Entry requirements

Academic requirements

A Bachelor's degree, equivalent to a Swedish Kandidatexamen, from an internationally recognised university, with 90 credits in technical-natural science, social science-humanities or medical-pharmaceutical fields.

Language requirements

Proficiency in English equivalent to the Swedish upper secondary course English 6. This requirement can be met either by achieving the required score on an internationally recognised test, or by previous upper secondary or university studies in some countries. Detailed instructions on how to provide evidence of your English proficiency are available at universityadmissions.se.

Aims

The programme aims to provide theoretical, empirical and practical knowledge into the design of learning processes that foster the implementation of change processes that support sustainable development in a global health context. The programme prepares students for independent work with learning for sustainability, in global health contexts, in qualified professions, such as government administration, aid organisations, and the education sector. Students will also learn to implement projects and programmes that address complex (wicked) sustainability problems. The programme also provides students with the opportunity to contribute to the scientific knowledge in the field and critically reflect on this knowledge production in different research and development contexts.

Students with a master's degree in implementation, transformative learning and sustainability will be eligible for PhD studies in "learning for sustainable development" and "global health". The programme also qualifies students for PhD studies in several other interdisciplinary subject areas, such as environmental communication, human ecology and gender studies.

Learning outcomes

Knowledge and understanding

For the master's degree, the student must:

* demonstrate a general understanding of the subject area of ​​learning for sustainable development and global health. In this context, in-depth knowledge of implementation science, transformation, governance, and learning processes, including insights into contemporary research and development practice must be demonstrated.

Skills and abilities

For the master's degree, the student must:

* demonstrate the ability to critically and systematically integrate knowledge and to analyse, assess and handle complex phenomena, issues and situations even with limited information. 

* demonstrate the ability to critically, independently and creatively identify and formulate issues, plan and with adequate methods carry out qualified tasks within given time frames, and thereby contribute to the development of knowledge and its evaluation.

* demonstrate a methodological, theoretical and analytical ability to contribute to knowledge development in implementation, transformative learning and sustainability, and other relevant research traditions.

* demonstrate the ability to present and discuss insights from dialogue emerging from national and international contexts and across different societal intersections.

* demonstrate a capacity to apply critical systems thinking within economic, social/cultural and ecological sustainability domains, taking into account manifest complexity and goal conflicts.

* demonstrate the skills required to independently undertake qualified work with implementation, sustainability and transformative learning in research and development settings.

Judgment and approach in the first year

For the master's degree, the student must:

* demonstrate the ability to undertake assessments in the subject area of ​​learning for sustainability and global health concerning relevant scientific, social and ethical aspects and show awareness of ethical aspects in research and development settings,

* show insight into normal science's possibilities and constraints, its role in society and human responsibility for its use, and

* demonstrate the ability to identify their need for additional knowledge and to take responsibility for their knowledge development.

Layout of the programme

This distance programme comprises four semesters (120 credits). Students must read at least five courses in learning for sustainable development and global health corresponding to 105 credits, including an independent work of 30 credits and 15 credits of elective courses outside or within the central area.

At the programme's inception, the students will be required to spend 1 week on campus in Uppsala. During this week students and teachers will get to know each other face to face by engaging in joint activities before they return to home contexts to continue with semester one via distance learning. The first semester (30 credits) consists of three modules. Modules 1 and 2 provide a basic conceptual understanding of sustainability, social learning, implementation and wicked problems. Module 3 deals with implementation challenges in contexts characterised by conflicts of interest, power asymmetries and inequities.

The second semester (30 credits) includes a course that introduces and trains students to use tools, approaches, and methods to implement and foster transformative learning. The second course supports an understanding of the crucial elements in institutional governance design to enable implementation and transformative learning. 

Students are assessed via various oral and written assignments in the first year, individually and in groups. The students will be encouraged to take active responsibility for their learning. Students will also be involved in co-creating assignments, examinations and peer review.

At the beginning of the second year, students and teachers will again spend their first week on campus in Uppsala. The second year begins with a 15-credit elective period. During this period, the students can choose from two options. Either an internship where they will be required to work a minimum of 8 weeks in an organization connected to sustainability and global health. Or 15 credits of freestanding courses relevant to learning for sustainable development and global health. A 15 credit course in research methods follows this that prepares students for independent research. The last semester consists of an independent research project of 30 credits.

Programme Courses

Term 1:

Introduction to Sustainable Development, 7.5 credits

Introduction to Implementation Science, 7.5 credits

Power, Equity and Transformation, 15 credits

Term 2:

Implementation Methods and Design, 15 credits

Governance for Sustainability, 15 credits

Term 3:

Elective period, 15 credits

Research Methods, 15 credits

Term 4:

Thesis, 30 credits

Progression within the master's programme consists of specialisation in learning for sustainable development and global health, leading to PhD studies and/or working life eligibility. The following chart depicts the programme's progression:

Introduction to Sustainable Development and Introduction to Implementation Science 7,5 credits + 7,5 credits The course explores how diverse perspectives and knowledge systems can be translated into implementable actions that address complex sustainability problems.		Elective Period 15 credits Students can choose from one of two options (1) an internship or (2) freestanding courses
Power, Equity and Transformation 15 credits This course examines role of power and agency and their potential to distort the implementation of just sustainability actions.		Research Methods 15 credits Interviews, statistics, discourse analysis, etc.)
Implementation Methods and Design 15 credits In this course explorative methodologies deliberated upon. Explorative methods allow for co-inquiry, co-design and testing of sustainability actions without having real world consequences.		Thesis work 30 credits The second year research block enables students to review desirable implementation practices growing out of the course work in year 1.
Governance for Sustainability 15 credits This course analyses the formation of appropriate institutional support, in the context of enabling governance approaches, to support the implementation of sustainable development.

Instruction

The teaching consists of lectures, seminars, and assignments carried out individually and in groups. The students present their knowledge continuously during the education through oral presentations, discussions and writing of scientific papers. The design of the master's programme draws on pedagogical principles, which includes active student participation and close contact and co-creation of knowledge with the surrounding society. The teaching draws on collaborative learning and student-activating pedagogy, where the student's previous experience of research perspectives and education are considered central.

Degree

The programme leads to a master's degree in medicine (Masters Degree of Medicine, 120 credits) in the main field of learning for sustainability and global health.