Master’s collaboration between three leading European applied universities
Erasmus Mundus is a European Union programme that focuses on the joint development of master’s degree programmes. Tim Roosen (School of Creative Technology) is responsible on behalf of Saxion for the development of the joint master’s degree programme GRACE. The application for this was recently submitted. He is happy to tell more about it here.
What exactly are you developing with the joint master’s programme GRACE?
Erasmus Mundus is enabling us to set up an interdisciplinary and international master’s degree programme. GRACE is the abbreviation for Gamified Reality Applications for Real-World Challenges and Experiences. We are developing an innovative curriculum focusing on the application of gamification and extended reality (XR) in healthcare, smart industries and education. We are doing this together with our E³UDRES² partners: St. Pölten UAS in Austria and Vidzeme UAS in Latvia.
The master’s is aimed at the most talented students both inside and outside Europe. There are only 25 student places available per year. We hope to start in September 2025, but this depends on the accreditation process.
Grace consortium
How does the collaboration work and what is its added value to students?
The collaboration with St. Pölten and Vidzeme enables us to offer students a unique, advanced master’s degree programme in the application of gamification for XR. A programme that is highly relevant for future employment markets.
Furthermore, students get the opportunity to study in different countries. Meaning that their classes are held in different places. The programme is set up in a way that students spend the first semester studying in Austria, the second at Saxion and the third in Latvia. The fourth semester is completely devoted to the master’s project and thesis. During this semester, students are divided across the three partner universities. Where they end up depends on their mentorship in the business community and the subject of their thesis.
How did the Erasmus Mundus application go and what was your role?
As GRACE Programme Director, I’m responsible for developing the master’s programme on behalf of Saxion. I’ve been working hard on this for more than two years now. My role includes coordinating various stakeholders within the organisation and ensuring that the master’s programme meets the strict requirements of Erasmus Mundus and the European Approach accreditation.
In February 2023 we applied for Erasmus Design Measures. This is a grant for developing a joint master’s degree programme. The application was highly successful and the EU commended our plan. Not only did the grant provide a minor financial boost, but most of all it was a major motivational boost to continue our work developing GRACE as a consortium.
The application itself was far from plain sailing. The biggest and most important lessons for me were getting to know Saxion as an organisation. For such an application you need to involve a large number of different stakeholders within your own organisation. For me, this was a challenging way to get to know my own organisation.
Work session in Austria
What challenges do you face setting up a joint master’s programme?
The greatest challenges in a joint master’s programme involve its complexity and the coordination between different departments and countries. The legal and financial aspects, quality assurance, student admissions, onboarding and examination boards.
European accreditation helped ensure harmonised quality standards and procedures within the European Higher Education Area (EHEA). In the long run, this makes it easier to recognise a joint degree and offers quality assurance that gives confidence to both students and employers. Currently, there is no joint degree certificate for GRACE so students receive a multiple degree. This means students receive three degree certificates one from each of the partner institutions.
What do you hope to achieve with GRACE?
We hope to become the leading two year master’s degree programme in the EU in the field of XR training, rehabilitation and applications in health, education and other sectors. It is precisely the unique combination of gamification and XR, the collaboration between three prominent European applied universities, and the emphasis on sustainability and innovative didactic approaches that distinguishes us form other master’s degree programmes. We are really looking forward to starting the master’s programme.
| Project Code: | ID 101180046 |
| Action Type: | ERASMUS-EDU-2024-PEX-EMJM-MOB
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| Agency: EACEA (Europees Uitvoerend Agentschap onderwijs en cultuur) | |
