Introduction

Background needs and aims

A multicultural society and the ongoing trend towards cultural diversity offer new and other challenges for health and social workers. Amongst other things, these challenges include advancing health-promoting behaviour that is meaningful across cultural and ethnic barriers. This makes demands on the resilience and new cross-cultural skills of those professionals engaged in preventative work aimed at children and young people.

Increasing globalisation, individualisation and new forms of risks result in conditions in which children and youth grow up being subject to continual and rapid changes. Children and young people’s socialisation conditions have changed considerably due to new family patterns, the influence of the media, changing values and international migration patterns.

Children and young people growing up today relate to various arenas such as family, kindergartens, school and leisure contexts. They orientate themselves in a society which is built on ambiguous and to some extent conflicting values that form the basis for social roles and identity management. Children and young people are also exposed to large amounts of information, a globalised youth culture, new sources of communication and information, and meet people from various ethnic and cultural backgrounds.

Compared to the past, the conditions in which children and youth grow up today present them with many possibilities and choices, but also more demanding challenges. Material and social differences, gender, ethnicity and cultural background, are all variables which separately or in conjunction with one another may contribute to individuals and groups of children and young people experiencing difficulties in coping with the challenges they meet.

In this study programme, the family, forms of marriage and family-relations, as well as socialisation conditions, will be placed in a socio-cultural perspective in the context of a multicultural society. It also follows that the relationship between the roles of the public authorities and the family will be studied in a critical perspective, i.e. the public versus the private. The study programme will contribute to a better understanding of the interaction between children, young people and their parents in a multicultural society. In this lies the tension between the individual and the collective, in addition to the cultural dimensions. Furthermore, the study programme will provide students with a foundation in cross-cultural knowledge. Students will develop multicultural understanding, knowledge and skills in preventative work which will equip them for their future careers as health and social workers.

In recent years, the World Health Organisation and the national authorities in Norway and in a number of other countries have focused particularly on vulnerable groups, and indicated the need to work to prevent health and social problems of children and young people and their families. An essential reason for this is that measures which are implemented during early life-phases may possibly have long-term effects and increase long-term quality of life for the individuals concerned. At the same time, this may also save social expenditure. It must also be emphasised that such measures must be based on research and knowledge.

Consequently, an important aim of the Master’s degree programme is to develop skills which will enable students to understand children on the basis of their psychosocial and cultural contexts. The study programme will provide students with increased insight into and activity competency in relation to the new and changing challenges which children and young people are faced with, and in relation to the specific problem areas that are especially relevant in today’s society. This will equip students with the necessary skills when developing participation and cooperation-relations with children and youth and their families. In this context, during the course of the study programme it will be important to develop critical awareness regarding experts’ power of definition.

The Master’s degree will comprise the prioritised areas mentioned above, and thereby contribute to the development of knowledge and skills which are needed in society. Such knowledge is important in order to understand why problems occur and how they may be identified, prevented and solved. The study programme will in this manner contribute to new areas of development which have been described as important in relation to research and the development of knowledge. These are especially linked to preventative work aimed at children and young people in a multicultural society (cf. Storting White Paper 39, 2001-2002, “Growing up and living conditions for children and young people in Norway”, White Paper 16, 2002-2003; “Prescription for a healthier Norway”; and Storting White Paper 49, 2003-2004 “Diversity and participation”).

Target Group and Admission Requirements

Target group

The main target group for the Master’s degree programme are graduates with a minimum of a three-year Bachelor’s degree or the equivalent within the health and social professions, such as nursing, social education, child welfare and social work. Persons with other relevant backgrounds (for instance, general teachers and pre-school teachers who have further educational qualifications within the core areas of the Master’s degree programme) may also fulfil admission requirements on the basis of individual and special conditions.

Admission requirements

The general admission requirements for the study programme are a Bachelor’s degree within the areas of health and social care subjects. The admission requirements for the study programme are based on the criteria which are described in the “Regulations Concerning the Master’s Degree” § 3 (set by the Ministry of Education and Research, December 1st, 2005, pursuant to the provisions of the Act Relating to Universities and University Colleges, April 4th 2005 no. 15 § 3-2 no. 1 and § 3-7 no. 2), and the Regulations Concerning Ranking and Admission to Further Educational Programmes and Higher Degrees at Telemark University College (set by Telemark University College Board December 15th, 2005 in accordance with delegated authority from the Ministry of Church Affairs, Education and Research in a letter of March 11th, 1998).

The following admission requirements are necessary:

• A Bachelor’s degree within health and/or social care in nursing, child welfare, social education and social work. OR
• A “Cand. mag.” degree (first degree) within the areas of health and/or social care subjects. OR
• Educational qualifications, which in accordance with § 3-3 and 3-6 in Regulations Concerning Ranking and Admission to Further Educational Programmes and Higher Degrees at Telemark University College, are approved as being equivalent to the aforementioned degrees or programmes.

