Masterstudium i internasjonal utvikling, utdanning og bærekraft Programplan

The Master's Programme in International Education and Development is a study programme that provides qualifications needed for international work in the education sector in the South, for work on international development issues in public, multilateral and voluntary organisations, and for other positions that require competence in the field of education or social sciences. The programme also qualifies students for admission to relevant PhD programmes, for example the PhD Programme in Educational Sciences for Teacher Education at HiOA.

Students who complete the programme will be awarded the degree Master in International Education and Development.

The target group for the programme is teachers and pedagogy students who wish to work in the field of education and development in the South, students with a bachelor's degree in development studies and students from programmes of professional study who wish to specialise in development studies. Applicants with another relevant bachelor's degree in social sciences can also apply to both specialisation courses.

Reference is made to the Regulations relating to Admission to Studies at HiOA. In addition, the following applies to the Master's Programme in International Education and Development:

The general basis for admission must be completed and passed:

• Three years of general teacher education or pre-school/early childhood education teacher education with 60 credits of specialisation in multicultural or international courses, social sciences or religious and ethical education (RLE).

• A bachelor's degree in general teacher education with 60 credits in social sciences or RLE.

• A bachelor's degree in development studies or relevant social science subjects.

• A bachelor's degree in pedagogy with 30 credits of specialisation in relevant social sciences.

International courses and relevant social science subjects include social geography, sociology, social anthropology, political science, economics, history and area studies that cover developing regions or other development-related areas.

When applying for admission to the programme, applicants choose either specialisation course 3a, Education, Culture and Sustainable Development or specialisation course 3b, Inequality, Power and Change.

After completing the programme, the candidate is expected to have achieved the following learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills and general competence:

Knowledge

The candidate                             

• has thorough knowledge of and insight into different social and pedagogical perspectives applied to international education issues and social conditions in the South

• has in-depth knowledge of and is capable of applying philosophy of science and social science research methods

• has knowledge of how issues in the field can be analysed and is capable of making a critical assessment of the discipline's history, traditions, distinctive nature and place in society

Skills

The candidate

• is capable of applying and analysing multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary approaches to studies of education and development issues

• is capable of critically assessing and analysing different issues linked to the relationship between education and development, and of conducting research studies of relevant connections in the field

• is capable of contributing to the development of new research-based knowledge in his/her field

• is capable of making competent written and oral statements on his/her field

General competence

The candidate

• is capable of analysing relevant academic/scientific issues and conducting advanced tasks and projects in the field

• is capable of disseminating his/her own and other people's research orally and in writing in an academically sound manner

• is capable of contributing to innovation and development in his/her field

The master's degree programme consists of five courses that address the need for common content and allow for specialisation and in-depth studies.

Courses 1, 2, 4 and 5 are common to all students. Course 3 consists of two areas of specialisation: 3a and 3b. Students choose either course 3a or course 3b when they apply for admission to the master's programme. All classes are taught in English, and the master's thesis is also to be written in English.

Course 1, first semester: FLKM4110 Introduction to International Education and Development, 15 ECTS Credits.

Course 2, first semester: FLKM4210 The Role of Education in Social Development in the Global South, 15 ECTS Credits. 

Course 3a, second semester: FLKM4310 Education, Culture and Sustainable Development, 15 ECTS Credits.

Course 3b, second semester: FLKM4320 Inequality, Power and Change, 15 ECTS Credits.

Course 4, second semester: FLKM4410 Epistemology, Research Methods and Statistics , 15 ECTS Credits.

Course 5, third and fourth semester: FLKM5000 Master's Thesis, 60 ECTS Credits.

The programme is organised as a course of full-time study over two years. The master's degree programme emphasises independence, process and progress. Teaching therefore varies between lectures, seminars, seminar presentations, supervisor and student feedback, conversations, discussions in large or small groups, writing essays/scholarly articles and a master's thesis. Project descriptions of the master's theses are presented at thesis seminars in the second semester.

The students are encouraged to be open and humble in relation to new fields of knowledge. By challenging the students to use their own experience, different theoretical frames of reference and placing perspectives in new contexts, the programme will help to enhance the visibility and value of focusing on education and development. The programme's interdisciplinary approach will make the students proficient at placing a delimited topic in an interdisciplinary context.

