Quantitative and experimental strategies are implemented by social scientists for studying the behavior of mankind in a wide variety of arenas. This field is equally related to both the fields of humanities and science, preparing the learners for career development in the areas of public administration, education, in addition to business. And when it comes to obtaining a social science master’s degree, you find yourself cultivated with serious transferable abilities in quantitative statistical study along with qualitative investigation including surveys and dialogue.

Master of Science and Professional Master’s Degrees in Social Science

The options of Master’s degree program have expanded owing to the increasing demand for specialized education in career-focused social science. At present, graduate intuitions in social science not only provide conventional academic degrees but at same time offer applied degrees to meet the various career standards. Working individuals too have the opportunity to obtain the degree, having the choice of earning an online master’s degree by means of distance graduate educational schemes.

Social science master’s degrees take in:

Academic Master’s Degrees

• Master of Arts (MA): The traditional master’s degree in social science includes education in the sophisticated liberal arts in addition to an independent research assignment.
• Master of Science (MS or MSc): It may be impossible to differentiate this program from the MA. The program actually places additional stress on interrelated disciplines in science and quantitative investigation strategies.

Professional Master’s Degrees

These degrees are becoming increasingly popular in universities in response to demand of workforce for education in applied social science.

• Professional Master’s Degree in Social Sciences (PMD): This degree focuses on interdisciplinary as well as skills-oriented coursework instead a particular research program. Incorporating practical training in management and business abilities, the degree includes optional programs in fields such as nonprofit administration, advertising, and media abilities. Additional career-oriented features comprise of faculty having experience in industry, internships, and the opportunity of earning an online master’s degree.
• Master of Social Science (MSSc): This is a comparatively exceptional degree title, identical to the professional master’s degree in terms of function. The degree is interdisciplinary and course-demanding as well, though is likely to emphasize more on educational disciplines in social science as compared to applied job abilities including business administration. Usually, learners are introduced to two or more disciplines in social science, in service of a particular career objective in social science (for instance, psychology, criminology and public management for preparing for a management position in the area of law enforcement).

Career-Focused Master’s Degrees

• Master of Social Work (MSW): The degree emphasizes particularly on the abilities required for working in social services, both in clinical services or public management.
• Master of Public Administration (MPA): This degree makes students prepared for nonprofit or government management roles. The curriculum is principally based on public policy, administration and research strategies.
• Master of Education (MEd): The degree makes students eligible for teaching social sciences courses at the K-12 level or teaching community college study courses in their subject area. The degree may qualify students for school counseling careers or a career in education management as well.

Master’s degrees in all fields are accessible online, helping the working adults in moving ahead in their career lives. As far as these specialized social science master’s degrees are concerned, these are particularly geared for distant graduation.

Disciplines in Social Science

The social sciences are related to almost all aspects of behavior of the mankind. These are the disciplines that provide master’s degrees:

• Anthropology deals with behavior of mankind in social gatherings, applying scientific strategies and field examination. The field is a combination of archaeology, linguistics, ethnology and biology.
• Communications & journalism involves the study of the observable facts and applied practice of information transmission via writing, speech and media transmission.
• Criminal justice involves the study of criminal deeds and actions along with institutional reactions to crime, combining psychology, sociology and law.
• Economics deals with the study of commerce phenomena, taking into consideration the development and supply of products, commercial trends, and monetary policies.
• Geography involves environment-related studies, comprising physical features and human characteristics. Geographers are responsible to study weather changes and ecosystems in addition to the physical communications and cultural trends of the society.
• History, it involves the study of human cultures by incorporating both social science and humanities investigation strategies.
• Linguistics is all about cognitive social characteristics of language.
• Psychology & behavioral science is a diverse field across the methodical investigation regarding the behavior of human beings.
• Political science addresses the theoretical trends and practice of politics. In order to get an insight into current political trends, political investigators explore the historical information about political methods.
• Public administration, a professional area related to the trends of the public good by means of government strategy, public organizations, and nonprofit bodies.
• Social work & human services emphasizes policy reactions and community-oriented solutions for the elimination of social issues.
• Sociology applies a methodical strategy for the investigation of society and social trends, employing relevant disciplines including public policy, demography, history, political science cultural studies and criminology.
• Women’s studies emphasize the cultural and social forces determining the practices of women and the gender construction in the advanced society.

What’s Beyond Graduate Social Science Courses?

Conventionally, graduate social science schemes were the main source that led to the teaching profession or doctoral course. At present, the degree is expected to serve as a medium for professional career development. Consequently, a number of master’s degrees in social science are intended toward pre-professional syllabi, which focuses on higher skill-building over educational investigation. High-level skills are developed in graduates including:

• Quantitative investigation
• Analytical observation
• Administration
• Communication

Apart from enhancing the learner’s employment opportunities, the degree can significantly increase the potential earning power. In 2007, the College Board conducted a study and observed that the master’s degree ensures a salary premium of around 20% over the bachelor’s program. The standard graduate earnings were $61,300, against $50,900 for the undergraduate program.

Graduates of social science enter careers in:

Nonprofit Division

• Program management
• Growth
• Political support
• Investigation
• Policy investigation and growth

Public Division

• Social labor
• Government agency direction
• Archaeological and historical conservation
• Urban and local preparation
• Criminal justice system management
• Teaching at the K-12 level or management

Private division

• Market investigation
• Public affairs
• Teaching profession
• Business administration and management

Career opportunities:

For social scientists, the career outlook is variable, mainly based on the field. In accordance with the Bureau of Labor Statistics, social service workers are high in demand; service will develop 40 percent during the coming 10 years. There’ll be advanced opportunities for geographers, sociologists and anthropologists, with employment rates rising by around 28 percent during 2018. The government is most likely to improve employment opportunities by 10 percent on the whole, with specific demand in the sectors of law enforcement and public health.

A social science master’s degree provides adaptable training for various careers, giving the graduates a competitive rank in the professional market. At present, graduate social science degrees are developed for the accommodation of professional career aims. By earning an online master’s degree, one can develop the enhanced abilities required to take a step ahead in the career.