MASocial Policy
| Study location | Hungary, Budapest |
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| Type | Master, full degree studies |
| Nominal duration | 4 semesters |
| Study language | English |
| Awards | MA |
| Course code | Social Science |
| Entry qualification | Bachelor diploma (or higher) Applicants must have a BA degree in any of the following areas: social work and social pedagogy. If the BA degree does not meet all the necessary requirements, the applicant may be required to complete additional credits in the relevant fields during their first year of study to fulfill these requirements upon acceptance. Documents to submit with application
The entry qualification documents are accepted in English. If this is not the case, you will need official translations along with verified copies of the original. You must take the original entry qualification documents along with you when you finally go to the university. The entry qualification documents are accepted in the following languages: English. In most cases you can request a suitable transcript from your school. If this is not the case, you will need official translations along with verified copies of the original. You must take the original entry qualification documents along with you when you finally go to the university. |
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| Territory requirements | Applications are accepted from the following territories (based on citizenship): Albania, Algeria, Angola, Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belize, Bolivia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Brazil, Burundi, Cambodia, Cape Verde, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Congo - Kinshasa, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kosovo, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Marshall Islands, Mexico, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, North Macedonia, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Panama, Peru, Philippines, Russia, Rwanda, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, St Lucia, Sudan, Syria, São Tomé & Príncipe, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Türkiye, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen. |
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| Language requirements | English Minimum level of language proficiency (both written and oral): B2 • IELTS Score: 5.5 If the applicant is unable to prove their knowledge of English with any of the above certifications, their English knowledge will be assessed during the admission interview. Any letter of acceptance issued by the Faculty of Social Sciences is based on the verified fact that the applicant’s command of English has been assessed; therefore, they are considered eligible to pursue their studies at the institution. If the applicant can prove that they completed their former education entirely in English by submitting a notarized attestation and a detailed academic transcript, no proof of language knowledge will be required throughout the admission process. |
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| Other requirements | A motivation letter must be added to your application. Applicants must upload a motivation letter in English that introduces themselves and outlines their reasons for applying, including their motivations, interests, and goals related to the programme. The letter should be between 1,500 and 4,000 characters. The procedure of the entrance examination Applicants with a complete application package will be notified after the nomination deadline about the exact time and date of their online interviews. It is the applicant’s responsibility to have technically suitable conditions for the interview from their side. Applicants are expected to be prepared taking questions regarding the compulsory admission materials (see: Recommended Readings) from the side of admission committee composed of a professor, a lecturer and a student representative. A successful oral entrance exam is the perquisite of getting admitted. If the applicant fails the oral entrance exam, the application will be rejected. |
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| More information |
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Overview
As we understand it, social policy is an interdisciplinary social science discipline whose primary aim is to analyze social responses to social needs. As a problem-oriented discipline and activity, social policy combines sociological, economic, legal and social work knowledge.
Our MA programme aims to train social policy practitioners who, based on their theoretical and methodological knowledge, can participate in policy-making in the field of social policy, manage and contribute to the operation of the care system, represent social interests, and theorize, research, and teach social and social policy. The programme focuses on the European Union and the European social model, embedding it in a global context.
Specializations:
There are no specializations, but students can tailor their learning path to their interests as they have a choice to take seven out of the eleven courses of the electives: Health Policy, Pension Policy, Employment Policy, Family Policy, Social Assistance, Welfare Services and Administrative Systems, Education Policy, Child Protection, Child Well-being, Social Gerontology, Disability Policy, Housing Policy.
Strength of programme:
The programme has been running successfully in Hungarian for over thirty years and has always been among the most popular at the Faculty of Social Sciences. Its founder was Zsuzsa Ferge, Professor Emerita, a full Member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, and former President of the Union of the Social Professionals Organizations.
The programme’s popularity is due to the curriculum’s continuous development and incorporation of student feedback into the education organization.
The ideal social policy expert has multidisciplinary knowledge and skills. They should be familiar with many policy fields in and outside social policy itself; they should understand human nature and behaviour and the rules and constraints of the surrounding economic and political world. Practising the profession requires thematic and analytical knowledge as well as presentation skills. Social policy analysis and planning are value-driven activities centred on a commitment to the values of equality and solidarity between people and unconditional respect for human dignity.
Leading professor of the programme: István SZIKLAI, Associate professor
Entry requirements:
Applicants must have a BA degree in any of the following areas: social work and social pedagogy.
In case of other bachelor degrees: individual consideration.
If the BA degree does not meet all the necessary requirements, the applicant may be required to complete additional credits in the relevant fields during their first year of study to fulfill these requirements upon acceptance.
Documents to submit with application
- Bachelor-level degree
- Transcript of records
- Motivation letter
- Copy of the main pages of the passport (needs to be valid)
- Language certificate (if the applicant has one)
The procedure of the entrance examination:
Applicants with a full application package will be asked after the nomination deadline to participate in an oral entrance exam. The institutional admission scores are based on a total evaluation of the academic excellence (based on the submitted documents) and the results of the entrance exam. The entrance exam seeks to assess the general and professional knowledge and interest of the applicant.
Applicants are expected to be prepared taking questions regarding the compulsory admission materials (see: Recommended Readings) from the side of admission committee composed of a professor, a lecturer and a student representative.
A successful oral entrance exam is the perquisite of getting admitted. If the applicant fails the oral entrance exam, the application will be rejected.
Entrance exam:
Yes
Type of entrance exam:
Oral
Entrance exam location:
Online
Entrance exam description:
During the exam, applicants will have a discussion on one of the topics listed below. The topics are based on Bent Greve (ed.): Routledge Handbook of the Welfare State. Second Edition, Taylor & Francis 2019, p. 5-80
- Public welfare
- Welfare State
- Fiscal welfare and occupational welfare
- Poverty
- Benefits in kind and in cash
Reading:
- Bent Greve (ed.): Routledge Handbook of the Welfare State. Second Edition, Taylor & Francis 2019, p. 5-80
Preparatory year available:
No
Specialisation year available:
No
Link:
studyinhungary.hu/institution/eotvos-lorand-university-66.html
Contact person:
International Office, Eszter Borbála Bagi
E-mail: international@tatk.elte.hu
Programme structure
Career opportunities
Graduates can find employment in central government and its background research institutions, independent research centers, local authorities, public administration offices, international organisations, service providers, in the for- and non-profit sectors, and in the field of human resource management, as well as in higher education and research.
Job examples:
- research fellow in public and private social research institutes
- manager / head of department in regional / municipal office for social welfare
- head of various social care institutions
- project manager in social development agencies
- policy advisor for MPs, MEPs