Global Refugee Studies

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Global Refugee Studies, a specialization under Development and International Relations at Aalborg University, Copenhagen, is a two-year fulltime international MSc-study program which focuses on refugees and forced migration.

Today Western development aid is increasingly directed at initiatives related to refugees. The idea is that development aid should be directed to the countries and regions that generate migrants and refugees in order to create new circumstances to ensure that refugees and forced migrants remain in the close neighbourhood either in the countries of origin or the surrounding countries. There is a serious lack of knowledge about the impact of this and many other initiatives on the actual situation of global, regional and local refugees. This MSc-study program will add to bridge the gap of the missing knowledge about the status of forced migration.

The Danish and European debate regarding refugees has changed radically in the past few years. From an almost exclusive focus on assimilation and integration it has now turned into both a security and foreign policy issue and is regarded as a development problem.

Topics to be studied at Global Refugee Studies
* Human rights
* Transnational communities/identities
* Displacement: Causes and effects
* Globalization, ethnicity and processes of social transformation
* Forced migration and internal population displacement
* Problems with rehabilitation
* Mal-development and climate change as a cause and consequence of displacement.
* The roots of poverty and inequalities
* The role of international government organizations and non-governmental organizations at both the international and local levels and their work with refugees
* Criminality and trafficking
* Gender, women and children
* Culture and identity

Job and career
For some students it may lead to PhD studies or a career in teaching and research, while for many others it will open the door to a professional career in a number of areas in which development and international relations is a central component, such as:

* business and industry
* international trade
* government and international service
* civil societies/NGOs

1st semester: International organizations, law and development

* Course: International relations (5 ECTS)
* Course: International organizations and international law seen in a refugee perspective (5 ECTS)
* Course: Political change and development theories (5 ECTS)
* Project work (15 ECTS)

2nd semester: Refugee- and displacement issues

* Course: International political economy (5 ECTS)
* Course: Politics, culture, identity (5 ECTS)
* Course: Globalization, forced migration and refugees seen in a developmental, historical and political perspective (5 ECTS)
* Project work (15 ECTS)

3rd semester: Individual study abroad program or internship

* Further studies at a foreign university (30 ECTS)
* or an internship in an institution or organization in Denmark or abroad (30 ECTS)

4th semester: Master thesis

* Project work (30 ECTS)

Pedagogical Method

The teaching at Aalborg University is based on research and is organized at two levels which are both related to the framework of the specific semesters:

* Lectures, seminars and courses
* Group-oriented and problem-centred studies.

The pedagogical model at AAU is based on problem-centred studies organized around written projects with the students working in groups of 3 to 5 members belonging to a specific study program. As the starting point of a project, the group, in cooperation with a supervisor, formulates a problem/topic of a theoretical or practical nature within a given framework. Under tutorial supervision students then collect, collate and analyze data and discuss possible solutions. The end product is a well-designed project-report written by the group members.

Project work generally accounts for 50% of the study time while the other 50% is devoted to lectures, seminars and workshops. The main courses are related to the themes of the semesters while others serve as a direct input to support the project work.

At the end of each semester, the project report is evaluated orally by the supervisor of the group together with an external or internal examiner. The project presented is a comprehensive report, the number of pages depending on the number of group members.

To apply you need a bachelors degree in a relevant field of the social sciences for instance political science, sociology or economics. If you have a background in Humanities or the Technical or Natural Sciences it is possible to apply if you otherwise have obtained relevant knowledge and qualifications. Assessment of the applications will be done on an individual basis.Foreign students are required to pass one of the English proficiency tests accepted by Aalborg University. These are IELTS, TOEFL and Cambridge ESOL.The test has to be less than two years old, otherwise it will not be accepted as valid. Danish students must have no less than a B-level in English.You do not have to submit an English test if one of the following criteria applies to you: * You have a complete bachelor degree done in English from either Australia, the UK, Ireland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, USA, New Zealand, South Africa or Canada. * You have a complete bachelor degree done in English from a Danish University.All international applicants must fill in the online application form and send the printed version and required enclosures by regular mail to International Office in accordance with the deadlines.It is expected your application will consist of officially verified (stamped and signed) copies of certificates and academic transcripts, including your final grade average with an explanation of grading system (maximum grade, minimum grade, etc.)If your final certificate and final year transcripts are not yet available, please submit an official provisional certificate and transcript or an official letter from your home university, listing the remaining subjects and the expected grades as well as the expected final grade average.The official English language requirements for international students applying to Aalborg University are: * IELTS (academic test):** 6.5 or * TOEFL (paper-based):* 550 or * TOEFL (computer-based):* 230 or * TOEFL (internet-based):* 80 or * Cambridge ESOL:* C1International Office at Aalborg University has a unique code for TOEFL test results: 8892. Please use this code when booking a TOEFL test this ensures the test is sent to the right receiver.*The test has to be sent directly from the test center. ** Original or verified copy of original.The test has to be less than two years old, otherwise we cannot accept it.Please note, that the English language requirement for a postgraduate and exchange/Erasmus/Erasmus Mundus programme (listed above) is not similar to the English language requirement for a full undergraduate programme.You do not have to submit an official English test if one of the following criteria applies to you: * Have a complete bachelor degree done in English from either Australia, the UK, Ireland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, USA, New Zealand, South Africa or Canada. * Have a complete bachelor degree done in English from a Danish University. * Have a major/minor in English, ie the English language is the field of study and not only an elective course or medium of instruction.What has to be sent via post to International Office when applying: * Printed application form including signature * Stamped and signed copies of certificates and academic transcripts in English (a stamped and verified copy of all documents will be accepted only if performed by the institution that has issued the original document, by the Embassy or Consulate in your home country or by a public notary) * References/recommendations (in English) from your home university * IELTS, TOEFL or Cambridge ESOL test (either the original test score result or a stamped and verified copy) * 1 passport size photo (approximately 1.2X1.2 inches)Forwarded documents will not be returned to you. Therefore, please do not submit any original documents. English Language Requirements IELTS band: 6.5 TOEFL paper-based test score : 550 TOEFL iBT® test: 80