Master of Social Science

A Master of Social Science (MSSc) is a taught Master's degree which has a number of different meanings dependent upon the education system in question.

In Finland and Sweden, where the university degree nomenclatura is simply based on the faculties from which they are awarded, Master of Social Science (M.Soc.Sci) is the name given to any master degree awarded by the Faculty of Social Science. This is just as the Faculty of Theology awards Masters of Theology (M.Th.), the Faculty of Arts awards Masters of Arts (M.A.), and so forth. Consequently, Master of Social Science degrees are quite common amongst Finnish & Swedish graduates. (See Magister)

In the United Kingdom, MSSc degrees are unusual, and are almost always postgraduate in nature. Common subjects that would lead to the award of MSSc include, but are not limited to, social work, criminology, politics, and sociology.

There are a few universities in the United States with MSSc programs. Syracuse University, for instance, offers this program through the Executive Education Program at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs as a distance learning (with limited residency) program. Other universities like Ohio University, The University of Chicago and Campbellsville University also offer this degree.

It is also available at the National University of Singapore in International Studies, and several Danish universities, including Copenhagen University, Aalborg University, and Roskilde University, in a number of subjects.