Study plan - Master in Healthy Ageing and Rehabilitation

The Master's Programme in Healthy Ageing and Rehabilitation is an innovative, online learning programme in English, focusing on interprofessional and international issues related to healthy ageing and rehabilitation.

The goal of the programme is to provide students with foundational knowledge and skills necessary for healthy ageing and rehabilitation practice, research, and policy development from a global and interprofessional perspective. The master's programme aims to build students' capability in understanding of the diverse evolving needs of ageing populations by providing a critical, global perspective on healthy ageing and rehabilitation. The programme is designed to provide the core research competencies and to cover a wide range of relevant topics related to healthy ageing and rehabilitation globally. 

The following requirements need to be fulfilled:

• Relevant bachelor degrees, equivalent to 180 ECTS in health and social professionals such as physiotherapists, occupational therapists, nurses, orthotic and prosthetics engineers, medical doctor, social workers, social educators and speech therapists with bachelor in public health or community-based rehabilitation from a recognised institution.
• The grade point average of students' bachelor's degree must be C or better.

Applicants from outside the Nordic countries must provide evidence of their academic achievements and proficiency in English. See our page for how to document proficiency in English.

Learning outcomes

A candidate who has completed his or her qualification should have the following learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills and general competence:

Knowledge:
The candidate...

• has advanced knowledge of theories, practice, and research issues in the field of healthy ageing and rehabilitation with global relevance
• has thorough knowledge of scientific theoretical traditions, research methods and designs
• can apply knowledge related to healthy ageing and rehabilitation to new contexts, levels of services, organisational models or countries
• can identify and analyse challenges and resources for healthy ageing and rehabilitation in a local, national and global context, with particular reference to socio-cultural, economic and political contexts

Skills: 
The candidate...

• can critically appraise various sources of information and knowledge and use it to structure scholarly arguments about healthy ageing and rehabilitation globally
• can analyse critically contemporary theories, methods and approaches and employ them to independently solve practical and theoretical problems in healthy ageing and rehabilitation within various contexts globally
• can design research project and use appropriate methods for research independently/under supervision
• can carry out an independent limited research or development project under supervision and in accordance with applicable norms for research ethics

General competence:
The candidate...

• can critically examine relevant challenges to healthy ageing and rehabilitation and apply knowledge and skills in new areas in order to carry out advanced interprofessional initiatives
• can communicate and disseminate independent work to specialists and general public, across professions and cultures, and engage in public debates on healthy ageing and rehabilitation, locally and globally
• can conduct research independently
• can contribute to new critical thinking, resource mobilisation and innovation processes in health promotion and rehabilitation to address capabilities and well-being in everyday life for ageing populations globally
• can collaborate, and engage in decision-making and action with relevant stakeholders: older adults, next-of kin, volunteers, lay persons, professionals, and policy makers

Content

The programme is a cohort-based, two-year, full-time programme (120 ECTS) in English. To earn the degree students are required to take six courses (for the total of 80 ECTS) and complete a Master's Thesis (40 ECTS). Students in the programme are required to participate actively in the digital sessions, group work and individual work. There are weekly activities (either synchronous or asynchronous) during the two-year programme. In addition there will be two seminar-sessions which is a two-week intensive programme. The first is arranged in the beginning of the study, the other during semester 3.

Teaching

Various teaching methods will be used in the programme, depending on the content to be taught as well as the needs of students. Efforts will be made to provide learning choices for students by presenting materials using different modes (text, voice, video), creating multiple avenues for students' engagement (individual and group activities), and allowing student to express the newly acquired knowledge, skills and competencies in multiple ways (paper, presentation, video, poster). There is a mix of synchronous and asynchronous activities. This is a digital programme and students within the programme are responsible for having stable and good internet connection. Instructors are responsible for setting the climate, selecting the content and curating the resources, and supporting the discourse.

Assessment

Individual written term paper, indivdual portfolio, written group paper and Master's Thesis.

Internationalization

The programme opens for international student exchange physically and/or digitally in semester 2 and/or 3 at partner institutions:

• University of Dhaka, Bangladesh - Master in Rehabilitation Science
• University of Vilnius, Lithuania - Master in Rehabilitation