On the list of degree programmes at Aarhus University in 2016 you will find a new Master’s degree programme concerned with communication between cultures. The students will work with global issues in an international and business-oriented environment.

Various options are available to students of intercultural studies with the possibility to choose between the following specialisations: French, Spanish, German, Latin American and a purely English specialisation with a focus on international and global issues. The focus will be placed on the language and culture selected, and the teaching will take place in English and the language in which students have chosen to specialise.

A new type of study programme

The labour market needs academics who have dual competences, combining in-depth cultural understanding with sound language skills.

According to Ken Henriksen, Director of Studies at the School of Communication and Culture at Aarhus University, the new degree programme is unique because it offers specific business-oriented competences:

“Graduates of intercultural studies can use their knowledge of foreign languages to act as intercultural communicators and contribute creatively to projects which promote durable solutions to complex organisational, cultural and social issues. So they will be able to act as representatives of international organisations and companies,” explains Henriksen.

Since the teaching will take place in English and the other languages, the Master’s programme in intercultural studies is also open to students from outside Denmark, thereby forming the framework for an international study environment which will in itself be a laboratory for studying inter-cultural issues.

Navigating in a globalised world

In the course of their studies the students will work theoretically with themes such as globalisation theory and organisational identities, but there will also be a practical approach to topics such as project management and communicating to an intercultural audience.

As the target is to equip graduates to navigate in a globalised world where many languages and cultures meet, the courses will also be organised with case studies in groups. Students will get an opportunity to work in a project-oriented manner with students from their own linguistic specialisations as well as with students from the other languages. In this way their linguistic as well as their intercultural competences will be trained.

Read more about the degree programme

Information:

The five language specialisations are:

Intercultural studies – English

Intercultural studies – French

Intercultural studies – Latin American

Intercultural studies – Spanish and Spanish American

Intercultural studies – German

The programme is taught in English and the second language that students choose.

The degree programme in intercultural studies (English) is open to everyone with a Bachelor’s degree from university, and the language-specific study programmes have other admission requirements (for example access for students with certain professional Bachelor’s degrees).

The Master’s programme in intercultural studies is affiliated with the School of Communication and Culture, Faculty of Arts, Aarhus University.