Master Programme in Early Childhood Education and Care

IMEC Erasmus Mundus Master Programme
IMEC Erasmus Mundus IMEC is a two-year international Master Programme (120 ECTS) in Early Childhood Education and Care. All students will follow a given structure, spending at least one semester at all three partner institutions.

IMEC is offered in cooperation between Oslo University College (Norway), University of Malta (Malta), and Dublin Institute of Technology (Ireland).
Learning objectives
1. To integrate research, professional development and policy at an advanced level within the field of early childhood education and care.
2. To gain knowledge of the tension between general policy targets, the increasing diversity of family structures and the need to strengthen children`s right as citizens.
3. To bridge the gap between quality provision and the lack of higher education and research within the field of early childhood education and care.
4. To explore the increasing pressure on early education and care systems arising from socio-economic and socio-cultural transformations, to focus not only on educational institutions but on children`s early learning in a broad variety of formal and informal learning contexts.
5. To foster critical awareness of cultural and individual diversity from a political and professional perspective.



The students will acquire a joint Master Degree (120 ECTS), recognized by the Consortium partners.

Scholarship
All applicants can apply for an Erasmus Mundus scholarship.

For the year 2010-2012, there are 10 scholarships available for third country students, 8 scholarships for students from the EU/EEA-EFTA states and 2 scholarships for students from the area of Western Balkans and Turkey.

It is not possible to apply for a scholarship without a place on IMEC. Once you have been accepted to as a student on IMEC, the IMEC consortia will apply for a scholarship on your behalf.

Definition of eligible third-country applicants:
Citizens coming from all countries other than:
a) The 27 EU Member States (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, The Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, The UK)
b) The EEA-EFTA states (Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway)
c) The candidate countries for accession to the EU (presently Croatia, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, and Turkey)

Applicants cannot have been residents of, or carried out their main activities (studies, work, etc.) in, any of the above countries for more than a total of 12 months over the last five years.

Application deadline:
Deadline for application is 15th of December 2009.

More information visit:
http://www.imec.hio.no/