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Opens 15 November for applicants from outside the EU/EEA/Switzerland, and 16 January for applicants from within the EU/EEA/Switzerland.
About the programme
An innovative English taught programme that applies the tools of cultural analysis to the workplace, opening new career opportunities in both the public and private sector. It combines the resources of Lund University in Sweden and University of Copenhagen in Denmark. Preparing students to address today’s challenges through humanities and social science approaches.
What makes the programme at UCPH unique?
Students in MACA gain practical experience as cultural consultants by working in collaboration with external partners. This prepares students to generate and craft targeted cultural analysis that is highly applicable to real-world challenges, and with specific clients in mind. In addition, students benefit from the collaboration and co-teaching between the University of Copenhagen and Lund University that constitutes the MACA programme.What specialisations does the field of study offer?
Students develop specialised skills in problem-solving, and stakeholder engagement, collaboration, and communication. A solid theoretical and analytical foundation in social theory as well as training and experience with qualitative methodological training including ethnography, participant-observation, interviews, focus groups, and collaborative design prepare MACA students to address real-world challenges and opportunities for innovation.Admission and application
To apply for admission to this master's degree programme, you must have completed a qualifying bachelor’s degree or a similar Danish or international degree programme which is assessed to be relevant. Apply for admission via the application portal.
Below, you can read more about admission requirements and which documents to upload in the application portal.
Academic admission requirements
Here you'll find the different academic requirements depending on which qualifying degree you hold.
Academic admission requirements
If you hold one of the degrees listed below, you are considered to automatically meet the requirements regarding relevance of academic qualifications.
- European Ethnology from The University of Copenhagen
- Anthropology from The University of Copenhagen
- Anthropology from Aarhus University
- Sociology and Cultural Analysis from University of Southern Denmark
- A Bachelor’s degree from the Faculty of Humanities or the Faculty of Social Sciences at The University of Copenhagen, with a minimum of 10 ECTS credits of the Bachelor’s elective in European Ethnology from The University of Copenhagen.
In order to proceed with your application, please refer to the application procedure
The faculty may admit applicants other than those mentioned above if it is assessed that the applicant has a Bachelor’s degree from a Faculty of Humanities or a Faculty of Social Sciences with at least 30 ECTS in subjects within ethnographical method, anthropological/ethnological cultural analysis and/or theory.
In order to proceed with your application, please refer to the application procedure.
Language requirements
Applicants to an English-taught master's degree programmes at the Faculty of Humanities are required to document their English language proficiency in accordance with the language requirements for admission. Read more about the requirements below.
Application deadlines
Study start in September
1 March at 23:59
Application deadline for Danish applicants and applicants from within the EU, EEA and Switzerland.
Open for applications from 16 January. You will receive a reply by 10 June.
15 January at 23:59
Application deadline for applicants from outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland.
Open for applications from 15 November. You will receive a reply by 1 May.
How to apply
Choose your category and read how to apply for admission. You can also find information about deadlines and documentation requirements.
Please note that you must also select according to your citizenship:
- Citizen from Denmark, EU, EEA or Switzerland (EU)
- Citizen from countries outside EU, EEA or Switzerland (NON-EU)
If you are a citizen in Denmark, EU, EEA or Switzerland
If you are a citizen in a country outside EU
Have you been enrolled before?
If you already hold a master’s degree or completed master’s level courses you must be aware of the following rules:
I have completed a master’s degree
If you have already completed a master's degree corresponding to a Danish master’s degree please refer to the rules concerning a second degree.
I have completed individual master’s level courses
If you previously completed master’s level courses, you must inform the Faculty of Humanities in your application when applying for admission to the programme.
You must include documentation for your completed courses. The Faculty of Humanities assess if your credits can be transferred after admission to the programme.
How your application is assessed
Prioritisation of applicants
Admission to the programme is competitive and limited to 28 students.
The applicants who meet the academic requirements will be evaluated and ranked in accordance to the selection criteria below. The specified percentage is to show the weighted relevance of each criteria when the application is evaluated. If the number of qualified applicants exceeds the maximum student intake, students will be selected on the basis of their ranking. The highest ranked of the qualified applicants get an offer to join the programme.
Selection criteria
- Relevance of academic qualifications concerning cultural theory, cultural analysis or ethnographic methods (50%)
- The information provided in the letter of academic relevance (50%)
| Admission statistics Applied Cultural Analysis 2023 | |
|---|---|
| Admitted | 24 |
| Admission distribution (legal right/other) | 0% / 100% |
| Applicants | 173 |
| Age average | 25 |
| Legal gender distribution (cpr. - m/f) | 8% / 92% |
| Nationality (dk/international) | 67% / 33% |
| Available spots | No |
Programme structure
The MACA programme is a two year programme at Master’s level, and it is put together by seven courses (some of which are elective) and is concluded with a Master’s thesis. The programme involves collaboration with external partners and comprises internship in an organisation outside university.
