Global-MINDS – European Master in the Psychology of Global Mobility, Inclusion and Diversity in Society

Global-MINDS is an English-language master degree program for students with a Psychology Bachelor degree or equivalent. It is a unique study program with an internationalization component that is indispensable. It is aimed at students with a Bachelor (or similar) degree in psychology. This ensures that the program complies with international legal requirements regarding the registration and use of the title ´psychologist´, therefore, significantly improving the employability of psychology graduates.

The program is designed to deliver high quality international training in scientific knowledge and practical skills in social and cultural psychology. The Master courses provide students the opportunity to acquire in-depth theoretical knowledge on themes of extreme social relevance, including diversity and inclusion, global mobility and acculturation, and culture and organisations. Students also consolidate and apply this knowledge by gaining first-hand intercultural experience by attending at least two Partner Universities, through the required structured student mobility, a structured internship, and writing a research-based thesis. These characteristics render this master program in Social and Cultural Psychology unique world-wide.

The 2-year program consists of two semesters of full time course work in the first year, at two different universities. This is followed, in the second year, by a semester internship with an organisation or company organised in association with the partner university of the student’s choice, and a final semester for completing and defending the thesis. During the last semester, again, the student can choose their location, but they must be available to meet with their chosen thesis supervisor regularly face-to-face during this time.

Program Objectives

Students will receive a thorough training in subject skills as well as intercultural skills – assets that are indispensable in today´s global knowledge economy and multicultural working environments. They will also be trained to better understand the role of intergroup relations and culture in society, developing competent and innovative interventions in order to address a wide range of complex social issues in contemporary societies. Students will be engaged in experiential intercultural learning in the classroom as well as during a required internship. This type of knowledge is indispensable, as it simply cannot be taught; and when integrated into a formal degree program, becomes even more valuable because of the opportunity to discuss and reflect on experiences in a safe environment.

Recent societal challenges such as Europe’s refugee crisis or the rise of political extremism call for experts to tackle pressing issues of mobility, inclusion and diversity. In Europe and across the globe, well-trained specialists in intergroup relations and cultural diversity are needed to prevent marginalisation, conflict and violence and to promote inclusion, social equality and collaboration. Our goal is to offer a timely master programme that responds to these needs.

Students must take part in a 3 month structured internship in an organisation involved in topics highly relevant to Global-MINDS´ aims and goals. These internships increase the relevance of the master for the labour market. In addition, associate partners from various areas will be involved in the delivery of course content in order to bridge theory and practice and apply scientific content to contemporary social and societal challenges. By developing intercultural competence in a systematic way, we believe that Global-MINDS graduates will have an employment advantage in the job market.

Student Mobility

Global-MINDS students start either at ISCTE-IUL or SWPS. They then spend their 2nd semester at one of the other three Partner Universities. Four mobility paths, focusing on societal issues, ensure that students experience the highest level of diversity in regard to cultural, socioeconomic, academic conditions and educational contents (see mobility path diagram). Elective courses offered at each Partner Institution in Psychology and other disciplines (e.g., political science) provide students the possibility to deepen a thematic interest and/or obtain an interdisciplinary perspective. Students can stay at the same university after the second semester or opt for additional mobility tracks to any of the Partner Institutions for their third (internship) and fourth (master thesis) semesters.

The Partner Universities ISCTE-IUL and SWPS are located in Southern and Eastern European regions and are therefore paired with Northern and Western European Partner Universities as well as a Partner University outside the EU. Moreover, the academic content is complimentary in each mobility path.

When applying for the program, students must rank order their preference for the four possible mobility paths:

• Mobility Path A, Culture & Diversity: Semester 1 at ISCTE-University Institute of Lisbon (ISCTE-IUL), Lisbon Portugal; Semester 2 at University of Limerick (UL), Limerick, Ireland.
• Mobility Path B, Mobility & Society: Semester 1 at SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Warsaw, Poland; Semester 2 at University of Oslo (UiO), Oslo, Norway.
• Mobility Path C, Inclusion & Health: Semester 1 at SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Warsaw, Poland; Semester 2 at University of Limerick (UL), Limerick, Ireland.

Semester 1

The starting universities provide the foundation regarding social and cultural psychological contents.

ISCTE-IUL: Compulsory courses focus on basics regarding group phenomena including stereotyping and intergroup discrimination. Issues of intercultural contact as well as potential misunderstandings in communication situations are also covered. Students learn specific techniques to reduce prejudice in society and to improve their cultural competence.

SWPS: Compulsory courses cover an introduction to social psychological topics (e.g., prejudice, stereotyping and discrimination) and numerous cultural psychological issues such as cultural diversity, acculturation, as well as ethnic conflict.

Semester 2

After completing the first semester, Global-MINDS students will move to a Partner Institution as specified in the mobility path diagram. The mobility paths have been carefully designed in order to offer students the choice of a thematic focus according to their interests and career ambitions. Students will also receive a solid training in psychological qualitative and quantitative methods and data analysis as a preparation for their Master thesis project:

• Mobility Path A: Students will deepen their knowledge in Social Psychology by applying its principles regarding diversity and social inequality to contemporary social issues, such as how individuals relate to community and society, the groups they are part of and those people they see as not part of their group, including topics such as collective action and ideologies of diversity and multiculturalism.
• Mobility Path B: Students will learn how to plan, conduct and evaluate applied research and interventions regarding justice and sustainability with an emphasis on migration and intergroup relations. They will also learn about how psychology can contribute to issues of human rights violations as well as post-conflict reconstruction.
• Mobility Path C: Students will be prepared to deal with a socially and culturally diverse workforce in national and international organisations. They will learn how organisational and national cultures shape businesses, institutions and people (e.g., regarding leadership styles).

The compulsory Global-MINDS Summer School offers additional knowledge and skills development regarding topics not covered by the Partner Institutions.