Learning outcomes
The Master’s Programme in Comparative and International Education prepares students for a future career as academics, practitioners or a blend of the two. The programme is relevant for students wishing to pursue teaching and/or research at educational institutions, universities and other higher education or research institutions, or who wish to work theoretically and/or practically in ministries of education or other government bodies, in non-governmental, bilateral or multilateral organisations or in the private sector. The main focus of the programme is to provide theoretical and practical understanding of the interrelationship between educational and societal processes and their manifestations in international and national policies and practices and education systems in the North and the South. Emphasis is put on contemporary critical educational issues interpreted within global and local contexts.
The Programme relies on interdisciplinary and comparative approaches in order to position education in economic, political, socio-cultural and ideological development and change processes. It emphasises the acquisition of a broad understanding of and a critical outlook on the role of education in societal development, the interplay between international and national policies and planning processes, the development and change of educational systems in different kinds of societies over time, and the purposes, content and practices of education programmes and curricula. Emphasis will be put on developing understanding of key focus areas and targeted issues in comparative and international education and effectiveness of education and their manifestations in different kinds of societies.
Students will be exposed to the wide-ranging development and social change theories, paradigms and approaches that have influenced the field of comparative and international education as well as to a variety of qualitative and quantitative methods and tools. These will permit students to develop analytical frameworks and select methods for analysis of particular educational issues that are to be explored in written papers and, particularly, in the MPhil thesis. In addition to writing skills, candidates will be trained in analytical, presentation and discussion skills through exercises and seminars.
Overall, the course aims at providing students with advanced knowledge of the field of comparative and international education, its concepts, issues and theories, and to enhance their capacity for critical analysis, selection of new, important topics for further investigation, and capacity for independent research. Their capacity for oral and written communication according to appropriate academic procedures will be developed as well.