M.Phil. in Social Sciences at the School of Humanities & Social Sciences at Gautam Buddha University is to provide advanced education and training in the social sciences disciplines. The M.Phil. Program in social sciences is largely for students with a background in one or more of the social sciences. The course exposes students to both an interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary subjects. The course combines an integrated inter-disciplinary perspective with the analytical rigour required of social scientists today. Many of the important issues in development such as industrialization, population growth, and democratization fall on the boundaries between different disciplines, including economics, history, politics, law, anthropology, psychology, sociology, social work and geography.

The research interests of the School are wide-ranging and the School offers MPhil/PhD supervision across many areas of sociology, social work, public policy, applied psychology, education, development studies, international relations and history. In particular, the school combines the study of social theory and social processes with empirical analysis, including analysis of social problems and social policy.

The aim of this one and half year course is to provide a rigorous and critical introduction to interdisciplinary approaches to understand development as a process of change and of managed change in societies on the periphery of the global economy. Attention is paid to the intellectual history of development, the paradigm shifts and internal conflicts within the discipline and the contemporary relevance of research to development policy and practice. The course is not designed for direct training in development practice or the management of development projects but the critical enquiry emphasized in the course is crucial for the proper performance of such tasks. The course encourages innovative and original work.

On completion of this course students may continue with doctoral research in GBU or elsewhere, while they may obtain jobs in the United Nations, government, NGOs, the media, business and finance and development consultancies. Students are also expected to acquire adequate analytical and quantitative skills to pursue research-oriented career in development studies, academia and administration. While the degree is highly structured, self-motivation is vital in every student and at all stages of the course. Students are expected to be able and willing to use their own initiative to achieve the maximum benefit from the course. An ability to work both independently and in groups is essential.