Master's Degree Programme in Inequalities, Interventions and New Welfare State
Want to help build a more equal society? Discover how the Nordic welfare state tackles social inequality, how welfare is redistributed, and how these approaches can be made more effective and socially sustainable.
Ageing populations, growing polarisation and rapid digitalisation are transforming welfare states. The INVEST Master’s Degree Programme equips you with the skills to understand and analyse these changes and to develop evidence-based solutions.
The INVEST programme is a cross-disciplinary, international programme combining sociology, demography, psychology and welfare state research. You will also gain expertise in advanced statistics, data analysis and intervention design.
Graduates pursue careers in research and academia, government and the public sector, and in consulting, data analytics and other private sector.
Join our INVEST community and gain the knowledge and skills to shape the welfare states of tomorrow.
Admission requirements for the Master's Degree Programme in Inequalities, Interventions and New Welfare State are informed in the Studyinfo portal. Please see the detailed admission criteria in Studyinfo: Admission criteria - Master's Degree Programme in Inequalities, Interventions and New Welfare State.
Programme in brief
The first year of studies will mainly consist of methods and substantive courses together with the initial development of the thesis idea and proposal. Second year studies will centre on seminars and the thesis in the first semester and will also include work-life competences, and internship and exchange studies in the second semester. The thesis will be supervised by the research group members and students will write their thesis in the form of a working paper with a view to publication.
Detailed course descriptions are published in the Study Guide.
The University of Turku fosters students' professional growth and global perspective by promoting internships and student exchanges. Every degree student can take advantage of these opportunities – internship subsidy is available for all degree students that find a suitable internship position and every exchange programme includes a grant.
Does this page answer your questions about the programme's content and academic matters? If not, contact mdp-invest@utu.fi.
INVEST research covers six research themes – socioeconomic inequality and wellbeing, intergenerational and within-family influences, social relationships and networks, demography and life course, skills and learning, and health and biology – under the fields of sociology, social policy, psychology, child psychiatry, social work, statistics, economics, and epidemiology.
The master thesis is considered an important area of specialization during the studies in the programme. Successful graduates will be awarded a title of Master of Social Sciences from the Faculty of Social Sciences.
Theses can be done within the frame of research themes like comparative research on social inequalities; child and youth development in context; welfare state services, benefits, and policy processes; population and family demographics; child and adolescent epidemiology; prevention and intervention research; and advanced statistical methods related to these topics.
Career prospects
- High cross-disciplinary knowledge on social inequalities, welfare, and welfare policies and interventions
- Excellent quantitative research skills
- Practical experience of working life (the programme includes an internship).
The MPINVEST programme educates research and public administration professionals for analysing social inequalities and welfare state institutions as well as developing new policies and intervention methods to reduce disadvantages and improve wellbeing and skill development of children and youth. Typical areas of employment include:
- public administration,
- research focused public and private institutions,
- academia, and
- data science.
The Master’s Degree provides eligibility for scientific postgraduate degree studies and it is expected that all chosen student should acquire researcher’s skills that should also make them eligible for social and behavioural science PhD programmes including lNVEST’s own PhD programme.
