Degree of Master of Science (60 credits) with a major in Child Studies:
• specialisation in Disability Sciences, or
• specialisation in Health and Care Sciences, or
• specialisation in Special Education, or
• specialisation in Welfare and Social Sciences.

The International Master’s level program on Interventions in Childhood offers interdisciplinary education to provide effective intervention for children in need of support for their development and/or functioning in everyday life beyond what is provided to all children. It includes children at risk for developing long term health conditions and/or impairments because of a health condition and/or disability, or psychosocial circumstances and other environmental influences. The education considers everyday life situations of children in different settings, including family, preschool/school, hospital, and community.

The program is open for students already holding a bachelor’s degree within health and care sciences, behavioral science, social work, or educational sciences, including independent, theoretical based work, i.e. a thesis or the equivalent. The program is held in English and open for both national and international students. It is also designed to promote the students' research-based knowledge in leadership issues linked to, for instance, child health care, preschool, school, special education, early intervention/habilitation and social services.

One academic year (equivalent to 60 credit) consists of 40 study weeks, divided in two semesters. Each study week equals 1.5 credits and corresponds to 40 hours of study. The program consists of four mandatory courses of 15 credits (in total 60 credits), including a thesis course; a systematic literature review in the field of the student’s specialization. The program is provided by the School of Health and Welfare in collaboration with the School of Education and Communication. It is closely connected to the CHILD (Children-Health-Intervention-Learning-Development) research program.

All courses offered within the program are held on full-time. Courses includes seminars and lectures on campus and streamed lectures offered by international professors. Access to computer and computer experience are of importance.
The teaching is conducted with problem-based methods, focusing on the individual student's own learning. The way of working is adapted to the character of each course and may include literature reviews, lectures, seminars, individual tasks, or group work.

Examination will be executed by written exam, oral exam or term papers. Different methods of examination can be used within a single course. Students are given the opportunity to choose focus of examination tasks in each course, and in the master thesis based on their chosen specialization area.

Teaching and learning philosophy
The School of Health and Welfare’s teaching and learning philosophy allows the individual to freely pursue knowledge and take responsibility for their own learning and personal development. The school aims to equip the individual with the tools needed to contribute to the development of our changing society.

According to the teaching and learning philosophy:
- the learning environment encourages students to actively pursue knowledge and take responsibility for their own learning
- learning processes and modes of assessment contribute to the development of critical thinking and problem-solving skills and promote in-depth learning and understanding
- learning processes promote the development of a professional attitude in interactions with care seekers/patients/clients/users and other professions
- a scholarly approach is an integral part of learning
- clinical placements allow students to observe, analyse, reflect, and gain professional experience and skills.

In practice, the philosophy means that the programmes at the School of Health and Welfare use teaching and learning methods that facilitate the students’ learning. Courses must be evaluated on a regular basis, and the results of the evaluations must be considered when preparing programme and course syllabi and deciding on teaching and learning methods and modes of assessment. The students should take part in this work. The school’s management is responsible for regularly reviewing the teaching and learning philosophy.

General objectives

According to the Swedish Higher Education Act (SFS 1992:1434 with later changes), second-cycle education shall be based fundamentally on the knowledge acquired by students during first-cycle courses and study programmes or its equivalent. Second-cycle courses and study programmes shall involve the acquisition of specialist knowledge, competence and skills in relation to first-cycle courses and study programmes, and in addition to the requirements for first-cycle courses and study programmes shall:
- further develop the ability of students to integrate and make autonomous use of their knowledge,
- develop the students' ability to deal with complex phenomena, issues and situations, and
- develop the students' potential for professional activities that demand considerable autonomy, or for research and development work.

General learning outcomes for a Degree of Master (One Year)

After the completion of the programme for a one year master's degree, students must, according to the Degree Ordinance (Appendix 2, Higher Education Ordinance SFS 1993:100, with later revisions) be able to:

Knowledge and Understanding
- demonstrate knowledge and understanding in the main field of study, including both an overview of the field and specialised knowledge in certain areas of the field as well as insight into current research and development work, and
- demonstrate specialised methodological knowledge in the main field of study.

Skills and Abilities
- demonstrate the ability to integrate knowledge and analyse, assess and deal with complex phenomena, issues and situations even with limited information,
- demonstrate the ability to identify and formulate issues autonomously as well as to plan and, using appropriate methods, undertake advanced tasks within predetermined time frames,
- demonstrate the ability in speech and writing to report clearly and discuss his or her conclusions and the knowledge and arguments on which they are based in dialogue with different audiences, and
- demonstrate the skills required for participation in research and development work or employment in some other qualified capacity.

Judgement and Approach
- demonstrate the ability to make assessments in the main field of study informed by relevant disciplinary, social and ethical issues and also to demonstrate awareness of ethical aspects of research and development work,
- demonstrate insight into the possibilities and limitations of research, its role in society and the responsibility of the individual for how it is used, and
- demonstrate the ability to identify the personal need for further knowledge and take responsibility for his or her ongoing learning.

Programme-specific learning outcomes

The overall goal of the one year master’s program is to provide a qualified education from an international perspective in the field of interventions to children in need of additional support due to health condition, disability, poverty, or at risk for social or other reasons.
The master’s program is grounded in an ecological perspective on child development, learning, and functioning. Influences are observed at different levels, “from neurons to neighborhoods”. A critical perspective focusing on the individual, the environment, and their interrelationship, is emphasized. A bio-psycho-social model is used as a frame of reference and the connection between research and practice is stressed.

Upon completion of the program, the intended learning outcomes provided for the programme must also be met. More specific, the goals are that the student will be able to demonstrate:
- theoretical understanding of the ecology of childhood intervention in an international perspective,
- theoretical understanding about child development and intervention processes providing possibilities for critical examination and analysis of models for intervention and application of those,
- an understanding of major theories and current research related to intervention processes including a focus on the connection between theory and practice,
- basic knowledge in general system theory, and the abilities to relate it to children’s health, development, and learning in different environments, and
- knowledge about research methods, and especially methods useful in in the field of research on interventions in childhood.


Independent project
For a Degree of Master (60 Credits) students must have completed an independent project (thesis) worth at least 15 Credits in their main field of study, within the framework of the course requirements.

The program includes four core courses that are common for all students and organized into a logic progression:

Course Name	Credits	Main field of study	Specialised in	Course Code
One Year Master Thesis in Interventions in Childhood	15	Child Studies	A1E	HICT25
Introduction to Interventions in Childhood	15	Child Studies	A1N	HIBR24
Developmental Sciences and Intervention processes	15	Child Studies	A1N	HDSR25
Theory of Science and Scientific Methods	15	Child Studies	A1N	HVMR24

Prerequisites

Continuation Requirements

Qualification Requirements

Other Information