
• Contribution to the constituted student body: 7 EUR
• Contribution to the student union: 103 EUR

Participants must ensure that sufficient funding is available to finance their participation in a course of study. The average cost of living in Freiburg for one month is currently approx. 850 EUR to 1,000 EUR.

Some details:

• Rooms in private accommodation, including extra costs: 350 EUR – 700 EUR
• Rooms in student residences, including extra costs: 250 EUR – 550 EUR
• Private expenses amount to around 350 EUR per month.
• Health insurance is available for approx. 120 EUR per month.
• Transport: A special student ticket for regional transport costs approx. 96 EUR per semester.

As Freiburg is an attractive city, finding a suitable and affordable place to live can take a little while. The University of Freiburg offers all newly enrolled international students the possibility to apply for student housing via the International Office. In addition to these dormitories, which are run by the Studierendenwerk Freiburg (www.swfr.de/en), several independent residence halls are listed on the university website (https://uni-freiburg.de/internationaloffice/housing/). The Studierendenwerk Freiburg and the International Office also offer a list of available private rooms.