Nordic Masters courses in African and development related studies

The last few years have seen a remarkable increase in the number of Master courses in African and development related studies in the Nordic countries.

This development is related to a number of factors. The Bologna process within Europe of standardising university education structures has given a firmer position to Masters programmes within the whole chain of university education. In most countries a two year master programme has been inserted between the bachelor (three years) and the doctorate programme (three to four years). Globalisation has also acted as a spur to the internationalisation of education and education cooperation across Europe and beyond. Increased student mobility, due to the abolition of bureaucratic structures, standardising of rules, flexible student funding and broad European (and beyond) university cooperation programmes have also aided the process. It is also interesting to note the increasing number of African and third world students that take up Masters studies in the Nordic countries. This enables cross-cultural and mutual learning processes between Nordic, European and African/Third World students.

Below we present a number of primarily new Masters programmes in the Nordic countries in African and development related studies. An interview with a Master student from Jyväskylä, Finland, throws additional light on a Master course. The programmes represent only a sample of the numerous programmes that have been launched during the last few years, but they do provide key information about the ideas, scope and content of  such programmes that may be of value to students interested in African and development related studies. Additional information about Masters courses with African and development orientation, old or new, may be found on the home pages or in the catalogues of the various Nordic universities or university institutions.

The Nordic Africa Institute (NAI) is also happy that many students participating in such Master programmes find their way to the Institute through the one-month study scholarships where they can benefit from contact with NAI researchers and source material in the NAI library. The opportunities for students and guest researchers at NAI and information about the NAI library will follow the presentation of the Master programmes.

List of programmes presented

• Master of Arts in African Studies at the Centre of African Studies, University of Copenhagen, Denmark;
• Master’s Programme in Development Management, Agder University College,
• Kristiansand, Norway;
• Master’s Programme in Development and International Cooperation, University of Jyväskylä, Finland;
• Master’s Degree in African Studies at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway;
• Master’s Course in African Studies and International Development Cooperation at the Centre for African Studies, Göteborg University, Sweden;
• International Master in African Studies at Dalarna University, Sweden.