Social Sciences (B.A.)
Features
The Bachelor's degree program in Social Sciences provides you with an individual, wide-ranging interdisciplinary education. The program includes numerous offers for the practical acquisition of competencies in the form of excursions, stays abroad, internships, student research projects and a wide range of events for the acquisition of key qualifications. The first semester is used for orientation and for organizing and planning your studies. It is not until the second semester that you choose two concentrations from the social science disciplines of education, anthropology, gender studies, interdisciplinary Indian studies, political science, sociology, and sports science. In addition, you will sharpen your individual profile by adding another social science subject, a focus on law and/or economics, or an ethnological or educational science specialization (and thus study one of the two subjects more intensively).
- Name:
- Social Sciences
- Degree:
- Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)
- Teaching language:
- German
- Standard period of studies:
- 6 semesters
- Start of studies:
- Winter semester only
- Admission:
- open admission (enrolment without previous application)
- Orientation events:
- Orientation events are offered
Get to know us
Details
Social sciences are a fascinating field of study that deals with human actions, social structures and social processes. In this multifaceted course of study, phenomena in our society are studied and analyzed to gain insights into human interactions, social problems, cultural diversity, and political developments - to name just a few particularly prominent examples.
Despite the name social sciences, our course of study is clearly different from courses such as social work or social pedagogy and also does not prepare students for therapeutic or psychological fields of work. The adjective "social" is used much more broadly in the social sciences than in everyday language and refers to human coexistence in general. Our focus is rather on a well-founded social science analysis of social phenomena and enables preparation for a variety of fields of activity outside of social work.
Discover the diversity of social sciences in Göttingen! After the first orientation semester, a unique selection of subjects is open to you. Choose from nine exciting subjects and design your individual subject combination according to your interests and career goals:
Sociology:
Sociology is the science of society. It asks about the social structures that shape people's actions and enable them to live together in modern societies. Students learn a variety of empirical methods and deal with the interplay of economic, political and cultural orders as well as with modern forms of social inequality and the conflicts that accompany it.
Political Science:
The study of political science offers an insight into fundamental issues, methods, and application areas of the subject. Politics is understood as the attempt to solve or at least mitigate various social problems by making collectively binding decisions, which is why politics is sometimes also referred to as the "art of the possible". In this context, political science examines the course and results of political processes, their institutional framework and the actors involved.
Education:
Educational science researches educational processes, education, teaching, and educational systems with the aim of developing a comprehensive understanding of learning, educational institutions, and the equitable distribution of educational opportunities, and of designing sustainable educational policies and practices.
Ethnology:
Ethnology deals with the different ways of life of people in their cultural and social forms of expression, worldwide and at all times. In the effort to understand even "foreign" seeming realities of life from the inner perspective of people, at the same time what we take for granted is put into perspective. And beyond all cultural differences, we also discover what we have in common. With this cultural understanding of concrete everyday worlds beyond our European plate edge, ethnology can contribute to a better coping with the global challenges of our time.
Gender Studies:
The study of gender studies deals with the social category of gender from an interdisciplinary perspective. This determines human systems of thought and knowledge as well as social and cultural forms of organization. From the perspective of different subjects and disciplines, basic knowledge of the cultural construction of gender is taught. In addition, various dimensions of gender relations - equality, difference and hierarchy - in history and the present are examined. The historical, social and biographical effects of the respective constructions of gender are dealt with in order to critically reflect on the understanding of man, society and nature.
Sports Science:
Sport sciences deal with questions in the context of sport, movement and body in the broadest sense. The focus is on the reflection of sport- and movement-related phenomena in theory and practice. This is done in Göttingen from different perspectives: the pedagogical, the didactical, the sociological, the medical, the training and the movement science perspective. In addition, there is an examination of sports or fields of movement in selected practical contexts such as health promotion, personality development and performance development.
