Degree to be achieved: Master of Education Sciences in Pedagogy

Standard period of study: 2,5 years (5 semesters)

Type of studies: Part time

Amount of credits: 120 ECTS (European Credit Transfer System)

Language of instruction: English or Spanish

Accreditation: 07.10.2009. - 31.12.2015. 

Presentation. Read

Tuition fee:    

1) For EU, EEA citizens and their family members is 850 LVL per year (the total tuition fee is 2125 LVL)

2) For other countries citizens is 2080 LVL per year (the total tuition fee is 5200 LVL)

Programme description:
 
The fundamental aim of the Master is to offer postgraduate students a Joint University Master Degree in “Educational Treatment of Diversity”, offered by Universities from several countries. The Master Course on “Educational Treatment of Diversity” is a post-grade course whose target audience is Latvian, EU and other countries students with Bachelor's degree, teachers and other professionals who work or who will work in education or other areas with people with diverse special needs, following individual needs, own individual situation in concrete circumstances or specific context. Master Program "Educational Treatment of Diversity" is offered to those who have got a previous academic degree necessary to be registered into a post-grade course; this implying the necessary competencies to be trained to intervene in the diverse options presented within this professional arena.

The Interuniversity Master course will enroll students proceeding from countries where the involved Universities are situated and from other European Community’s countries. Apart from that, and in order to promote European cooperation in Higher Education, the course will facilitate students from the third countries (non EU nor EEA-EFTA or candidate ones) to register themselves for the Master course.  
To attain the fundamental aim of the Master the involved Universities will try, in co-operation with students, Professors, Tutors and all their personnel, to work for attaining specific objectives such as the following ones in the corresponding fields:

• In the academic field: to offer to the participants a possibility of obtaining a Postgraduate University Accreditation by the University where they are registered and by the other involved Universities offering the same Course, who have signed the corresponding agreement and annex referred to this Course;
• In the professional field: to prepare educators and other professionals to effectively work with various aspects related to the educational treatment of diversity. For such purpose, the participants must know the contents offered in the course related to aspects necessarily included in preparation of professionals who will work in the educational treatment of diversity. Throughout the Master, some practical activities will be suggested to the participants and followed up during the course: to be accepted, these practical activities will require the favorable report of the course Professors and Tutors;
• In the research field: to promote theoretical and practical knowledge of adequate research in the educational treatment of diversity, in order to clarify contents involved in the general concept of educational treatment of diversity, to discover real situations of educational treatment of diversity, to contrast effective ways of acting in this aspect, and to put forward alternatives to improve situations, resources and strategic ways of acting.

Additional information about languages of instruction: 

The usual languages of inter-communication within the participant Universities and of material production will be English and Spanish.  
The inter-institutional communication will be implemented in the mentioned languages. But, in the relationship with their own students, the usual language of instruction at the University of Latvia will be Latvian as a national language to communicate with students from their own country.  
Studies will provide students with a possibility of using at least two European languages. However this does not imply the use of two different languages of instruction. One of the languages whose use is to be facilitated will be an individual combination of English-German or English-Spanish. Apart from these ones, each University will decide which Latvian as European language will be promoted. 

Participating universities: 

Coordinating University:
National University of Distance Education of Spain

Participant Universities:
University of Karlova (Prague, Chequia)
University of Latvia (Riga, Latvia)
Ludwigsburg University of Education (Reutlingen, Germany) 

Study models:  

• As the Course is designed to be imparted at full time or part time interactive self-organized e-learning models there will not be obligatory regular face-to-face lectures students must compulsory regularly attend. To substitute this presence of regular lecturing, didactic material has been prepared with the necessary structure and reinforcements to be used by students in an independent way.
• The main focus to be observed in tutoring students will be the contribution to clarify the students’ needs, to help them solve their doubts and problems and to orientate them to obtain the necessary successful result. For this reason, tutoring sessions will not ordinarily be imparted as lectures, but as intercommunicative opportunities where students can directly and flexibly speak to the Professor and receive his/her specific and definite answer to the questions put forward.

Possibilities after graduation:  

This Degree will reveal that students have been trained as specialized professionals to work in education for people with diverse special needs, and that they have been prepared to research in different fields related to education with people with diverse needs and for joint doctoral studies on educational treatment of diversity. 

