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.

The ICS was founded in 1986 and accredited by the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) in 1993, 1998, and 2003. In 2009, the ICS has been selected by the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) as one of only nine schools at all Dutch Universities for the NWO Graduate Programme.

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

ICS faculty is selected mainly from the Departments of Sociology of these three universities. Currently, nearly 70 faculty members and postdocs, and over 60 PhD students participate in the ICS research program and the ICS Training Program.

In addition, all three ICS departments offer a two year Research Master Program integrated with the PhD Training Program.

Each year in June, the ICS selects promising 10-12 PhD 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.

Research by faculty, postdocs and PhD students takes place within a common research program that stresses the importance of deductive theory formation (based on the principles of structural individualism), integration of theory and empirical research, and an interdisciplinary orientation.

Training of PhD students takes place within a highly structured four-year program in theory construction and research methods in the social sciences. Its aim is to meet the demand for highly qualified social researchers in universities, various levels of government, industry, trade and other service-providing organizations.

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 PhD students and postdocs visit research centers abroad.

Since 1986, more than 150 PhD graduates have defended their thesis at the ICS.