Turku, Finland
DURATION
2 Years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
21 Jan 2026
EARLIEST START DATE
Aug 2026
TUITION FEES
EUR 10,000 / per year *
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* free for citizens of EU/EEA countries or Switzerland, for citizens of non-EU/EEA countries €10,000/academic year
Introduction
Discover all degree programmes of the University of Turku
Get trained in social inequalities and welfare in a welfare state
The Master’s Degree Programme in Inequalities, Interventions and New Welfare State is a cross-disciplinary, international study programme. It is located in the INVEST Research Flagship Centre at the Department of Social Research, Faculty of Social Sciences. It utilises its world-class social and behavioural scientists for educating students, which makes the programme unique both in Finland as well as in Europe at large.
During the studies, you are expected to acquire a profound understanding of the key socio-economic and demographic changes in societies linked with social inequalities and shown in meso-and micro-level interaction. You will also examine the role of welfare state institutions and services in compensating and/or enforcing the inequalities in different country contexts, and you will acquire high-level quantitative methodological skills for analysing data on such issues.
Find more information about INVEST – Inequalities, Interventions, and New Welfare State Flagship Project of the Finnish Academy.
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Admissions
Curriculum
Programme Structure
The extent of the degree programme is 120 ECTS credit units to be completed within two years. The degree will be comprised of major studies in the degree programme, minor studies from other programmes, and a master’s thesis. You will be linked with the research groups of the Research Flagship Centre.
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 thematic seminars and the thesis in the first semester and will include work-life competencies, internship, and exchange studies in the second semester. The topics of the theses will be provided by the research groups and the theses will be supervised by research group members.
Master's Thesis & Topics
The master’s thesis is an important area of specialisation during the studies in the programme. Successful graduates will be awarded the title of Master of Social Sciences from the Faculty of Social Sciences.
You can do a thesis 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.
Program Outcome
After completing the program, you will learn how welfare states in the North and South, in the West and East, operate. You will understand:
- which kind of institutional solutions are used in different countries;
- how countries cluster in terms of welfare institutions;
- how different institutional solutions work and which kind of outcomes they produce;
- the methods employed to study inequality;
- some ideas about how to construct and implement targeted interventions;
- how to use research findings and theory to develop intervention programs.
In addition, you will be able to:
- develop a multidisciplinary perspective on solving specific problems in the welfare state;
- describe examples of prevention and intervention programs in school contexts and in psychopathological contexts, including the design and implementation processes;
- identify and apply relevant statistical methods to test the effectiveness of interventions, including the examination of moderating factors of effectiveness;
- identify and describe the difficulties involved in program implementation.
Scholarships and Funding
Scholarship Opportunities
The University of Turku supports merited and motivated students with generous scholarships. The university offers these scholarships to students pursuing Master's level studies who are subject to tuition fees.
Scholarships are awarded based on academic excellence, and you can apply for a scholarship by simply answering “yes” to the corresponding question in the online application form when you apply for the programme.
One type of scholarship covers whole tuition fees for two years for Master’s degree programmes. In addition to that, there is a scholarship for the best applicants that covers tuition fees and includes an additional grant of €5,000.
Approximately 30 % of the admitted students are awarded a scholarship by the University of Turku.
Gallery
Career Opportunities
Job Options
The MPINVEST program educates research and public administration professionals to analyze social inequalities and welfare state institutions. You will also be trained to develop new policies and intervention methods to reduce disadvantages and improve the well-being of children and youth. Typical areas of employment include:
- public administration,
- research-focused public and private institutions,
- academia, and
- data science.
Career in Research
When you complete this Master’s degree program, you will acquire researcher skills that should make you eligible for social and behavioral science Ph.D. programs including lNVEST’s own Ph.D. program.