Target Group and Admission Requirements

Students must meet general admission requirements.

The target group includes applicants who wish to work in cultural mediation, such as those wishing to work with festivals; museums and cultural centres; project-oriented activities and voluntary organisations; and in public cultural administration at the local and regional levels.

Aim of the Programme

The main objective of the study programme is to qualify candidates to work in public or private cultural initiatives. The study programme will develop the student’s competence in planning, organising and mediating such activities. This involves understanding the internal and external premises for such mediation. The student will also develop a comprehensive understanding of cultural life, processes of change and trends as well as the conditions which are relevant to culture in society. The study places heavy emphasis on viewing cultural life from an analytical perspective. Over the course of the study programme, students will develop their ability to discuss, analyse and evaluate.

Further Education opportunities

This 2-year College Candidate study programme corresponds to the first two years of the Bachelor’s degree programme in Cultural Administration. The study programme may be combined with other higher education to improve a student’s skills in the cultural arena or to facilitate work in related fields such as teaching, library-related work, journalism or information/mediation. The study programme, if taken together with other courses/programmes, may serve as the basis for beginning a Master’s degree in cultural studies, literary science or equivalent programme of study. Certain courses may be used in other Bachelor’s degree study programmes.

The study programme will be a part of the Norplus-network, which offers cultural education in Århus and Odense in Denmark, Ørebro and Södertälje in Sweden, Åbo and Helsinki in Finland and Reykjavik in Iceland. In addition, we cooperate with Yrkeshögskolan Sydväst (Sydväst University of Applied Sciences) and Teaterhögskolan i Helsinki (The Theatre Academy in Helsinki) with student exchanges through Kulturprodusentnettverket (The cultural production network of Norplus).

The department also has a contract for cooperation with Franklin College in the US, where students may choose up to one year of study in either drama/theatre, journalism or management.

However, this exchange programme is linked to the third year of study of the Bachelor’s degree and will prove difficult to include in a two-year study programme.

Curriculum and structure

The College Candidate programme is an interdisciplinary course of studies, and combines the humanities and social sciences disciplines. Through the choice of course specialisation in the second year, students can design their own course of studies.

The first year of study offers an introduction to art and cultural history, cultural policy and cultural analysis, discourse and dialogue. In the course Writing and Speaking in Practice, students will concentrate their efforts on the development of oral and written personal expression. All of the courses are obligatory.

The second year of study is characterised by subjects used in teaching and builds further on Cultural Analysis, which is an obligatory course. In the spring semester, students can choose between the courses Digital Culture, Digital Society; and ICT as a Professional Tool. At this point students choose two specialisation courses. The specialisation courses on offer vary from year to year. The teaching may be organised into periods.

Study trips may be organised during both years of study. In the introductory week during the first year a study trip in the local region will be arranged. Study trips will also be organised in relation to the individual obligatory courses. During the second year of study, an obligatory study trip will be arranged to somewhere in the Nordic region.

Teaching and Learning Methods

Instruction is usually given in the form of lectures and seminars. The programme puts great emphasis on written assignments and oral presentations. The ordinary teaching methods are supplemented with the online teaching tool Classfronter. Several of the courses make attendance at the lectures/sessions a completion requirement. Some of the courses may be organised as workshops.
For more information, please refer to the individual course descriptions.

Theory and Practical Training

This is a course of theoretical study, but the programme includes one week of practical training during the first year. A seminar (usually one to three days long) will be held each year, and will focus on cultural policy or other relevant topics. These seminars may be organised in cooperation with external organisations or institutions.

Assessment Methods

Individual written examinations with letter grades, where A to E represent passing marks, and F a failing mark. Assessments of interim examinations may be included in the final grade of the relevant courses.
Submission of written work and oral presentations.
Term papers.
Students must receive passing marks on all interim examinations and obligatory assignments in order to receive a passing mark for a course.
Please refer to the individual course descriptions for more information regarding their respective examinations.

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