Governance and Entrepreneurship in Northern and Indigenous Areas (GENI) - master

This master's program provides competence in the fields of governance, consultation and entrepreneurship for northern and indigenous communities. It is a venue for students interested in comparing governance challenges in a circumpolar context. The graduates will form an international professional network for sharing a common experience and understanding of the current and future challenges of the north, and how to best resolve them in ways that strengthen the position of the communities and the peoples of the region. An important outcome of the program is to provide students with the ability to take a leadership role in supporting their communities with economic development by using innovative and entrepreneurial approaches.

Mobility is an integrated part of the program. Students are expected to participate in short-term exchanges in the form of field schools, both in Northern Saskatchewan and Northern Norway. Flexible education and online teaching will be a part of all core courses in the program. Through the applied research based internship-course, the program will provide students with a unique opportunity to gain work experience from industry, government and indigenous peoples concerning natural resource management, consultations and negotiations, and economic development or other governance issues in the circumpolar north. Thus, the program combines topical issues with practical application through internship placement and student mobility.

Duration: 3 years (flexible, partly online study)

The GENI program will provide students with the opportunity for a high level comparative and collaborative learning between two northern and indigenous regions, Northern Norway and Northern Saskatchewan, through applied research with government, indigenous organizations, and industry, international field schools, and faculty teaching exchanges. A primary goal of this program is to build capacity in the areas of governance and entrepreneurship for northern and indigenous communities.

The program has defined learning outcomes at different levels; knowledge, skills and competence. The complete overview of the program's learning outcomes can be found in the pdf document at the bottom of this page.

The program is interdisciplinary and open to students with a wide variety of educational backgrounds. Students must document at least three years of study at the university level, equivalent to a bachelor's degree in social sciences, law or education. Students must, in a statement of intent, demonstrate a basic knowledge of northern and indigenous issues, and social sciences.

Applicants with Higher Education Entrance Qualification (GSK) from a Norwegian High School are exempted from the UofS English language proficiency requirements.

The students will be registered at both UiT The Arctic University of Norway and University of Saskatchewan, but will be dedicated to one home institution. The home institution will have primary academic oversight for their student, and also oversee all administrative tasks and responsibilities for this student. A home institution will be seleced with concerns to the students registered address, and preference.

Please note:

If you have questions regarding admission, please refer to the contact information for the GENI program.

Flexible education will be applied for all of the courses in the program, and students can be located off-campus. The organization of the teaching will depend on the character and content of each course. The type of assessment is specified in each module. The two field schools, in the first and second semester, will create a platform for building a student cohort and preparing for cooperation throughout the program and afterwards. The delivery of the joint program will include:

• An intensive introduction week of each mandatory course by means of videoconferencing;
• Two international fields schools;
• Faculty mobility at the beginning of each student cohort;
• Co-teaching of courses via videoconferencing, web-based learning, and streamed lectures;
• Reciprocal feedback from the teachers on streamed lectures and videoconferencing;
• Students produced video clips (interviews with local leaders) made during their internships period;
• Student panels and colloquiums in connection with student and faculty exchange;
• Synchronous student and faculty presence assuring immediate student feedback.

All students will be appointed an academic supervisor in the second semester prior to the internship either at University of Tromsø or at University of Saskatchewan. Supervision for the internship and thesis work in the fifth semester is to be given both through (online) seminars and individual supervision.

During the second semester, students will have an internship placement at a stakeholder in the North.

The goal of the internship is to prepare students for their thesis work, as well as to build capacity by providing experience working with industry, government, indigenous organizations and institutions, and other organizations and stakeholders. This will foster professional networks and serve the research needs of northern community organizations and other stakeholders.

English

International student mobility is a core element in the GENI program. Students will participate in two field schools.

Program orientation and the first field school take place in Saskatchewan, Canada in September 2016. The second field school takes place in Northern Norway in March/April 2017.

There is also opportunity to spend a full semester at the partner institution for the purpose of taking elective courses.

Graduates of the GENI program will be prepared for careers in government, political bodies, economic agencies, industry, entrepreneurship, consulting, and non-governmental and community service organizations. The overarching aim of the GENI is to provide capacity to build northern futures.

Study-plan-GENI-v100215