Social Policy (BA, full-time)

General Characteristics

Social policy is a branch of political science, but it differs from classical political science in that it **deals with policies that directly shape people’s daily lives**. Students majoring in *social policy* learn to develop specific public policies addressing issues such as education, health care, employment, migration and sociocultural integration, housing, family, and disability.

Contemporary political, economic, social, and cultural processes—such as regional integration in Europe, globalization, the increase in international migration, and the rise in women’s labor force participation— and changes in family life, create new problems and challenges that require innovative and creative solutions. Without a thorough and interdisciplinary understanding of the modern world and its transformations, it is difficult to propose such solutions.

Changes in the labor market continue to increase the demand for well-educated and well-rounded college graduates who are aware of the need for self-education, professional development, and innovation. The effective use of European Union funds requires the training of professional staff who will be able to competently develop project proposals and implement them. There is a need for professionals who can develop regional and local social strategies, as well as evaluate projects and their outcomes.

Narrow specialization is a thing of the past. Employees and entrepreneurs are flexible; they change jobs and business directions, and they continue learning throughout their professional lives. The social policyprogram offers a journey through the world of contemporary social sciences, with a stronger focus than elsewhere on the problems of people’s daily and professional lives, and provides the knowledge and skills to solve them.

Graduates of the program have a basic understanding of the types, manifestations, structure, and dynamics of social problems on a national, local, and global levels, as well as the relationships between them and their structural determinants; they are familiar with the most important contemporary and historical theoretical approaches to social problems and their causes; and they possess a general understanding of human needs and the psychological foundations of human functioning in society.

Graduates are able to interpret social phenomena by accurately identifying social problems, social issues, and social risks, as well as to identify the main economic and sociodemographic determinants of social problems.