Childhood Studies - Master's Programme

Er du interessert i barns hverdagsliv i forskjellige kulturer og kontekster? Vil du lære om hvordan man kan forske med barn, og få innsikt i metoder og etiske problemstillinger i kunnskapsproduksjon med barn og om barndom? Vil du lære mer om barns rettigheter og hvordan de kan brukes for å forbedre barns levekår og hverdagsliv? I så fall vil masterprogrammet i Childhood Studies passe for deg!

Det internasjonale masterprogrammet Childhood Studies er en 2-årig forskningsbasert master som gir studenter en forståelse av forholdet mellom barndom og kultur samt hvordan økonomiske, sosiale og politiske dynamikker skaper forskjellige vilkår for barns livssituasjon og velferd i ulike sammenhenger og kontekster, både i det globale nord og globale sør. Programmet er interdisiplinært, og benytter teoretiske og metodologiske diskusjoner fra samfunnsvitenskapelige disipliner. Studieprogrammet er åpent både for norske, nordiske og europeiske studenter, samt selvfinansierte internasjonale studenter. All undervisning foregår på engelsk.

Opptak til studiet krever en bachelorgrad i samfunnsvitenskap, en bachelor med en kombinasjon av humanistiske eller samfunnsvitenskapelige fag eller tilsvarende utdanning. Childhood Studies vil være relevant for å arbeide med barn og barndom både i offentlig og privat sektor. Dette kan inkludere politisk og planmessig arbeid for barns livsvilkår innen offentlige institusjoner, både lokalt og internasjonalt og for arbeid i ikke-statlige organisasjoner (NGOs). Du kan også jobbe med forskning på barn og barndom. Studiet kvalifiserer for opptak til ph.d.

Specific programme requirements

The programme is open to both international and Norwegian students. Admittance to the programme requires a bachelor's degree in the social sciences or in combination with a humanities discipline, or other equivalent education, see the list in the section 'admission' on this page.

Possible admission to the study programme requires a minimum of an average grade of C or the equivalent. C is, however, not a guarantee for admission. We aim to establish an interdisciplinary student body, with students representing several different academic backgrounds.

Admission

The master's programme is interdisciplinary and accepts Norwegian and Nordic students, in addition to self-financed international students.

Admission to the MPhil in Childhood studies requires a BA in social sciences, or in combination with the humanities disciplines, with a specialization of minimum 80 ECTS credits in one of the following disciplines:

• Anthropology
• Childhood studies
• Early childhood education
• Child welfare
• Counselling and adult learning
• Education
• Geography
• History
• International development
• Philosophy
• Social Work
• Sociology
• Teacher Education

In addition, applicants holding a bachelor's degree in psychology or a bachelor's degree in law can be evaluated for admission. Students from other disciplines can also be evaluated for admission.

If you are applying for admission to MPhil in Childhood Studies and your educational background is from Norway, the above-mentioned bachelor's degrees are pre-approved.

The master's programme is interdisciplinary and accepts Norwegian and Nordic students, in addition to self-financed international students. Admittance to MPhil in Childhood studies requires a BA in social sciences, or in combination with the humanities disciplines, with a specialization of a minimum of 80 ECTS credits.

C requirement

To be accepted into the programme students must have at least an average grade of C (by the Norwegian grading system) in the admission criteria. A C grade, however, does not guarantee admission.

Ranking

Qualified applicants are ranked based on all grades in their bachelor’s degree, in accordance with NTNU’s admission regulations section 31.

MPhil in Childhood Studies aims to provide students with an understanding of the relationship between childhood and culture as well as the dynamics between economic, social and political conditions and children's livelihoods and welfare in different contexts (family-life, day-care and schools, local communities etc). The programme covers the state of childhood(s) in the western world and in countries in the South. The approach is multi-disciplinary, with particular emphasis on perspectives drawn from disciplines such as anthropology, sociology, geography, and history.

