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The study objectives include the training of young academics in the fields of sociology and economics and in the interdisciplinary approach to the topics of labor, economics, and society as well as the ability to gain further academic qualifications in the context of a doctorate. Students should acquire knowledge of both disciplines at a high and internationally recognized level and benefit from the added value of the interdisciplinary approach in the fields of labor, the economy, and society. They should be able to apply scientific methods independently, take a problem-solving approach, and reflect critically on their work.

This includes the ability to work professionally and from sound academic understanding, for example, as an advisor or consultant in associations, staff councils, unions, political parties, (inter-) national organization, foundations, NGOs, parliaments, and to advise on and support activities in market and opinion research, as teachers,etc.

• The master's program consists of 4 required modules (theory module, methods module, research module, and final module) and one required elective module (interdisciplinary subject module) as well as the elective and transfer module.
• The ability to conduct independent research is a priority in this program. The research moduleis therefore at the heart of the course. it includes the research workshop that takes place for 4 credit hours per week each in the second and third semesters. The program focuses on learning through research, independent investigation of a topic, conception and realization of an independent study (ideally leading to the master’s thesis), in addition to the practice of research, moderation, and presentation techniques. The research workshop is led by tutors from sociology and economics respectively and is devoted to a broad topic area, enabling meaningful consideration of both disciplines through small-scale independent research projects.
• The theory module imparts theoretical knowledge of both disciplines in reading courses on established classics and the study of theoretical principles necessary to understanding different positions on justice, injustice, market logic, and welfare production.
• The methods module teaches basic and advanced quantitative and qualitative methodological knowledge of empirical economic and social research. The content of the courses in this module is linked as closely as possible to the methodological issues of the research workshop. The methods courses enable students to conduct empirical research on specific economic and sociopolitical topics both in the research workshop and in the other specialist courses. The methods module consists of the compulsory course Methods Basics: Quantitative and Qualitative data as well as 2 elective courses in which students can acquire in-depth knowledge of selected quantitative and qualitative methods.
• The interdisciplinary subject module offers students the opportunity to choose their own focus in the fields of sociology and economics and to freely choose specialist courses from both disciplines. The module includes 2 courses in economics and 2 courses in sociology to ensure that all students gain an in-depth understanding from the perspective of both disciplines. The module runs for 3 semesters. All classes in these modules are required electives.

• This offer is supplemented by courses from the elective and transfer module. Here, students have the opportunity to choose courses within the framework of 12 ECTS. The wide range of courses includes

  - further specialist courses from the interdisciplinary subject module and the methods module

  - open courses in other master's degree programs offered under the umbrella of the Faculty of Business, Economics and Social Sciences

  -language courses from the University Language Center with a maximum of 6 ECTS credits

• Th master's thesis is written in the fourth semester as part of the final module. Ideally, it follows on from the research conducted in the research workshop. Students thus benefit significantly from the research workshop and the methodological, theoretical, and scientific tools used there and taught in the other modules. The master's thesis takes 6 months to complete, is usually 50–70 pages long, and has an assigned focus (sociology or economics). The focus is shown on the certificate. (Cf. Section 14 PO and FSB). You should contact potential supervisors in the third semester.
• You can take extracurricular courses, e.g., computer courses from the Regional Computing Center, other language courses, or courses from the Universitätskolleg. The coursework is not included in the degree. They are listed on the certificate attesting to extracurricular courses and additional achievements issued with the final documents.