Students who have completed a 3-year Bachelor’s degree must have achieved an average grade of C in order to be considered for admission.

There are no admission requirements regarding practice, but practical experience will be taken into consideration.

For students with a “Cand. mag. degree”, the minimum grade needed in order to be considered for admission is 2.8.

Up to 10% of the study places may, in special circumstances, be made available for students with qualifications which fall within § 3-3 in Regulations Concerning Ranking and Admission to Further Educational Programmes and Higher Degrees at Telemark University Colleges; and the Act relating to Universities and University Colleges (if their degrees are approved as equivalent to the above mentioned); or candidates with long experience within the relevant professions (minimum 2 years), such as:

• Social work with children, young people or adults.
• Other professional experience, which may be given special consideration.

Students with long professional experience who apply for admission to the Master’s degree programme must document the reasons as to why they believe they are qualified to gain admission to the Master’s degree programme.

Admission of students in accordance with § 3-3 and 3-6 will take place and be recorded in a separate admissions register. The members of this admissions committee will consist of:

• The dean
• The programme coordinator
• A research employee
• The academic studies administrator

With regard to the ranking of applicants who have degrees that may be assessed as being equivalent to the aforementioned degrees or qualifications, or candidates with long experience within the relevant professions, please refer to the Regulations Concerning Ranking and Admission to Further Educational Programmes and Higher Degrees at Telemark University College of December 12th, 2005, § 4.

Applicants who have the relevant further educational qualifications, comprising 60 ECTS, in addition to a Bachelor’s degree within health and social care subjects, may apply and obtain equivalency for their qualifications as part of the elective specialisation courses in major course unit 3. In the processing of such applications, the further educational qualifications will be assessed in terms of their relevance to the programme and the level of the qualifications.

Aim of the Programme

The study programme will qualify graduates to work with planning and change in relation to children and young people’s health and problems/problem behaviour, and with regard to their psychosocial and cultural backgrounds. This will result in strengthening the skills of health and social care workers who work with children and young people. The study programme’s area of knowledge is relevant to preventative efforts within public, private and voluntary sectors, and may be applied within areas such as teaching, planning and reporting work, and research and development work both nationally and internationally.

Description of degree

Students who successfully complete the study programme will receive a Master’s degree in Multicultural Preventative Care of Children and Young People.

Curriculum and structure

Obligatory Courses Code Course title Credits O/V *) Credits pr. semester   S1(A) S2(V) S3(A) S4(V) 981HEMN1 Family, Childhood and Socialisation 30.00 O 30       981HEMN2 Cultural Analysis and Identity 15.00 O   15     981HEMN3 Scientific Theory, Research Methods and Research Ethics 15.00 O   15     981HEMN4 Master’s Thesis Project 60.00 O     30 30 Total: 30 30 30 30 *) O - Mandatory course, V - Optional course

The study programme comprises 120 ECTS and is a full time programme of 2 year’s duration. The study programme consists of 3 major course units which are obligatory, in addition to the Master’s degree thesis which is a comprehensive independent study comprising 60 ECTS. In connection with major course unit 1, students will have the opportunity to specialise in 1 of 2 elective courses, each of them comprising 10 ECTS. Major course units 1, 1a, 1b, 2 and 3 may be taken by external candidates. Major course unit 1 constitutes the study programme’s core area of study and focuses on the family, growing up conditions and socialisation; and it is connected to major course unit 2, where the focus is on cultural analysis and identity.

Major course unit 1: Family, Childhood and Socialisation, comprises 20 ECTS specialisation in addition to one of the elective courses 1a and 1b.

Course unit 1a: Society and Mental Health (10 ECTS)

Course unit 1b: Nutrition, Health and Life-Style (10 ECTS)

If few students apply to take one of the specialisation courses, only one of the alternatives may be offered.

Major course unit 2: Cultural Analysis and Identity (15 ECTS)

Major course unit 3: Scientific Theory, Research Methods and Research Ethics (15 ECTS)

Major course unit 4: Master’s Thesis Project (60 ECTS)

The elective courses 1a and 1b may be replaced by equivalent specialisation courses (10 ECTS) completed at one of our national or international institutions with which we have established cooperation. These courses must be approved for equivalency and be considered to be relevant in relation to the study programme. During the course of the 2nd semester each student must submit a project description of 5-7 pages which specifies the topic, thesis proposal, structure and progress plan for the Master’s degree thesis. The student will be appointed a supervisor who must approve the thesis proposal before the student will be permitted start on the final part of the study programme, i.e. the writing of the Master’s degree thesis. More information on this will be given at the start of the second year of study.

