Profile and history of the institute

The Institute of Social Sciences has existed since Osnabrück University was founded in 1974 and combines the subjects of Political Science and Sociology under one roof.  Eleven Research Groups cover the main areas of both disciplines in teaching and research. Since 2015, the Institute has been part of the University's School of  Cultural Studies and Social Sciences, which was merged from the previously independent Schools of Cultural Studies and Geography. Since 2024, the institute has been based in the completely renovated EW building directly on the university's city center campus around the historic castle.

The Institute of Social Sciences offers a  wide range of Bachelor's and Master's degree programs. In the Bachelor's area, the programs Social Sciences (B.A.), European Studies (B.A.) as well as Political Science and Sociology are each offered in a 2-subject Bachelor's variant. The Master's programs include European Governance in Transformation (M.A.), International Migration and Intercultural Relations (M.A.) and the English-language program Conflict Studies and Peacebuilding (M.A.). The Master's in Sociology: Dynamics of Social Change will be replaced by a new program Sociological Time Diagnosis (M.A.) in 2025.

The Institute is also affiliated with the interdisciplinary  Institute for Migration Research and Intercultural Studies (IMIS) and maintains a wide range of interdisciplinary and institutional contacts with the Center for the Study of Conflict and Peace, the Japan Research Center and the Jean Monnet Center of Excellence in European Studies, which is funded by the European Union. In addition, there are close relationships with non-university institutions such as the Osnabrück-based  German Foundation for Peace Research.

Street view of the EW building at Osnabrück University in October 2024
© Nils Stockmann
Eine Gesamtansicht des Schlosses aus der Vogelperspektive.
© euroluftbild.de/Robert Grahn
At the 40th anniversary celebration of the School of Social Sciences, the then Director of the Institute Ralf Kleinfeld gives a speech. A presentation can be seen in the background.
© Elena Scholz
A presentation shows the members of the founding committee of the School of Social Sciences in 1974.
© Elena Scholz
Home of the IfS since 2024:
The EW building at Seminarstraße 20
The EW building (left) in the vicinity of the historic castle, the headquarters of Osnabrück University since its foundation in 1974.
In 2014, the then School of Social Sciences celebrated its 40th anniversary and the following year the merger to form the School of Cultural Studies and Social Sciences.
The School of Social Sciences has existed since Osnabrück University was founded in 1974.

The Institute is very well connected both nationally and internationally - this applies both to cooperation in research and to collaboration with foreign universities within the framework of exchange programs. The Institute maintains over 40 Erasmus cooperation programs alone and has further connections to universities in order to offer its students interesting experiences abroad in and outside Europe.