New prestigious project attracts master students from all over the world to Gävle

The University of Gävle is one of the few universities in Sweden that has succeeded in getting its application for an Erasmus Mundus Master's granted. The agreement means that the University will be able to receive international students in a master's program focusing on migration and diversity.

Studenter i Fårhallen.

Erasmus Mundus allows students from all over the world to apply and the project has already received over 680 applications for the first round.

– We are very excited and look forward to meeting the students. This means that we will have a large number and variety of students studying their master's degree with us, says Kia Kimhag, lecturer in educational sciences and responsible for the project at the university.

Want to attract people from different activities

The focus is "migration, diversity and education" and the master's program will start in autumn 2025. It is a collaboration between Schwäbisch Gmünd in Germany (coordinator), the University of Gävle and Calabria University in Italy. The project will be implemented over six years and the program requires that students applying have a bachelor's degree as a foundation.

– The aim is to reach people who encounter migrants in different activities and the training should give them a broader perspective. By bringing together people with different experiences and having dialogues about the area, it is possible to create structures for working with migration, says Kia Kimhag.

Kia Kimhag.

Kia Kimhag.

The project has been granted EUR 4.2 million, with a large part of the budget going to scholarships (17 people each year are granted scholarships, the other 8 finance their studies themselves). The University of Gävle will receive almost SEK 3 million for its implementation of the project.

The second semester is based in Gävle

As it is an Erasmus Mundus Master's project, there are systems and criteria to follow for selecting the most qualified students.

– We will look at their "motivation letter" where they will explain why they want to study the program and we will see what professional experience and grades they have. Once we have ranked them all, we will select the most qualified and conduct interviews.

"This is something completely new here"

The program will start on four occasions, with 25 study places per start. The first semester will be taught in Germany, while the second semester will be based at the University of Gävle.

During the third semester, students can choose between five countries to carry out their internship and engage in academic specialization related to their interests: Benin, Germany, Italy, Sweden or Turkey. Afterwards, they choose where they want to write their Master's thesis.

– This is something completely new here at the University and it is both exciting and really fun that we now have this prestigious Erasmus Mundus project, says Kia Kimhag.

Text: Anna Sällberg

Sidan uppdaterades 2025-01-31