The Master’s degree thesis comprises 60 ECTS and is an independent study with supervision which is completed in the 3rd and 4th semesters. Students will work on an independently chosen topic which bears clear relevance in relation to the Master’s degree’s profile and major course units 1 and 2. The work on the Master’s degree thesis is an important and integral part of the study programme and constitutes an independent specialisation project with supervision. Obligatory Master’s degree seminars will be held during the last two semesters, with methodology specialisation and Master’s degree workshops (please see the more detailed description in the major course unit plan for more information).

Figure 1: Content and structure of the Master’s degree programme

Major course unit	Semester	Content	ECTS	Status
1	1	Family, Childhood and Socialisation	20	Obligatory
1	1	A. Society and Mental Health	10	Optional course units
1	1	B. Nutrition, Health and Life Style	10	Optional course units
2	2	Cultural Analysis and Identity	15	Obligatory
3	2	Scientific Theory, Research Methods and Research Ethics	15	Obligatory
4	3 and 4	Master’s degree thesis	60	Optional specialisation

Teaching and Learning Methods

The Master’s degree programme will emphasise student involvement and student’s ability to work independently. The organised teaching will alternate between lectures, seminars, group work and individual supervision of students with regard to their thesis work. Teaching and learning methods based on dialogue and discussions will be emphasised, and students will be given the opportunity to use their own academic and professional backgrounds as the basis for discussions.

Interdisciplinary student groups will be formed. These will function as an academic base throughout the programme. On the basis of these groups, various learning methods will be employed such as case-based learning and problem solving in connection with collective learning. This will ensure academic specialisation and reflection across subjects and professions, processing and integration of various types of knowledge as well as personal growth.

During students’ work on their Master’s theses a one-week course on methodology specialisation will be held. This will be within qualitative/alternately quantitative research, with particular emphasis on the analysis of data. Students will choose the specialisation in relation to their own Master’s degree thesis. Three Master’s degree seminars will also be held during the autumn semester and two in the spring semester. Students will actively participate in the seminars and present their work, as well as giving response to other students. Students will also be given the opportunity to present parts of their thesis at academic seminars in connection with the study programme, and in the form of teaching within the context of Bachelor’s degree and further educational programmes in the faculty.

Students are entitled to receive supervision in connection with work on their thesis. Students who carry out empirical research work may receive extra supervision with regard to the statistical processing of data; however, it is normally assumed that students will carry out their own analysis of data. As much as 12 hours of individual supervision will be given per thesis. If the need arises, students may apply for a secondary supervisor.

Assessment Methods

The assessment methods in the Master’s degree programme are both process and product-oriented. The aim is to contribute to the greatest degree possible to the learning aims being achieved. The process-oriented assessment is ongoing throughout the year. The main aim is to challenge the academic development of the individual student, and contribute to an optimalisation of the learning environment. These methods of assessment are partly connected to the learning processes, and partly to the assessments which the students and the academic staff carry out after the completion of each module with regard to the actual teaching and supervision that has been given, and the study requirements of the programme that has been fulfilled. The table below provides an overview of the product-oriented assessment arrangements for the various major course units:

Figure 2: Assessment

Major course unit	Sem.	Course title	ECTS	Assessment	Type of assessment	Percentage of grade
1	1	Family, Childhood and Socialisation (20 ECTS) and optional course (1a or 1b) (10 ECTS)	20	One-week individual home exam. The assignment will comprise roughly 7500 words.	Graded mark	20 %
1a 1b	1	Society and Mental Health and Life Style	10	5-hour individual examination	Graded mark	10%
2	2	Cultural Analysis and Identity	15	Group exercise which comprises 5000 words.	Graded mark	10 %
3	2	Scientific Theory, Research Methods and Research Ethics	15	5-hour individual examination	Graded mark	10 %
4	2	Master’s thesis project description	0	The project description is obligatory	Approved/not approved
4	4	Master’s thesis	60	Written independent work (min. 80 pages and normally a maximum of 100 pages – 10% over the maximum is permitted).	Total graded mark for Master’s degree thesis and oral examination.	50 %

The following letter grades will be used:

Figure 3: Grade scale

		Definition
A	Excellent	Outstanding performance
B	Very good	Above average
C	Good	Generally sound work
D	Satisfactory	Fair but with significant shortcomings
E	Sufficient	Performance meets minimum criteria
F	Fail	Some more work required before credit can be awarded.

Requirements which must be fulfilled before the student may continue the study programme:

Before students are permitted their thesis research, they must have taken all the obligatory examinations from the first year of the study and received a minimum pass mark (grade E), and their project description for their Master’s thesis must be approved. Students are normally allowed three attempts with regard to obligatory submissions and examinations. The Master’s degree thesis and the oral examination will be assessed by an examination commission comprised of an internal supervisor and an external examiner.

A student may have his/her Master’s degree thesis assessed as many as three times.

Minor adjustments may occur during the academic year, subject to the decision of the Dean