Interuniversitair Centrum voor Sociaal-Wetenschappelijke Theorievorming en Methodenontwikkeling

The Interuniversity Center for Social Science Theory and Methodology (ICS) is a leading research center and graduate school in the social sciences in the Netherlands. It was founded in 1989, and accredited by the Royal Dutch Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) in 1993, 1998, and 2003. It is located at three universities: the University of Groningen, Utrecht University, and the University of Nijmegen.

The general objective of the ICS program is to integrate various subdisciplines in the social sciences, using theoretically elaborated and technically wellspecified models.

Each year in June, the ICS selects promising Ph.D students (Dutch and foreign), educated in sociology, economics, and other social sciences, and furnishes them with full scholarships that cover tuition, research and living expenses.

The ICS offers a structured fouryear postgraduate program (in English) in theory construction and research methods in the social sciences. In the initial eighteen months, students are offered intensive courses in theory construction and research methods in combination with practical training. In the remaining thirty months, the Ph.D students regularly present their research in progress in seminars (forum days) attended by ICS faculty and fellow Ph.D students.

During the entire fouryear period, work on the dissertation is carried out under close supervision of a team of ICS faculty and external experts.

In addition to Ph.D fellowships, ICS offers a limited number of postdoc fellowships, usually in the form of a 1-3 year contract. Postdoc applications are processed in much the same way as Ph.D applications.

ICS attaches great value to international contacts in the fields of sociology, political sciences, economics, psychology, history, and applied mathematics. Each year a number of wellknown international scientists are invited to give seminars and a number of Ph.D students and postdocs visit research centers abroad.

From 2000-2004 the ICS was one of the Marie Curie training sites, selected by the European Commission. During the four years of the contract, the ICS offered a nine-month training program to eight Marie Curie fellows from several European Countries .
See main-menu-selection: Madame Curie training site

The ICS has access to ample computational facilities and specialized software in the fields of simulation, network analysis, and statistics, as well as to computer aided telephone interviewing (CATI).

The job opportunities for graduates from the ICS are varied and generally excellent, including career positions in universities, research departments of government agencies and top research institutes in the Netherlands or abroad.

In the transition process to the new BA/MA structure of higher education in Europe, the ICS offers or contributes to selective, internationally oriented Research Master Programs at the participating universities
See main-menu-selection: Master's Program

The ICS is a joint effort of three Dutch universities:
the universities of Groningen (RUG), Utrecht (UU) and Nijmegen (RU).

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