Master of Social Sciences in Accessibility and Diversity in Digital Services, Sustainable Societies and Digitalisation
Tampere, Finland
Master degree
DURATION
2 years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
EARLIEST START DATE
TUITION FEES
EUR 12,000 / per year **
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* Application for studies starting in autumn begins December and ends January.
** per academic year for non-EU/EEA students
Fast-track counseling
By contacting the school, you'll get access to free priority counselling for any study and application questions.
Key Summary
Educating future accessibility professionals
We believe that accessibility should be a norm and this program caters to the increasing need of accessibility professionals in both public and private sectors.
Studies
The Accessibility and Diversity in Digital Services studies equip students to design, develop, and implement accessible digital services and environments for both the public and private sectors. The studies do not settle for just web accessibility education but aim to consider various societal domains such as culture, media, and game accessibility, as well as the accessibility of emerging technologies like artificial intelligence and virtual reality.
Studies educate students not only to fulfill the needs of accessibility laws but also to design more accessible services beyond the scope of the legislation. Furthermore, this specialization educates students to understand the diverse needs of people with and without disabilities.
Project-based learning
The Accessibility and Diversity in Digital Services studies address the urgent need for accessibility expertise in an increasingly digital world. Accessibility should already be taken into account when planning digital services. However, there are many ways in which existing services can be modified to be accessible.
As accessibility overlaps with all parts of our lives, the program takes a multidisciplinary approach. This approach recognizes that accessibility is not just a technical issue, but a social one as well, and requires a holistic understanding of the barriers that people with disabilities face. Moreover, the program is project-based. During your studies, you will carry out an accessibility project in collaboration with stakeholders. The project work is integrated into the Master’s Thesis. The program aims to be truly accessible to all eligible students.
Master’s Degree Programme
The master’s Programme in Sustainable Societies and Digitalisation specialization in Accessibility and Diversity in Digital Services focuses on awareness of the diversity of digital cultures. After completing the Master’s Programme students understand the role of digital media and communication technology in today’s and future society and recognize its ethical and societal risks. The program consists of the following academically independent specializations with distinct study profiles:
- Accessibility and Diversity in Digital Services (ADDS)
- Sustainable Digital Life (SDL)
- Artificial Intelligence for Sustainable Societies (AISS) (Erasmus Mundus Joint Master’s Programme)
Tampere University offers a limited number of partial scholarships as well as an early bird discount to support fee-paying students.
Tampere University tuition fee scholarships
The Tampere University tuition fee scholarship is an exclusive opportunity awarded to a select number of the best-performing applicants. It is a highly selective scholarship; in total, only individual Tampere University scholarships are awarded to exceptionally qualified applicants. Scholarships are not awarded in all programmes.
Tampere University tuition fee scholarships awarded at admission cover 50% of the tuition fees for the programme duration.
Early bird offer
The early bird offer is available to all fee-paying students who have not been awarded a Tampere University tuition fee scholarship upon admission. The early bird offer gives a €2,000 reduction on the programme tuition fee during the first year of studies.
Students may take advantage of the early bird offer by accepting the offered study place and paying the reduced first-year tuition fee within two weeks after receiving information on admission.
This offer is valid only for the first year of studies.
In addition to these offers available at admission, students who complete a Bachelor's degree at Tampere University will be eligible to receive a €2,000 reduction on their tuition fee for the first year of Master's degree studies at Tampere University, provided they graduate from their Bachelor's programme within three academic years.
How to apply for scholarships?
To be considered for Tampere University Scholarships, you must apply for the scholarship as part of your application for admission during the application period for admission. You will apply for Tampere University Scholarships with the same online application you use to apply for admission at Studyinfo.fi.
All application information you submit in your application for admission at Studyinfo.fi, including your educational documents, is available for the admissions committee evaluating your scholarship application. Scholarships are awarded on the basis of overall academic assessment, in which all application information and educational documents, as well as the scholarship application letter (if applicable), are taken into consideration and can be decisive. The decision on the scholarship will be communicated to you together with information on admission.
The early bird offer is available without a separate application to all fee-paying students who have not been awarded a Tampere University tuition fee scholarship.
The modern world is becoming increasingly digital, and accessibility is critical in ensuring that everyone can participate in society equally. Over the years accessibility has become more visible in our society mostly due to new accessibility laws. The need for accessibility experts is growing exponentially, and these studies will address this gap in expertise.
Accessibility and Diversity in Digital Services will provide students with the skills and knowledge necessary to design, develop, and implement accessible products, services, and environments. This specialization provides the basic knowledge of skills that people need currently but also takes into account the new arising needs of accessibility professionals. Accessibility professionals are needed in any field, most urgently in the fields that the accessibility law requires to be accessible, which are the public sector, education, and different services.
The studies do not settle for just web accessibility education but aim to consider various societal domains such as culture, media, and game accessibility, as well as the accessibility of emerging technologies like artificial intelligence and virtual reality. Studies educate students not only to fulfill the needs of accessibility laws but also to design more accessible services beyond the scope of the legislation. Furthermore, the program educates students to understand the diverse needs of people with and without disabilities.
Structure of studies
Studies in Accessibility and Diversity in Digital Services consist of the following elements:
- Advanced Studies in Accessibility and Diversity in Digital Services form the core of the degree. The studies include various multidisciplinary courses, a project course, and topical courses on trends in accessibility and methods and technologies for accessibility. The program utilizes project-based learning. During the two years, students will attend to a Project Work course and carry out a research and innovation project in groups. The project work is integrated into the Master’s Thesis.
- Joint Studies focus on general orientation to studies and personal study planning, language studies, and academic writing skills.
- Free Choice Studies
Detailed information on the content and structure of the studies is included in the curriculum. The curriculum for the academic year 2024-20245 will be published in March 2024.
Accessibility is more popular today than ever, and the need for accessibility professionals is urgent. We trust that our students will be employed after graduation for various accessibility expert positions. Also, depending on their bachelor's level background, they can employ service designers, product designers, trainers, or software developers. Because of the multidisciplinary nature of accessibility, existing skills and knowledge boosted with a master's degree in the accessibility field create new opportunities and career paths for our students in multiple fields, in both the public and private sectors, including the third sector.
Co-operation with other parties
The program is project-based. At the beginning of their studies, students will choose a project topic and a collaborator. The project will continue as long as their studies continue, and the end product of the project will be a thesis.
Research Focus
Interdisciplinarity is at the heart of this program, where the realms of social sciences converge with technology development. Students explore a wide range of aspects and fields related to accessibility.
Further study opportunities
The students graduating from Accessibility and Diversity in Digital Services are eligible to apply to the doctoral programs of Tampere University. There are two particularly suitable doctoral programs for Accessibility and Diversity in Digital Services graduates:
- Doctoral Programme in Media, Communication and Performing Arts (DPMCP)
- Doctoral Programme of Humans and Technologies (DPHAT)