Pedagogy is a field of study, a science and a field of practice. It is an interdisciplinary field based on and providing knowledge within educational psychology, educational sociology, educational philosophy and educational history.

The target group for the Bachelor in Educational Sciences is anyone wishing to develop their skills and knowledge in these subjects and thereby understand how people learn and develop in interactions with others and how to accommodate learning and development processes in different contexts. The programme will provide students with pedagogical expertise that may be relevant to several different professions due to its interdisciplinary nature and for which there is increasing demand in many areas of society.

The subject area is closely linked to key social institutions such as family, nurseries, schools and universities, but also enterprises and organisations working on development and change in human encounters. Knowledge of how people learn and develop from a lifelong learning perspective is common to all of these. This includes everything from how an infant learns language, how pupils develop environmental awareness to how an engineer thinks in innovation processes. A central question in modern pedagogy is which knowledge, tasks and learning activities develop the human ability to act and problem-solve together with others in unknown situations.

We develop different relationships with other people throughout all stages of life. Understanding the traits associated with group processes and communication is important to succeeding socially and to being able to make strong contributions in the workplace, education and leisure time. Today, such relationships are complicated further, as strong, future-oriented solutions require interdisciplinarity between otherwise specialised disciplines. This type of collaboration can be challenging but is rarely addressed in different qualifications and instead becomes expertise that you only realise you need when you are tasked with solving an interdisciplinary problem. The current globalised society in which people interact across cultures, languages and ethnicities also brings about the question of how to plan, assess and accommodate inclusive pedagogical practices and development in different learning contexts. Likewise, expertise in guiding people in their learning, development and change processes is also high on the agenda.

Digital technology has been used in the education sector and working life for several decades. There has been much research and many studies into digital implementation, identifying characteristics, possibilities and challenges relating to learning and teaching. There is no educational institution or workplace that is not affected by digitalisation and we have witnessed both small and large changes at individual, group, organisational and societal level. Many struggle to find best practices within such a myriad of opportunities. This is because such changes are slow, take time to develop and new digital resources constantly emerge, such as new forms of social media, applications, improved visualisations or simulations. In turn, these new resources challenge us in our search for reliable information and knowledge and require us to have the expertise to conduct critical and ethical thinking around the possibilities and challenges that arise from digital resources.

The study programme has a distinct thematic progression in which students move from the general to the specific. The programme covers key subject areas, including educational psychology, sociology, philosophy and history, educational counselling and supervision, learning in working life and in digital contexts, creativity and innovation in learning processes, multicultural pedagogy and educational research methods.

The pedagogy programme is about understanding how society evolves and how political, social and cultural changes affect pedagogical thinking, teaching and learning. Society is in the midst of a necessary transition to becoming more sustainable, which will lead to new pedagogical challenges and will require new pedagogical reflections and answers. Sustainability is key to formative development and all courses in pedagogy and we will discuss and promote sustainable development and the UN sustainable development goals through pedagogical thinking and education. Here, we will contribute in particular to goal 4, which is about ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all. Education is key to development and opens up a world of opportunities that mean that each of us can contribute to a sustainable society.

Pedagogical expertise can open many doors in working life and responds to demand in a broad range of industries. With expertise on and a theoretical understanding of how people learn and develop throughout life, in different ways and in different contexts, those undertaking a Bachelor in Educational Sciences will be able to fill different roles in the current and future workplace. Students will be equipped to facilitate learning and development processes in the public and private sector, both in large organisations and small start-ups. Examples of workplaces include schools, publishers and voluntary organisations and graduates could work on e.g. training activities or textbook development. Educators are also sought after in projects linked to learning, change and innovation.

Pedagogy combined with other subjects can be a powerful combination in a number of fields, such as HR and organisation, PR and marketing or educational activities. The programme also provides the foundations for further studies in pedagogy and related fields at master’s degree level.

Study program NBA-PED

Bachelor in Educational Sciences