Comparative Social Change
It provides students with the theoretical frameworks and practical research skills necessary to understand the processes and pressing issues presented by global social change.
| Award Name | Degree - Masters (Level 9 NFQ) |
|---|---|
| NFQ Classification | Major |
| Awarding Body | National University of Ireland |
| NFQ Level | Level 9 NFQ |
| Award Name | NFQ Classification | Awarding Body | NFQ Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Degree - Masters (Level 9 NFQ) | Major | National University of Ireland | Level 9 NFQ |
Duration
1 year full-time.
MODE OF DELIVERY: Face-to-Face
Entry Requirements
Applicants should normally have a primary degree in sociology or social science, or a closely related discipline.
A Student Grade Point Average (GPA) Equivalent 3.0 out of 4.0 is required (where the grading scale is 0.0 to 4.0) or equivalent result where other grading scale is presented.
Applicants who do not meet the academic requirements but can confirm professional qualifications and/or experience will be considered. Applicants may be called for an interview.
All candidates are expected to be proficient in written and spoken English. Applicants whose primary language is not English must submit evidence of a certificate of proficiency (such as TOEFL, Cambridge or IELTS). Test results must be less than two years old.
These are the minimum entry requirements – additional criteria may be requested for some programmes.
Careers / Further progression
Careers & Employability
The MSc Comparative Social Change is particularly relevant for students who are interested in pursuing careers in the public and private sector, international institutions and civil society organisations. Students receive a solid academic training in social change issues - such as gender, education and the labour market - which can be applied to real-world problems. This training has the potential to open up career opportunities in fields such as research, policy development and advocacy.
Further information
Next Intake: 2024/2025 September.
Please note that course fees include the Student Centre Levy at UCD as well as the Student USI Levy Charge Sports Centre Charge at Trinity.
The course fees are priced very competitively and because of that as well as the joint nature of the programme, no scholarships are available for this programme. Applicants should bear in mind that they become fully registered students at Ireland's top two universities - Trinity College Dublin and University College Dublin - and will have full access to all campus facilities including the libraries, sports centres and postgraduate study facilities. Applicants will have a unique opportunity to study issues of comparative social change in a cosmopolitan environment. Further tuition fee information, including fee payment deadlines, is available on the UCD Fees website
Please note that UCD offers a number of Masters scholarships for fulltime international students, who have been offered a place on a UCD Masters degree programme.
The following entry routes are available:
MSc Comparative Social Change FT (W360)
Duration 1 Years Attend Full Time
Deadline Rolling*
* Courses will remain open until such time as all places have been filled, therefore early application is advised
The MSc Comparative Social Change is a oneyear full time programme which is jointly delivered by the School of Sociology at UCD and Trinity’s Department of Sociology. It provides students with the theoretical frameworks and practical research skills necessary to understand the processes and pressing issues presented by global social change.
The programme uses the recent experience of Irish social change in a comparative European and global context to provide training in substantive topics relating to issues of comparative social change.
The MSc has a strong international dimension drawing on rich and informative experiences from Ireland, Europe and further afield particularly India, China and Brazil (BRICs).
The programme provides advanced training in conceptualising, designing and conducting comparative research, across countries, and examines the role that this can play in policy development.
The MSc Comparative Social Change has been developed by the Department of Sociology at Trinity College and the School of Sociology at University College Dublin to critically explore the social, cultural and economic forces that drive social change today.
The programme aims to develop students’ knowledge of major social change issues, such as globalisation, the changing roles of women and the interrelated areas of migration, education and employment, and to offer insights into the different forms they take across states.
Students are required to accumulate 90 credits in total. The taught part of the course, worth 60 ECTS, is comprised of three core modules and three optional modules. In addition, students complete a dissertation, not exceeding 20,000 words, which counts for 30 ECTS.
Structure
90 Credits:
60 Credits Taught Modules
30 Credits Dissertation
Core Modules:
Introduction to Comparative Social Change: Concepts and Cases
Globalisation and Social Change: India, China and Brazil
Research Methods
Dissertation
Optional Modules:
Students must select a minimium of 10 credits and a maximum of 20 credits from each partner University:
Comparing Healthcare Systems
Global Responses to Climate Change
Nationalism and Social Change
Religion in Comparative Perspective
Sociological Thinking in the Digital Age
Labour, Migration, Conflict
Gender and Social Change in a Comparative Context
The Migration Challenge: Comparative Educational Perspectives
Social Change and Adolescent Health and Well-Being: Issues and Challenges
Programme Outcomes
Apply different models of social change in constructing a sociologically informed argument about a specific instance of social change
Apply the range of research strategies and methodologies available to collect evidence around social change
Critically assess the causes and consequences of the major dimensions of social change that have occurred in the last 50 years
Demonstrate communication, writing, presentation and debating skills
Explain the deployment of different theoretical models of social change
Explain the sociological research on the relationship between individuals and social institutions
Successfully carry out a substantial piece of research through an individually-supervised dissertation
Gerard W Boucher
+ 353 1 716 8506