Examples of topics for the master's thesis include:

• Children's experiences of joint custody
• Rural children's livelihoods
• Childhood and community services
• Children's rights and citizenship
• Family mediation
• Child care and intergenerational relationships
• Street children and health
• Children, obesity and television advertisement
• Children and education

• familiar with a variety of research methods and their application in fieldwork with children
• can design and carry out scientific, child-focused and ethical research that respects children's skills and capacities in ways that empower them
• can undertake independent research on children's lives and on childhood as a social and cultural phenomenon
• has the skill of promoting children's views and perspectives in public services

• has acquired knowledge on contemporary conceptual, theoretical, and methodological debates in childhood studies
• has knowledge on how childhoods and children's lives vary and are shaped by historical, social, cultural, political, economic and everyday life contexts
• has knowledge on international and regional conventions on children's rights and how they might be used to improve children's well-being

Total lecture and seminar hours: approximately 20-30 hours for each course. Most courses are dialogue-based and consist of seminars, written assignments, term papers, oral presentations, field visits, and group work.

A common ground between students and lecturers is established through social and academic arrangements in the first semester. Through a 'memories of childhood in cross-cultural perspectives' seminar, students and lecturers are encouraged to share and discuss experiences from their own childhoods, and basic theoretical perspectives within Childhood Studies will be introduced and discussed.

Students in the programme can choose BARN3501 - Children's rights in practice: Internship as an elective course in their study plan. This course will provide students with knowledge about and experience with how practitioners work to ensure children's rights. Students will have an internship in an organisation or institution that directly or indirectly works with children's rights, either in Norway or abroad (e.g. NGOs, public services, kindergartens, schools). Through the internship, students gain practical experience with rights-based work with children and strengthen their ability to assess and critically analyze how children's rights are and can be realised in various contexts.

The course BARN3501 - Children's rights in practice: Internship is restricted to students accepted into the Master's programme in Childhood Studies.

Are you interested in children’s everyday lives in different cultures and contexts? Would you like to learn about how to do research with children, and get insight into methods and ethical concerns in knowledge production with children and on childhood? Would you like to learn how to make use of children's rights to improve children's living conditions and well-being? If so, the master's program in Childhood Studies is suitable for you!

The international master’s program in Childhood Studies is a two-year research-based degree that provides students with an understanding of the relationship between childhood and culture, as well as how economic, social, and political dynamics shape the conditions for children’s lives and well-being in different contexts and settings, both in the Global North and the Global South. The program is interdisciplinary, drawing on theoretical and methodological discussions from various social science disciplines. It is open to both Norwegian, Nordic and European students, as well as self-financed international students, and all teaching is conducted in English.

Admission requires a bachelor’s degree in social sciences, a bachelor’s combining humanities and social sciences, or an equivalent qualification. Childhood Studies is relevant for those seeking to work with children and childhood in both the public and private sectors. This may include policy development and planning related to children’s living conditions within public institutions—locally or internationally—as well as work in non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Graduates may also pursue research on children and childhood, and the program qualifies students for admission to Ph.D. studies.

The master's programme in Childhood studies involves two years of full-time study. The workload for a full-time student for one academic year is 60 credits. Most of the courses during both years have a minimum of 80 % compulsory attendance.

The programme is structured around a combination of core courses (37,5 credits) and two elective courses (7.5 credits each), which provide a general introduction to theory and methodology, as well as giving students the opportunity to specialize in particular topics. In addition, the programme includes a master's thesis (60 credits) and Experts in Teamwork (EiT) (7.5 credits).

The content of the courses BARN2202 and BARN3202 has an overlap of 5 credit points. Therefore, the students who have completed BARN2202 Methodology in Childhood studies must choose GEOG3005 Qualitative methods or GEOG3006 Quantitative methods in exchange for BARN3202 Methodology in Childhood studies.

In the study plan, there are elective courses in the 1st and 2nd semester. You find the elective courses in your study plan.

Non-EU/non-EEA students: 1 December

EU/EEA students: 1 March

Norwegian/Nordic students: 15 April