Supervised teaching practice/practical training

Students admitted on the basis of three completed years of primary and lower secondary teacher education, will be offered ten days of teaching practice in connection with their specialisation during the first year of the master's degree programme. On admission, they must notify the Section for Practical Training at the faculty if they are interested. The teaching practice is carried out together with students in the fourth year of the primary and lower secondary teacher education programme.

The study programme focuses on international relations, and the study environment is international with students recruited from all over the world. The composition of the student group and the fact that classes are taught in English help the students to gain international experience and international perspectives. In addition to the international academic environment throughout the programme, the data collection component of the master's thesis can also be conducted abroad as a field study.

The attendance requirement for teaching activities in each course is 80%. Attendance is compulsory because emphasis is placed on the work methods in the master's degree programme involving dialogue and discussions, which are based on the different types of practical experience and academic backgrounds the students bring to the programme. The programme emphasises student participation, cooperative learning and dialogue. The composition of the student group, with both international students and students from Norway, is a precondition for international and intercultural learning, which are core values in the programme. This important learning opportunity is lost if students do not attend classes.

The coursework requirements are described in the individual course descriptions. All absence, irrespective of reason, is included when compulsory attendance is approved. In special cases where this requirement is unreasonable in relation to the student, documented sickness absence, for example, can be assessed and, if applicable, compensatory measures can be agreed.

The required coursework must be submitted/completed by the stipulated deadlines. Absence for a valid reason documented by e.g. a medical certificate does not exempt students from meeting the coursework requirements. Students who fail to submit/meet the coursework requirements by the deadline due to illness or for other documented valid reasons can be given an extended deadline.

A new deadline for submitting/completing required coursework must be agreed with the lecturer in question in each individual case. Absence in excess of the limit can, on the basis of a concrete assessment, be made up for by a written assignment by agreement with the person responsible for the course.

The required coursework is assessed as approved/not approved. Students who submit required coursework/meet the coursework requirements by the deadline, but whose work is assessed as not approved, will be given up to two opportunities to resubmit/redo the work. In such cases, the students themselves must agree with the lecturer on a re-assessment of the coursework in question.

Progress requirements

All the courses in the first year of the programme must be passed and all required coursework must be approved before the students can be assigned a supervisor and write the master's thesis and take the oral exam as the final assessment. In very special cases and on application, partial deviation from this requirement may be considered.

Information about assessment is provided in the individual course descriptions.

Rights and obligations in connection with exams

The students¿ rights and obligations are set out in the Regulations Relating to Studies and Examinations at HiOA. The regulations describe, among other things, the conditions for resit/rescheduled exams, the right to appeal and what is considered cheating in an exam. It is the students¿ responsibility to register for any resit/rescheduled exams.

Grade scale

A, Excellent: The candidate demonstrates sound analytical understanding. The candidate demonstrates excellent knowledge and an excellent overview of the academic content of the course. The candidate demonstrates excellent skills in applying this knowledge.

B, Very good: The candidate demonstrates very good analytical understanding. The candidate demonstrates very good knowledge and a very good overview of the academic content of the course. The candidate demonstrate very good skills in applying this knowledge.

C, Good: The candidate demonstrates analytical ability and understanding. The candidate demonstrates good knowledge and a good overview of the academic content of the course. The candidate masters the application of this knowledge.

D, Satisfactory: The candidate demonstrates a certain degree of analytical ability and understanding. The candidate demonstrates some knowledge and a certain overview of the academic content of the course. The candidate masters the application of this knowledge to a certain extent.

E, Sufficient: The candidate demonstrates some insight into the academic content of the course, but the candidate's insight is incomplete and characterised by limited insight into connections in the course. The candidate masters the application of this knowledge to a limited extent.

F, Fail: The candidate demonstrates large and obvious gaps in the academic content of the course. The candidate demonstrates little insight into connections in the subject. The candidate demonstrates little ability to apply this knowledge. 

Approved by the department board on 13 December 2002 Approved by the board of HiOA on 8 May 2003

Revision approved by the Academic Affairs Committee of HiOA on 12 December 2013

Editorial amendments made on 20 January and 11 April 2016

The most recent revision was approved by the authority of the chair of the Academic Affairs Committee on 23 February 2017

Revision approved by the Academic Affairs Committee on 12 October 2017

Valid from autumn 2018