Description of the international study environment

Purpose

The Faculty of Social Sciences supports an international study environment via the following means:

  • Availability of English language teaching materials, English-language courses and whole programmes in English.
  • English-language information materials and services for programme administration
  • Presence of non-Danish researchers and students, and interaction between Danes and non-Danes
  • Information and guidance for Danish students preparing to study abroad.

In addition, the faculty has a procedure for entering into Erasmus agreements and balance. The procedure can be read here.

Availability of English-language teaching materials

The international study environment is supported by the availability of English-language teaching materials, English-language courses and whole programmes in English. A number of the faculty’s master’s programmes are run in English. The programme administrations are responsible for ensuring the preparation and publication of the required English-language material. However, the study board is responsible for writing the curriculum (see Procedures for curricula and course descriptions).

Faculty website lists programmes in English and other relevant information: https://socialsciences.ku.dk/education/degreeprogrammes/.

A proportion of the faculty’s courses is in English. These courses are open to all students, partly to encourage interaction between Danish and non-Danish students, and partly to support the development of the Danish students’ English-language skills.

Responsibility

The head of studies is responsible both for whole programmes in English and for English-language courses.

English-language information and services

The international nature of the study environment is also supported by the availability in English of information and programme-administration services for non-Danish students. The Faculty of Social Sciences supports the University of Copenhagen language policy, which stipulates that all information that may be relevant for international lecturers and/or students ought to be translated into English. Examples include English-language information for international students (https://socialsciences.ku.dk/students/ and https://studies.ku.dk/).

The Faculty of Social Sciences also provides comprehensive English-language counselling and services for English-speaking students and lecturers, including on matters of programme administration. The faculty is able to publish documents that international students might need in the course of their studies –enrolment confirmations, grade transcripts, etc. – in English. The administrative staff are able to assist English-speaking lecturers and students.

Responsibility

Responsibility for the English-language information and programme-administration services lies with the student counselling services (for subject-specific guidance) and with the programme administrations (for issues at programme level).

Presence of non-Danish researchers and students and interaction

The international study environment is created through the presence of and interaction with lecturers and students from other countries.

The Faculty aims to attract more lecturers and students from other countries. The number of enrolled students from outside the Nordic Region on whole master’s programmes is compiled on an annual basis, as is the number of incoming students on exchange agreements.

The faculty supports the presence of non-Danish researchers and students via exchange agreements and via a wide range of English-language courses of a high academic standard.

In relation to international students, the Faculty organizes an in-depth introductory programme aimed at its new international exchange, guest and master's degree students in connection with the Faculty's introductory programme aimed at new Danish and international master's students. The event is held at the beginning of every semester around the start of the semester and, among other things, provides new international students with the opportunity to meet each other and their fellow Danish students and learn more about living and studying in Denmark as well as their upcoming studies at the Faculty of Social Sciences. In addition, websites containing ‘survival guides’ in English aimed at new international Master's degree students and international exchange and visiting students, respectively, have been established.

Responsibility

The dean is responsible for attracting more non-Danish researchers to the faculty and for organising International Day.

Information and guidance for Danish students preparing to study abroad

The Faculty supports the students' possibilities of studying abroad by ensuring that all study programmes have mobility windows making it possible for students to go abroad and study.

The University publishes information and guidelines aimed at making it easy and attractive for Danish and international students to go on study trips abroad. Students in the Faculty of Social Sciences who want to study abroad have a wide range of information available to them in Danish as well as English, including on International Education & Grants’ website: https://international.ku.dk/, and the faculty’s own site on KUnet under 'Udlandsophold'/'Study abroad' on the left side navigation menu (requires login).

The faculty has set a target for providing information to students about studying abroad, in the form of an information meeting each semester for interested students. This target is monitored annually and a report is submitted every three years, as part of the faculty’s reporting on quality-assurance work.

At the meeting, which is conducted in English to ensure that Danish as well as international students are able to participate, students get to ask questions about application procedures and rules for study abroad, and receive information about the many opportunities to spend a semester or two at a university abroad. At the start of the meeting, a member of staff from International Education & Grants speaks about the general arrangements and procedures for study abroad. The meeting then splits along study programme lines, and students get the chance to ask their department’s international co-ordinator about subject-specific opportunities and procedures.

Responsibility

International Education & Grants, the departments’ international co-ordinators and the student advisory service provide most of the information and guidance about study abroad. International Education & Grants provides advice about purely practical matters, e.g. exchange opportunities, visas, etc. The student counselling service takes care of the academic aspects, including applications for pre-approvals, credit transfers, etc.