Degree: Master of Social Sciences
Language of the degree and teaching: English
First application period will start in 2023 and the first student will start in 2024.
Description
The degree program in Accessibility and Diversity in Digital Services is crucial due to the lack of expertise and understanding in this area. The modern world is becoming increasingly digital, and accessibility is critical in ensuring that everyone can participate in society equally. The need for accessibility experts is growing exponentially, and this degree program will address this gap in expertise.
The degree program in Accessibility and Diversity in Digital Services will answer the need for experts in accessibility. There is a high demand for accessibility experts in both the public and private sectors. The program will provide students with the skills and knowledge necessary to design, develop, and implement accessible products, services, and environments.
The programme answers the desperate need for accessibility professionals. Over the years accessibility has become more visible in our society mostly due to new accessibility laws. However, there is no programme which would educate the people in the field. This programme provides the basic knowledge of skills that people need currently but also takes into account new arising needs of accessibility professionals.
Accessibility professionals are needed in any field, most urgently in the fields which the accessibility law requires to be accessible, which are public sector, education and different services.
This programme is unique worldwide due to its multidisciplinary nature and close collaboration with different disability and accessibility related stakeholders. None of the existing programs has the same perspective on accessibility. Further, existing programs have the focus on online studies while we are aiming to hybrid programme to offer students possibilities for real-life encounters and discussions.
After completing the Master’s Degree Programme in Accessibility and Diversity in Digital Services students:
- Understand what accessibility is and how diverse it is
- Have familiarized themselves with people with disabilities
- Are aware of different biases concerning disabilities and accessibility
- Are able to recognize how to make services and digital society accessible and inclusive
- Are able to identify the accessibility needs and problems in different digital services
- Are able to communicate inclusively
- Are able to use critical and constructive thinking to design, facilitate, and evaluate accessible information, communication, and media services for digital society
- Are able to conduct accessibility testing and evaluation
- Are able to collaborate with stakeholders
- Are able to contribute to the development of new and emerging trends in accessibility
Structure & Project
- General studies depending on background: 1-10 ECTS
- Advanced courses: 40 ECTS
- Project course + thesis seminar + thesis: 5 + 5 + 30 ECTS
- Elective and other studies: 39 – 29 ECTS
The students will take two courses to start their project work and continue working on the project throughout their studies and ideally their thesis would be about the project work. The project work topics will be focused on accessibility and ideally every course would support also the project work.