The MACA programme provides students with both practical and theoretical skills. On the one hand, field work methods such as qualitative interviews, participant observation and digital ethnography play a considerable role. On the other hand, students are trained in working with contemporary cultural theory and the complex influence of cultural phenomena on processes in organisations and society. As a result of that, students are required to independently conduct cultural analyses, including the selection of methodological approaches from their analytical abilities and the reflection on ethical implications of the application of these methods. Also, weight is put on the proficiency in the organisation of projects and in the communication of results to other actors in society.
The programme is taught in English.
Programme structure
Year 1
| Semester 1 | Semester 2 |
|---|---|
| Introduction to Applied Cultural Analysis (7.5 ECTS) | Methodologies for Cultural Analysis (15 ECTS) |
| heoretical perspectives in Cultural Analysis (7.5 ECTS) | |
| Strategies for Composing Cultural Analysis (15 ECTS) | Fieldwork and Project Management (15 ECTS) |
Year 2
| Semester 3 (mobilty window) | Semester 4 |
|---|---|
| Master's elective (15 ECTS) | Thesis (30 ECTS) |
| Master's elective (15 ECTS) |
Course descriptions
Introduction to Applied Cultural Analysis (7.5 ECTS)
This course is an introduction to the application of cultural analysis in public administration, private corporations, and cultural heritage management. A small scale field project is undertaken to acquire hands-on experience in conducting cultural analysis in different organizational settings.
Theoretical Perspectives in Cultural Analysis (7.5 ECTS)
Through this course, students will acquire advanced knowledge of topical questions of epistemology in the Humanities and Social sciences. Different epistemological approaches to cultural analysis will be explored in order to enable students to identify and discuss epistemological aspects inherent to concrete modes of cultural analysis. Additionally, students will learn how to locate current issues of epistemology in a broader historical context.
Strategies for Composing Cultural Analysis (15 ECTS)
Advanced graduate level course focusing on the theoretical principles and implications of cultural analysis. Students will acquire thorough knowledge of key problems in contemporary culture theory and acquire the analytical tools to develop and delineate problems in cultural analysis. Exploring thematic clusters such as globalization, regionalism, identity politics, knowledge society, consumption, cultural economy, state, nation, and modes of everyday life, the course enables critical reflection on the constitution of different modes of cultural analysis.
Methodologies for Cultural Analysis (15 ECTS)
The pivotal point of this course is the question of how problems of cultural analysis are constituted and conducted following different analytical approaches. The exploration of these questions is organized in student workshops which include training in advanced ethnographic fieldwork methods, such as interview, observation, material culture analysis and digital ethnography. Further it involves the critical reflection on possibilities and limitations of different forms of visual communication and media to convey research results. Thematically the course revolves around questions of regionalism, considering particular sites of cultural production such as materiality, narratives and rituals. The exploration of different regionalisms and their intersections clusters around specific themes such as cultures of innovation, diversity management and the cultural dimensions of planning.
Fieldwork and Project Management (15 ECTS)
This curriculum component is fieldwork driven and based on a project envisaged and developed in cooperation with a public or private organization. Fieldwork and cultural analysis is conceived and designed as a feasible and focused project, through which the student acquires professional skills in project design, implementation and management, including budgeting, controllership, cost accounting, and fiscal evaluation. Reflections on the ethics of fieldwork are included as a component in project design and final evaluation. The course objective is to enable the student to independently design and conduct a fieldwork driven project in a given working environment. This includes the reflective ability to select and develop types of field inquiry and presentation appropriate to the given assignment.
Master's elective (choose up to 30 ECTS)
Master thesis (30 ECTS)
In the MA thesis the student is expected to demonstrate the skills acquired in the use of theory and methods to a specific thematic cluster. The student needs to craft, delineate and tackle a relevant research problem, to discuss key concepts and relate these to significant schools of thought and theoretical currents and to put the results of the thesis in a critical perspective.
Career opportunities
This innovative master programme applies the tools of cultural analysis to the workplace, opening new career opportunities in both the public and private sector in areas such as consumer values, lifestyles, cultural diversity, entertainment and art. The education combines experiential learning through hands-on real-world assignments with advanced social theory. With a MACA degree, you will be prepared to analyse and solve problems with diverse client including corporations, public institutions and NGO’s. You will work and study in close contact with the job market and supported by cutting-edge university research as you develop expertise in multi-stakeholder collaboration, applied ethnography, collaborative design, and implemrntation of insights grounded in robust social theory and empirical observation.
MACA is a cooperation between the Ethnology departments at The University of Lund, Sweden, and The University of Copenhagen, Denmark, and the programme takes full advantage of the location in the transnational Öresund Region.
Career Opportunities
The MACA programme focuses on how cultural analysis can contribute to the understanding of cultural phenomena in an occupational setting. You will deal with questions like:
- How are culture and economy intertwined in the analysis of new markets and consumer preferences?
- How can cultural analysis contribute to processes of innovation?