Admission requirements for academic year 2010/2011:

• Bachelor or Second level higher professional degree or equivalent certified documents from an institution of higher education;
• English or Spanish language proficiency¹;

¹If English/Spanish is not your native language and/or your previous education is not obtained in English/Spanish you must present one of the following documents:  
1) TOEFL IBT (Test of English as a Foreign Language Internet Based Test) score at least 80 or TOEFL PBT (Test of English as a Foreign Language Paper Based Test) score at least 550;

2) IELTS (International English Language Testing System) score at least 6 points;

3) Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English – C level; Cambridge Certificate in Advanced English – B level;

4) DELE (Diploma of Spanish as a Foreign Language) – B2 (intermediate) level 
5) Positive grade in English/Spanish at bachelor degree diploma or at an equivalent certified document; 
6) Positive grade in English/Spanish achieved in the entrance examination; 

Entrance examination:

Applicants have to pass the entrance examination (interview), which includes issues related to the inter-university study programme choice motivation; it is related with the studies academic and professional ambitions in the future, team work possibilities and social inclusion meaning in modern society assessment, as well as evaluation of the current situation in the special needs educational work area.

Criteria for admission to register for a Master's programme are:

• Previous studies (4 points) accredited by
• Certificate of studies in detail (1.5);
• Certificate of post grade studies in detail (1.5);
• Other higher degrees (0.25/each, maximum 1).
• Experience related to interchange (maximum 2):
• Special needs educational action area (maximum 2 points);
• In the area of educational action (maximum 1.5);
• Other experience unrelated to the field (maximum 1);
• No experience at all (0).
• European languages mastery (maximum 1 point ):
• Participating universities language knowledge (0.7);
• Mastery of main European languages (English, Spanish, German, taking into account the specificity of the programme and university lecturers – 0.3).
• Interview (3 points) will estimate relevant aspects such as: motivation; team working ability, thinking openness, social adaptation, intellectual maturity, knowledge avidity, interest in the field, commitment to involved people and other considered relevant.

      Taking into account the above mentioned criteria, the admission commission evaluates the handed in documents and arranges for an interview with each applicant. Applicants’ handed in documents and interview results are ranked by total points gained.  

Necessary documents

1. Notarially certified copies of legalized undergraduate degree diploma and legalized diploma supplement. If these documents are not in Latvian or English a notarially certified translation of these documents shall be provided.
   Find more information about legalization procedure below.
2. Completed application form;
3. Document confirming English/Spanish proficiency (if necessary).
4. Copy of passport;
5. 1 photo;
6. CV;
7. Copy of application fee payment document.

The payment must be transferred to the bank account of the University of Latvia before applying for studies. eng/general/contactinformation/account/Application fee is non-refundable.  

Please note! Application documents without included all required attachments and application fee payment confirmation will be understood as not valid and will not be forwarded for further processing.

 
Application fee:

1. For European Union, European Economic Area citizens and their family members* is 15LVL (21Euro);  
2. For permanent residents (including long-term residents of the European Community) and their family members* is 15LVL (21Euro);  
3. For other citizens is 35LVL (50Euro).

* Under this clause family members are spouse, parents and children.

 
The deadlines for submitting application documents: 

1. For EU citizens and permanent residents is July 15, 2010;

2. For citizens from other countries is May 15, 2010.  

Legalization (certification of document authenticity)

• Legalization is not a notarial act. It means verification of signature and seal of a document.

• If education documents are issued in a country which has joined the Hague Convention 1961 (e.g. USA, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Georgia, India, Moldova etc.) they should be certified with an Apostille. The Apostille is issued by a competent institution (usually the Ministry of Foreign Affairs) in the country of origin.

• If education documents are issued in a country that has not joined the Hague Convention 1961 (e.g. Lebanon, Syria, Pakistan, Sri-Lanka etc.) applicants should get a double legalization of their educational documents. The documents need to be legalized either by a competent institution (usually the Ministry of Foreign Affairs) in the country of origin or by the diplomatic/consular mission of the country of origin and either by any Latvian diplomatic/consular mission or by Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Consular Department.

Contact person for more information about the programme:

International coordinator of programme: Ieva Margeviča
E-mail: ieva.margevica@lu.lv