Sociology and Social Research University of Trento

Overview

Introduction

This Master’s degree is a two-year program that provides advanced training for positions of the social researcher in private research institutes in the field of marketing and communication, customer satisfaction and opinion research, as well as in public research institutions (for instance, institutes and foundations involved in education research or in the analysis of labor market and welfare trends). This Master also provides a strong background for students interested in doctoral studies in the field of sociology and social research.

Specifically, this Master's program equips students with an in-depth knowledge of statistical and qualitative techniques to analyze social trends. The methodology courses of the first year have a strong applied orientation, as they entail the active participation of students in laboratory activities and seminars (for example, learning how to design a questionnaire, building a web survey, learning how to use statistical software, carrying out in-depth interviews and focus groups).

The Master has a strong international orientation. The courses are taught in English, students are funded to spend study periods abroad in European and non-European countries and we have double degree agreements with the prestigious universities of Pompeu Fabra (Barcelona, Spain), Tilburg (the Netherlands), Bamberg (Germany), Katholische Universität Eichstätt-Ingolstadt (Germany), Higher School of Economics National Research University St. Petersburg (Russia), as well as a double degree with the universities of Karls-Franzens-Universität Graz (Austria), Masaryk University (Czech Republic) in the framework of the Cultural Sociology Degree.

About the Master

We are the leading department in Italy in the field of sociological research and we have international research collaborations with several prestigious universities, including Oxford, Yale, Berkley. The University of Trento is ranked first in the national ranking of Italian Universities published yearly by the Italian Ministry of Education. The University of Trento, despite its small size, if compared with the top universities, is steadily ranked among the 500 top universities in the Times Higher-QS World University Ranking. It has also been ranked among the best Italian Universities by the Times Higher Education (THE) international ranking.

Curriculum

The first year is entirely devoted to theoretical and methodology courses offered to all students that cover not only sociological methods, but also interdisciplinary methods for historical and political research. 

The second year provides students with a sociological specialization through elective courses, internship, thesis seminar and thesis drafting for final dissertation.

Career Opportunities

This Master’s degree is a two-year program that provides advanced training for positions of the social researcher in private research institutes in the field of marketing and communication, customer satisfaction and opinion research, as well as in public research institutions (for instance, institutes and foundations involved in education research or in the analysis of labor market and welfare trends). This Master also provides a strong background for students interested in doctoral studies in the field of sociology and social research.

The number of international exchange opportunities offered to students by the University of Trento is significant at all levels of studies (Bachelor, Master, and Doctorate). The University management is strongly convinced that an experience in two different institutions can do a lot to improve the skills of the students and to strengthen their curriculum for their occupational future at a national, European and international level.