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Studies & Degrees in Intercultural Studies

Intercultural studies examines what happens when people from different cultural backgrounds live, work and communicate together. It asks how language, identity, migration, media and power shape those encounters, and how misunderstandings can be reduced in schools, companies, public services and international organisations.

The field is interdisciplinary. The master's programme in Intercultural Studies at Aarhus University, for example, draws on concepts and methods from the humanities, such as history, literature, media and language studies. Other programmes start from linguistics, communication, anthropology, education or translation.

What students learn

Most programmes combine theory of culture and communication with advanced language skills and practical projects. At the University of Jyväskylä, the master's in Language, Globalization and Intercultural Communication (LAGIC) joins intercultural communication with applied language studies and works with discourses, identities, mobilities and media. The Aarhus programme focuses on analysing interculturality in organisations and on ways to improve intercultural interaction.

Some programmes are tied to a profession. At the Universidad de Alcalá, the Máster Universitario en Comunicación Intercultural, Interpretación y Traducción en los Servicios Públicos trains interpreters and translators for public services, with specialities in Arabic, Chinese, French, English and Russian paired with Spanish.

Language immersion abroad is the other common route into the subject. Language schools build contact with local life into their courses: Dar Loughat in Tetouan, for example, teaches Modern Standard Arabic and Colloquial Moroccan Arabic all year and states that it gives students daily contact with Moroccan life.

Qualifications and levels

  • Bachelor's level. Few bachelor's degrees carry the name. Students usually approach the field through degrees in modern languages, translation, anthropology, communication, education or area studies, often with a semester abroad. In Spain an official bachelor's degree (grado) has 240 ECTS credits.
  • Master's degrees. This is where most named programmes are found. In Europe 60 ECTS credits correspond to a full year of study, and a master's usually has 90 or 120 credits; in Spain official master's degrees have 60, 90 or 120. The LAGIC programme in Jyväskylä is a two-year, full-time programme of 120 ECTS credits taught in English and leads to a Master of Arts. The Alcalá master's has 60 ECTS credits, takes one academic year full time or two part time, and is taught in a blended format in Spanish and the language of the chosen speciality.
  • Doctorate. Research is done in departments of languages, communication, education or anthropology. According to the University of Jyväskylä, its master's qualifies graduates for PhD studies.
  • Short programmes. Language and culture courses, internships and volunteering abroad last from a few weeks to a year. They give experience, not a degree; ask the school what certificate it issues.

Where to study

SpainExchange lists 16 active schools for intercultural studies. Spain has 4, Brazil and the United Kingdom 2 each, and the United States, Poland, Austria, Finland, Morocco, Chile, Italy and Germany 1 each.

In Spain the list includes the Universidad de Alcalá, the Universidad de Huelva, the Universidad Pontificia de Salamanca and the Universidad de Deusto in Bilbao. Elsewhere in Europe it includes the University of Jyväskylä, University College London, the University of Stirling, the Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, the University of Graz and the Department of International Polish Studies of the Jagiellonian University in Kraków. Language and exchange organisations make up the rest: COINED International in Santiago de Chile, Dialogo Portuguese Language School in Salvador, Brazilian Experience in Curitiba, Dar Loughat in Tetouan and Studio Italiano Tropea in Italy.

Language is part of the choice. The Jyväskylä programme is taught in English; at Aarhus the common courses are in English and the language tracks are taught in English, French, German or Spanish. Non-EU/EEA students pay tuition fees in Finland: €10,000 for the Jyväskylä programme, according to the university.

Careers

Graduates work where organisations deal with more than one culture. The University of Jyväskylä mentions communication advisers, specialists in international affairs and global mobility, content managers, language and communication teachers and consultants, and work with NGOs and public bodies responsible for immigrants and refugees. Aarhus lists former students working as intercultural consultants, project managers, localisation specialists, communications consultants and HR consultants.

Official statistics do not treat the field as one occupation. For the related profession of interpreters and translators, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics projects employment growth of 2 percent from 2025 to 2035, with about 6,000 openings a year.

Frequently asked questions

Is intercultural studies the same as intercultural communication?

They overlap. Intercultural communication concentrates on interaction and language use; intercultural studies is the wider label and can include history, literature, media, migration and education. Compare the course lists, not only the titles.

Do I need to speak several languages?

Good command of at least one foreign language is normally expected. The Alcalá master's is taught in Spanish and the language of the chosen speciality, and the Aarhus language tracks use English, French, German or Spanish.

How long does a master's take?

One or two years. The Alcalá master's has 60 ECTS credits and takes one academic year full time; the Jyväskylä programme has 120 ECTS credits and takes two years.

Can a language course abroad count as intercultural study?

It gives practical experience of another culture and improves the language, but it is not a degree. If you need credits for your home university, agree this with both institutions beforehand.