School of Social Sciences
Excellent in Research and Teaching
The Faculty of Social Sciences brings together the departments of Political Science, Psychology, and Sociology under a common scientific approach: theory-driven, empirically grounded, and strongly method-oriented. The focus is on the application of quantitative methods to precisely capture and explain social relationships.
All three departments are among the leading institutions in Germany and are also internationally renowned for their excellent research and teaching. A high degree of internationalization and regular top rankings in various rankings testify to the high quality of the faculty.
Departments
Information for Current and Prospective Students
Rankings
Social sciences once again achieve top rankings
The University of Mannheim has once again achieved strong results in the social sciences in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026. In the ‘Social Sciences and Management’ category, it ranks 105th globally and 3rd in Germany. At subject level, too, the Faculty of Social Sciences impresses with top rankings, for example in Political Science and Psychology (both 5th in Germany) and in Sociology (8th). Overall, the ranking underscores the high research strength and international visibility of the social sciences.
Mannheim political science ranks among the world's best
An analysis by New York University Abu Dhabi shows that political science at the University of Mannheim is among the most productive worldwide. In a study of over 100,000 academic papers and 12,000 books, Mannheim ranks among the global top 10 several times, regardless of the size or reputation of the institution.
Our students have voted:
The University of Mannheim is “TOP University” in the Studycheck.de portal and the second most popular university in Germany!
Excellent study conditions
In the current CHE ranking, the University of Mannheim once again performs very well in the student survey. The subjects of Political Science and Sociology are better than the average of all universities in all evaluated categories.
CHE Master's Ranking: Mannheim Psychology tops nationwide
In the current student survey for the Master's ranking of the Center for Higher Education Development (CHE), the subject of Psychology in Mannheim is in the top group in all categories.