The Institute of Labour Sciences offers courses, on a part-time basis, for those wishing to specialise in the field of human and social problems in the world of work and in making policies which make the most of people both in and through their work. First of all, this involves developing students’ abilities to analyse, from a multidisciplinary perspective, subjects connected with work and employment, social policies, professional relationships at the regional, national and international level. This will enable them to define what action may be necessary, to put it into practice and afterwards assess its impact.
Students who successfully complete this course will take up posts in a wide range of different kinds of organizations : consultancy and intervention inside an organization ; setting up projects on work and employment ; reports or management within intermediary organizations in the labour market (training bodies, bodies that help people into the world of work, temporary work agencies and so on) ; applied research into labour matters, social security, employment law, professional relationships and finally specialist journals.
The 120 credit Master is mainly aimed at holders of a first degree, either gained at university or outside university.
There are two possible options : Work and Society and European Master in Labour Sciences. The first offers an in-depth, interdisciplinary training in the different disciplines of labour sciences while the second is aimed at students who would like to broaden their horizons with an in-depth, multidisciplinary training and a European perspective, with the emphasis on a comparative approach. It includes a semester abroad.
The programme comprises 120 credits, spread between the core subjects (65 credits), the professional focus (30 credits) and an option (25 credits):
• the objective of the core subjects is to develop analytical and methodological skills to deal with questions related to the world of work, through an introductory course, another on methodology and a multidisciplinary seminar spread over the two years. It also includes courses which deal with institutions and the different contexts of work. Finally there is the dissertation which requires students to do a piece of individual research on a subject of their choice.
• the professional focus concentrates on the main areas of the different disciplines involved in dealing with questions related to the world of work: sociology, law, psychology, economics, philosophy and psychosociology. This shows students how these different disciplines relate to the world of work.
• in parallel, students may choose one of two options. Work and Society relates to work in companies and organizations. The European Master in Labour Sciences compares how different national systems organize the world of work in a European context. This option includes a semester abroad.
