Linguistics and Communication Sciences (research)

You either have or soon expect to have an excellent University Bachelor degree in Sociology, Anthropology, Development Studies or another social science study. You are bright and you are fascinated by social and cultural issues. What should your next step be? One option would be to follow a one-year Master's programme and then go straight into practice. But you could also consider deepening your knowledge and research skills by joining our two-year research-based programme.

Our students study transformations within different types of societies: pre-industrial, industrialising, industrial and post-industrial. Their research focuses on social inequality, cohesion, and rationalisation in these societies. Formerly, these issues have been mainly studied within a single society. Now that more and more comparative research questions on societies are being raised in the academic world as well as in international policy-making organisations, it is of great scientific and societal importance that such questions are answered. The MSc in Nijmegen - using the research school's extensive social science databases - seeks to contribute to this goal.

The emphasis in this programme is on theory, methodology, and empirical research skills. You learn how to translate social problems into empirical research questions and learn which methods are most suitable to answer these questions. This may be quantitative or qualitative empirical research. The Nijmegen Institute of Social and Cultural Research (NISCO) has a rich data archive and it participates in several international surveys, such as the multi-country European Social Survey.

A recent evaluation by external experts rated our programme as one of the best in the Netherlands. The research carried out in our research institute NISCO has been assessed as "good to excellent". We ensure quality in the programme by limiting the number of participants to 15 and aim to attract ambitious students. You will follow specially designed training modules, be given your own workplace (equipped with a PC) and receive personal guidance and supervision.

Key courses: Comparative Societal Questions; Radicalisation: Policy evaluation of interventions; Theorising Solidarities; The Internet and Social Media in Journalism and Politics; Comparative Anthropological Research; Multi-level Analyses and Event History Analysis

A completed Bachelor's degree in Social and Cultural Science or closely related area

In order to get admission to this Master's you will need a completed Bachelor’s degree in Sociology, Cultural Anthropology, Development Studies, Communication Science or another social science.

Proficiency in English

In order to take part in this programme, you need to have fluency in both written and spoken English. Non-native speakers of English* without a Dutch Bachelor's degree or VWO diploma need one of the following:

• A TOEFL score of ≥600 (paper based) or ≥100(internet based)
• A IELTS score of ≥7.0
• Cambridge Certificate of Advanced English (CAE) or Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE) with a mark of C or higher.

*Applicants are considered to be a native speaker of English if they are from Australia, Canada (with exception of Quebec), Ireland, New Zealand, Singapore, UK, USA or South Africa.

Motivation letter

In this letter of motivation you should explain why you want to attend this programme and why you think you are suited for this programme. Attached to this letter should be a resume with photo, list of grades and two reference letters from lecturers. An interview (face-to-face or via Skype) may follow before you are admitted to the programme.

Letter of recommendation

Applicants will need to send in two letters of recommendation by lectures or supervisors (including contact details).

There are various scholarships available for studying at Radboud University. Some of the opportunities are described below. A full list, including detailed information, can be found on our scholarships and grants page at our website. 

Radboud Scholarship Programme

Open to a select number of excellent international students. Instead of the institutional tuition fees, non-EEA students pay the legal tuition fees (€2,083 in 2019/2020). Visa and residence permit costs, liability insurance and health insurance are also covered.

Orange Tulip Scholarship

Open to students from Brazil, Mexico, Russia, Indonesia, South-Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, and China. Instead of the institutional tuition fees, non-EEA students pay the legal tuition fees (€2,083 in 2019/2020). Visa and residence permit costs, liability insurance and health insurance are also covered.

Fulbright-Radboud Scholarships

Open to excellent American students. The grant will be paid in 12 monthly instalments of 1,050 euros. International travel and the cost of the residence permit will be covered, and an extra allowance of €1150 will be paid on arrival.

Sino-Dutch Bilateral Exchange Scholarship

Open to excellent students from China. Consists of a contribution of € 16,113 towards the total costs of one year of study or research in the Netherlands.

DIKTI-Neso Scholarships

Aimed at lecturers at higher education institutions in Indonesia who wish to pursue a PhD or Master's at a university in the Netherlands. A DIKTI scholarship includes allowances for living expenses, insurance, travel costs, tuition fees and more.

Indonesian Education Scholarship (LPDP)

Open to excellent Indonesian students under the age of 35. Involves a full scholarship.

Holland Scholarship Programme

Open to excellent students from Canada, America, India and Turkey. Scholarship consists of 5,000 euros payed at the start of study.

Dutch Student Finance

EU/EEA students and Swiss students under 30 years of age are eligible if they are working at least 56 hours per month in the Netherlands, or have been living in the Netherlands for five years or more. Dutch student finance consists of four components: a basic grant, a supplementary grant (depending on the parental income), a student travel product, and a loan.