International Master in Social Policy Analysis (IMPALLA)

De Faculteit Sociale Wetenschappen participeert in een samenwerkingsovereenkomst met de Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (K.U.Leuven), de Universiteit van Nancy in Frankrijk en het CEPS/INSTEAD in Luxemburg. Gezamenlijk bieden deze 4 instituten een 'International Master in Social Policy Analysis' aan. Het programma draagt de naam IMPALLA (International Master in Social Policy Analysis by Luxembourg, Leuven and Associate Institutes) en wordt gedeeltelijk in Luxemburg (Differdange) en Belgie (Leuven) verzorgd.

You will be introduced to contemporary social and welfare state theories which aim at explaining societal change. By stimulating an interactive learning process - emphasizing an applied approach - you will learn to define and formulate research questions, social problems and policy issues. You also will acquire a thorough understanding of the rationale and range of various research methods, as well as solid knowledge on the handling of empirical data. Consequently, you will be able to make your own choices in dealing with social policy issues and you will be able to present your choices in a critical and reflexive way.

The dissertation and the seminar are at the core of the IMPALLA educational project. The dissertation is an opportunity for students to apply what they learnt in the courses and the seminars into their own research project on a social policy related issue with the use of real data.

The programme offers its participants many opportunities to get or to stay in touch with the ®outside¯ world through conferences, social activities, academic and cultural events, as well as visits to European institutions and centres.

Since IMPALLA is an English taught advanced academic degree in International Comparative Social Policy Analysis, we welcome students with a fitting profile. Apart from, obviously, your interest in comparative social policy, it is essential that you

• hold a university degree of minimum four years in Social Sciences or Behavioural Sciences
• have completed some research methods and statistics course work
• are able to understand and communicate in English

In an expanding European Union, social-policy issues and challenges are of central importance. New jobs are constantly created in the fields of implementation and evaluation of social policies.

The programme qualifies for a top level career as a social researcher in the public and in the private sector. Moreover, the IMPALLA programme is an excellent preparation for a Ph.D. in Social Policy.

After completing IMPALLA, you could become a staff member or a consultant to ministries and administrations or to an academic institute, advanced centre, or firm specializing in auditing and in impact assessment in Europe or beyond.