PH Karlsruhe: New master's degree program promotes democracy and migration

PH Karlsruhe: New master's degree program promotes democracy and migration

The Karlsruhe University of Education (PHKA) is taking a significant step further with its master’s degree program “Intercultural Education, Migration and Multilingualism”. From the winter semester of 2025/26, the course will be offered under the new name “Migration, Education and Democracy” (MiBiD). This renaming puts a clear focus on the interactions between migration and democracy. This includes topics such as political education, integration and inclusion as well as anti-discrimination. “The further development was triggered by scientific discourses and social changes,” emphasizes course director Mechtild Gomolla. The importance of multilingualism remains central to the new concept.

The interdisciplinary approach of the degree program combines knowledge from various disciplines such as educational, social, cultural and linguistic sciences as well as theology. Students will be able to acquire knowledge about migration, education, multilingualism and democracy from different, international perspectives. This is particularly important given the challenges facing modern migration societies.

Content and focus of the training

The new degree program addresses relevant questions relating to the human right to education and the role of educational offerings in the context of social inequalities. Formal educational offerings are intended to create opportunities for participation, but also to address existing social inequalities if necessary. The right to education is seen as a central pillar that forms the basis for democratic and inclusive coexistence. In times of social polarization, political education could make a decisive contribution to promoting human rights and democratic principles, which also supports people's independent judgments and actions ph-karlsruhe.de explained.

The PHKA also plans to expand cooperation with various universities. For example, three students per year are given the opportunity to earn a double degree in collaboration with the University of Palermo. Further Erasmus+ collaborations with the University of Salzburg and the University of Krakow are being planned. These international orientations promote intercultural exchange and enable a deep insight into the different challenges and solutions between countries.

Career prospects and application details

Graduates of the MiBiD degree programs have a wide range of career prospects. These range from positions in science and youth welfare to activities in anti-discrimination agencies and administrative tasks in the area of ​​diversity management. Applications for the new course are open until July 15, 2025, and interested students can find further information on the PHKA website.

The social challenges associated with migration and education require innovative educational approaches. That's why experts like Christine Achenbach and Dr. Michael Bigos is crucial to address the topic of democracy education in the digital world and problems of social inequality. Supporting institutions and NGO workers, such as Uğur Elhan, are actively working to anchor democracy education in schools and society as a whole, which shows how deeply the issue is rooted in current education policy.

In the context of migration, migration movements represent different backgrounds and trajectories. An effective migration regime is essential to do justice to these processes and at the same time respond to the challenges of racism and discrimination. This complex is addressed in the new master's degree program through focused teaching and research, which promotes the conceptualization and implementation of inclusive educational practices.