Target group

The program is specifically aimed at students with work experience from the health and social care sector and from school and kindergartens. The theme of the degree is also relevant for employees of voluntary organizations in civil society. The degree is interdisciplinary in its approach to various professions and contexts where global issues are part of everyday life. At the same time, the degree represents a clearly defined subject area related to global issues and intercultural competence. The degree is suitable for occupational groups with jobs characterized by cultural diversity. The program is adapted to those who want to study part-time alongside a job.

Description of the content and profile of the program

The field of study is intercultural work - understood as an interdisciplinary approach to different professions and professions. The study emphasizes promoting understanding of otherness and outsiders, and seeking practical solutions to challenges that a modern working life represents.

The core areas of the study are primarily related to intercultural competence and globalization processes. The approach to intercultural competence is based on the hermeneutic philosophy that emerged in the wake of Hans-Georg Gadamer's work on the hermeneutic circle, the importance of understanding for knowledge production and the possibility of different mergers of horizons. This philosophical approach to understanding is applied to practical cases, and students are challenged to see their own practice in light of new perspectives. At the same time, students are challenged to see "the other" in a context that provides opportunities for insight into new horizons of understanding.

Calling globalization processes a professional core is about seeing the complexity of the political, economic, cultural, religious and climatic changes that affect human life. The consequence of these changes is new economic, political and religious networks that both lead to increased migration - and which affect migration patterns and opinion formation in the place where the migrants settle. Increased cultural and religious diversity in turn affects workplaces in virtually every part of society, and in particular the health and social sector as well as the educational system from kindergarten to the college sector. The study therefore has a special focus on children and families in multicultural contexts.

The Master’s degree in intercultural work offers specialization courses with special relevance for employees in the health and social care sector, kindergarten / school and voluntary organizations in civil society.

Lectures are online

The Master's degree (90 ECTS) is taken part-time over a period of three years, 30 ECTS per academic year. Lectures (video lessons) are posted on the learning platform Canvas and the student can see the videos when it suits them. Submissions of mandatory work requirements and communication between teacher / student / fellow students also take place in Canvas. In some subjects there will also be a day gathering in Stavanger. The curriculum indicates which topics this is relevant for.

All exams for this program will be home-exams and do not require campus presence.

Work and carrier options after finished degree

• Work on multicultural issues within the health and social care sector, school and kindergarten.
• Jobs in state / municipalities and in civil society organizations where globalization and diversity are important issues within the work tasks.

Further study opportunities after graduation.

The degree does not grant admission to apply for admission to VID's doctoral program.

Courses

• Globalization processes
• Intercultural competence
• Scientific theory and methods
• Specialization courses
• Field work/textual study
• Master's Thesis

Offer to foreign exchange students:

https://www.vid.no/en/international/exchange-student/learning-possibilities/