- How do processes of globalisation and local lifestyles intersect in regional contexts?
- How do the predicaments of cultural diversity challenge established concepts of ethnicity and class, gender and age?
MACA is based at UCPH and Lund University and has been developed through close cooperation with a number of companies interested in hiring employees qualified to bring robust research skills to address challenges and opportunities within innovation, project management, market analysis and communications.
Graduates from MACA are most likely to find employment at business consultancies, corporations, health care organisations, public administration, tourism, research institutions, marketing or media agencies. Some use the MACA programme to prepare for advanced study in doctoral programmes.
Student life
Transnational Environment
MACA offers a transnational study environment situated at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, and Lund University, Sweden. MACA is the first master's programme to take full advantage of the emerging transnational Øresund Region.
MACA students will benefit from course work at both universities and experience two very attractive environments, cosmopolitan Copenhagen and the historical university town of Lund.
Libraries
Saxo Library
There are nine departmental libraries on South Campus. The Saxo library holds the collections and academic literature for Prehistoric Archaeology, Classical Archaeology, Ethnology, Greek & Latin, History, Applied Cultural Analysis and Advanced Migration Studies. You can find information about the all the departmental libraries and the opening hours here.
The Royal Library on South Campus
The campus branch of the Royal Library houses an extensive collection on the humanities,
has free wireless internet access, and contains 400 workspaces for students to study.
The Royal Library
The main branch of the Royal library is a popular and centrally-located harbourfront place
for students to study. It has free wireless internet and numerous workspaces for study, and
also houses art and photo exhibitions. Visit the Royal Library website.
Etnologisk Fagråd (SCEMA)
Etnologisk Fagråd – In English known under the abbreviation SCEMA. SCEMA stands for: The Student Council of European Ethnology, Master of Applied Cultural Analysis and Advanced Migration Studies. SCEMA helps create an academic environment grounded in a community of science and fellowship, which establishes a room for discussion and fellowship among classes. The student council is a volunteer association that arranges social and academic events and functions as the link between students and the management, administration, and teachers of SAXO.
Student life on campus
South Campus at University of Copenhagen offers several cosy meeting points for students. Students at the faculty use the cafés during their breaks to meet up with fellow students or even lecturers. In the evenings the Faculty is often used for cultural events and café nights.
The Meeting Point ("Café Mødestedet")
This café offers coffee, hot chocolate, cold beer, light lunches and a variety of confectionery. The café stocks various games and has its own pool table.
Departmental cafés
Each department at the Faculty of Humanities has a student café, run by student volunteers from the department. The cafés offer a cosy environment where you can meet fellow students, read newspapers, play board games and buy cheap coffee and snacks. Student groups arrange study circles with representations from authors, artists and intellectuals and mutual discussions of relevant academic subjects. Furthermore the student cafés arrange Friday café nights often with different themes. There are often international student cafés during the semester where you'll get the opportunity to meet other international students and their mentors. We definitely recommend you to experience the atmosphere of the student cafés as the social life of many Danish student revolves around these cafés.
Student parties
Most of the departments at the faculty have a party committee which arrange parties and other social events. Your student identity card gives you access to all student parties at the faculty - also at other departments than the one you are enrolled at. Usually it is possible to bring a guest under the condition that you have obtained a guest ticket from the organizers of the party. Faculty parties are announced through posters on campus.
Sports and student associations and clubs
There is a wide range of associations and clubs at University of Copenhagen. The associations and clubs can be found within all levels of University of Copenhagen. Please visit Studenterhuset's list of more than 100 different associations and
organisations.
To find more local associations on department or programme level, please refer to your department, posters on campus, social media and your fellow students.
The students' sports association is KSI (University of Copenhagen student sports association). Signing up normally takes place in August, although it is possible to join at later dates if slots are free on the teams. KSI offers a wide range of different disciplines both on the southern campus and on other locations around Copenhagen. To find information about programmes, prices and contact please visit the KSI website.
Finding Housing
If you are looking for a place to live you can visit University of Copenhagen general information about finding housing.
Contact student guidance
Location
- Faculty of Humanities, South Campus, Karen Blixens Plads 8, DK-2300 København S.
The SAXO Institute
Karen Blixens Plads 8
DK-2300 Copenhagen S
Phone: (+45) 35 32 94 60
Website: saxoinstitute.ku.dk
For information about the MACA programme, contact Saxo Student Guidance and/or the coordinator in Lund info@maca.etn.lu.se
International admissions
If you are considering applying for admission to the programme, you can contact International Admissions concerning admission requirements and application procedures.
International Admissions
Karen Blixens Plads 8
DK-2300 Copenhagen S
Tel: +45 35 32 45 45
E-mail: fulldegree@hum.ku.dk
Phone hours
Wednesday: 10:00-12:00 (CET/CEST)
Please note, that the phone is closed during Danish national holidays and in July due to summer holidays.
Student Guidance at MACA
- Please read more on our website
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