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Program and courses Management of Cultural Diversity

Examine the opportunities and risks that cultural diversity brings within organizations, companies and social domains such as health care, education and the labor market. Based on these analyses, formulate policies or interventions to exploit opportunities and neutralize risks.

Program structure

This one-year track of MA Culture Studies consists of 60 credits (ECTS):

  • 4 core courses (24 ECTS)
  • 2 electives (12 ECTS)
  • 2 research skills modules (6 ECTS)
  • Master’s thesis (18 ECTS)

This program starts at the end of August

Program content

Core courses

You will follow 4 core courses:

  • MCD Intro Course (6 ECTS)
  • Cultural Identity and Diversity (6 ECTS)
  • Cultural Diversity Management (6 ECTS)
  • Cultural Diversity Policies (6 ECTS)
Elective courses

You choose 2 elective courses from the following options:

  • Performance: Ritual, Art, Body in Digital Culture (6 ECTS) 
  • Digital Industries and Infrastructures (6 ECTS) 
  • Media Provocateurs (6 ECTS) 
  • Intercultural Communication On and Offline (6 ECTS) 
  • Attention Economies (6 ECTS) 
Research skills

You select 2 research skills modules from the following list:

  • Using Digital Literacies (3 ECTS)
  • Ethnomining (3 ECTS)
  • Ethnography and Interview (3 ECTS)
  • Narratology & Discursive Analytical Strategies (3 ECTS)
  • Interaction in Digital Culture (3 ECTS) 
  • Anthropology and Fieldwork (3 ECTS) 
  • Survey Design (3 ECTS)
Master's thesis

In block 3 you will develop a research proposal that forms the basis for your thesis.

  • This research proposal is partly realized within a 'circle' around a broad topic in which you have indicated your interest.
    - The circle consists of four students and a supervisor who meet once every two or three weeks to discuss everyone's process in defining a topic.
    - Each student chooses their own topic. The fellow students and the supervisor provide feedback.
  • After defining your topic, you develop it into a research proposal. Meanwhile, you make the necessary preparations for the actual execution of your research, for example in a certain country or with a certain organization.
  • After you have finished your proposal, you defend it.
  • If your research proposal is approved, you can start working on your Master's thesis.

Examples of Master's thesis subjects are:

  • Debates on street names referring to the colonial past in a municipality in Noord-Brabant
  • Intercultural competences of team leaders from Switzerland working for companies in Colombia
  • Leadership strategies and the inclusion of minority employees in health care,
  • Work participation of workers belonging to the Mapuche ethnic group in a company in Southern Chile
  • Indonesia’s Religious Diversity Management in Education. A case study addressing the possible freedom of religion for the indigenous Nuaulu pupils attending the Junior High School SMP Negeri 6 Amahai at Seram Island, Indonesia
  • Uniqueness and alterability: new perspectives on stereotype formation and preservation. A social analysis of stereotype salience in intercultural interactions of customer service providers of the municipality Tilburg

Watch a trial lecture

You will find a detailed description of the courses and required literature in our course catalog.

Go to the course descriptions


Please note: programs are subject to change. We advise you to look up the current program in OSIRIS Student at the start of the year.


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Short overview of Management of Cultural Diversity

  • You will learn to approach complex issues from an interdisciplinary perspective, combining insights from culture studies, sociology, anthropology, social psychology, sociolinguistics, organization studies and human resource studies.
  • You will apply your theoretical knowledge on real-life cases within companies and organizations. 
  • You will be prepared for an international career: both the curriculum and the classroom have a strong international character. Besides that, you are encouraged to carry out your thesis research abroad.
  • You are provided with the tools, knowledge, analytical skills and critical thinking skills to get a good understanding of particular cases of diversity, identify potential risks and advantages, and to propose interventions that are truly useful and applicable for managers, policy makers and governors. 
  • Small-scale working methods with a great deal of interaction enable in-depth analysis and discussion with fellow students and lecturers

Interested in the Management of Cultural Diversity track?

Check your eligibility and the deadlines for application