21 December 2023

With its new master's programme Ethics, Science and Policy, Linköping University wants to make a difference in the world by teaching students to drive change, influence politics and thus improve society.

Young woman with dark hair in a ponytail and a pen in her hand talks to three young men in front of a glass wall with post-it notes
Photographer: Maskot Bildbyrå AB

The programme is international and aims to bring together students from different backgrounds and from different subject areas to create important meetings and discussions about current societal issues. These issues may, for example, concern education, healthcare, risk management, taxes or research. Students can look forward to learn how to evaluate, develop and design policies by studying science, politics and applied ethics, with a focus on policy design. They will also learn how to write policies, in different ways for different recipients.

Unique programme

A programme with this focus on a more philosophically analytical perspective occupies a unique position among Swedish master’s programmes, according to Lars Lindblom, programme director.

Lars Lindblom, programme director
Photo credit
Charlotte Perhammar
“We find it interesting to think about what to do with important things. What to do about healthcare, who gets what care under what circumstances? How do we think about risk management methods? How do we consider fairness?” says Lars Lindblom.

Policy issues are important

The programme is aimed at students who want to acquire the practical tools needed to work in the field of policies.

“We believe that these questions are important because we think they are interesting in themselves, but also that they are important for how we live together, for how society develops and for making the world a better place if we can,” Lars Lindblom continues.

Today, policy issues are now important in most large organisations and companies. This is where the labour market is found, especially in planning, development, management and evaluation work, both nationally and internationally.

During the course of the programme, the students will meet representatives of various potential employers who will present case studies, for example from disaster medicine, municipalities and government agencies. Examples of other organisations where this profile is in demand are in the public sector and trade unions.

Contact

Read more about the programme

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