The Faculty of Social Sciences

The Faculty of Social Sciences at Goethe University is one of the largest, most traditional and best performing social science institutions in Germany. The department consists of 44 professorships, 125 research assistants, 37 administrative employees, 3.646 major students, 588 international students, and 10-degree programs (as of winter semester 2017/18).

The faculty is connected to its tradition of critical social science, whereby the range of scientific-theoretical orientations and specializations in the subjects have greatly expanded. Characteristic elements of the Social Sciences in Frankfurt are:

• pronounced theoretical orientation within research and teaching
• methodological competence in quantitative and qualitative methods of social research
• absence of artificial subject boundaries and the partial integration of Sociology and Political Science courses
• reflection on fundamental Social Science issues
• analysis of societal structures in national and global contexts.

The faculty‘s integration into interdisciplinary contexts through internal and external university collaborations is an essential part of its departments profile. You can find more information about research and teaching at the faculty and its history here.

© Uwe Dettmar, Goethe-Universität Frankfurt

The focus of study and teaching at the faculty‘s institutes of Political Science and Sociology are the bachelor programs in Sociology, Political Science and Gender Studies as well as the research-oriented master programs in Sociology, Economic Sociology, Political Science, Political Theory and International Studies / Peace and Conflict Research. Besides, the faculty is involved in two interdisciplinary master programs: Environmental Sciences and Modern East Asian Studies.

You can find detailed information on the range of courses at the Faculty here.

© Elke Födisch, Goethe-Universität Frankfurt

The Frankfurt Summer School offers a great opportunity to use the semester break to further develop the skills and knowledge of your subject or another field of study. By participating in the Summer School, you can get to know Goethe University for a possible Erasmus stay.

For a period of two to four weeks, students from over 30 countries come to Frankfurt and take part in the English language course program. You can choose between thirty subject areas, acquire up to 9 ECTS, and study under renowned Frankfurt researchers. The summer school is open to Bachelor, Master and Ph.D. students.

The regular course program is supplemented by various educational study trips in and around Frankfurt am Main and two weekends outside of Frankfurt. These trips offer you valuable and interesting cultural insights into life in Germany and Europe.

You can find further information on the application process and the costs of the Summer School here.

The Goethe Research Experience Program (GREP) offers students and doctoral candidates from partner universities of Goethe University an insight into everyday academic life at the university. With GREP you can gain hands-on experience and personal interaction with academic research. You will be part of a research project for 10-12 weeks and receive academic guidance. You can also receive up to 18 credit points through the program, which can be recognized at your home university.

The program is supplemented with orientation events and language courses. You can find further information on application, research projects and the structure of the program on the homepage of the International Office.