The English-speaking study programme comprises compulsory and elective compulsory courses. In the first semester, the graduates attend three compulsory modules to give a foundation to their studies of theories of the labour market and methods of empirical research.
Compulsory module I:
Statistics and econometrics
Compulsory module II:
The sociological and economic basis of labour market research
Compulsory module III:
Good scientific practice
After having completed the compulsory modules, students are required to choose elective compulsory modules to consolidate their knowledge and to attain in-depth insights into advanced labour market theories, recent empirical research findings, and advanced empirical methods.
The elective compulsory modules are structured around four areas:
- Institutions, micro and macro theories of the labour market
- Social structure, education, and distribution
- Internationalisation and the labour market
- Methods of empirical research
The elective modules are taught by the heads of the IAB research departments and by well-known national and international labour market researchers from the fields of economics and sociology.
The graduates are free to combine the elective compulsory modules from the four areas mentioned above according to their own research interest. Up to 50% of the credits for electives can be achieved in external courses and summer schools.
The programme includes integrated study abroad units. There is a budget of 1,800 EUR per year for participation in scientific conferences, summer schools, further training and for other dissertation-relevant expenditures.