Interdisciplinary Indian Studies:
Sport sciences deal with questions in the context of sport, movement and body in the broadest sense. The focus is on the reflection of sport- and movement-related phenomena in theory and practice. This is done in Göttingen from different perspectives: the pedagogical, the didactical, the sociological, the medical, the training and the movement science perspective. In addition, there is an examination of sports or fields of movement in selected practical contexts such as health promotion, personality development and performance development.
In addition, law and/or economics may be chosen to be combined with two of the above subjects.
The program is characterized by three particular strengths: Practical relevance, career orientation and diversity. You will receive practical training through internships, study abroad opportunities and teaching research projects. An annual excursion to Berlin allows you to gain insights into potential employers. In addition, you can choose your individual combination of subjects from seven, which you do not have to decide until the end of the first semester.
Social scientists with a Bachelor's degree acquire important competencies such as analytical thinking, communication, problem-solving and teamwork skills as well as methodological and specialist knowledge. Depending on your focus, you will qualify for a variety of professional fields such as market and opinion research, public relations, human resources, administration, tourism, museum work, development cooperation, political parties and (international) organizations, consulting, diversity management and journalism. The job opportunities are wide-ranging and offer a variety of professional activities and positions with different employers*. The career prospects are promising; on average, graduates enter the workforce within three months of graduation, one third of them directly after graduation. Integrated internships and the excursion give students an initial orientation to various practical and professional fields during their studies.
In addition, the program qualifies students for a further master's degree for more in-depth study of the subject.
Related and consecutive/graduate programmes
Related programmes
Consecutive/graduate programmes
- depending on specialisation:
- Labour in Society (M.A.)
- Educational Science (M.A.)
- Social and Cultural Anthropology (M.A)
- Gender Studies (M.A.)
- Global Politics: Structures and Frontiers (M.A.)
- Modern Indian Studies (M.A.)
- Diversity Studies in the Social Sciences (M.A.)
- Sociology (M.A.)
- Sport Science with emphasis on prevention, rehabilitation and psycho-social health (M.A.)
Admission
- Start:
- Winter semester
- 1st subject semester:
- open admission (enrolment without previous application)
- 2nd to 6th subject semester:
- open admission (enrolment without previous application)
Impressions
Study Social Sciences in Göttingen
In the bachelor's degree program in social sciences, you will receive a comprehensive interdisciplinary specialist education. This education opens up a wide range of career opportunities and positions with various employers*. The program includes numerous opportunities to acquire practical skills such as excursions, stays abroad, internships, student research projects and a variety of events to teach key qualifications.
Study-accompanying offers
Our Mentoring Team
Students from higher semesters accompany the first-year students in the Bachelor of Social Sciences. The mentors provide support with questions about the program, individual modules and courses, and also advise on the choice of major at the end of the first semester. In addition, they help with the preparation of the timetable and organize events such as tutorials for the theoretical exams, but also pub crawls and barbecues.
Research-oriented learning
The specialized knowledge acquired during the course of study is brought together at the end of the program in interdisciplinary teaching research projects. The program offers a separate module for this purpose (B.Sowi.2000). These courses are oriented towards socially relevant issues across disciplinary boundaries. As equal partners in the learning process, students conduct independent research in groups and thus learn to put their acquired knowledge into practice. At the end, they present their results in the form of a scientific poster and research report, while their written achievement can be published in an anthology [link SowiPro].
Excursion
The excursion to Berlin, which lasts several days, is an integral part of the Social Sciences program. It gives students the opportunity to explore different professional fields in one of Germany's largest labor markets and to familiarize themselves with the requirements and opportunities of employers who might be interested in them.
Every summer semester, possible employers of social scientists are visited in a three-day trip to Berlin. On site, the students discuss with representatives of various occupational fields and gain insights into potential career opportunities through guided tours, lectures, and roundtable discussions. This often leads to opportunities for internships during their studies.
Contact
Academic advising
Dr. Klaas Kunst
Platz der Göttinger Sieben 3
Oeconomicum, Room No. 1.107
37073 Göttingen
Phone: +49 551 39 26557
Fax: +49 551 39 7692