General competences at Arcada

The general competences are described at a general level. The development of general competences starts in general education studies, continues through integration in professional studies and is deepened in development studies and research studies.

General Competences BA degree programmes at Arcada (EQF 6)

Arcada's students are curious and reflective, putting education to work for a meaningful and sustainable life. Education is a lifelong pursuit of knowledge, new perspectives and deeper insight into oneself and the surrounding society. Education means taking responsibility for other people and society, and for one's thinking and behaviour.

Learning and career competences

Learning and career competences mean that you can study and learn in a self-directed and reflective way. You can evaluate, reflect on and critically appraise your competences. You recognise the importance of and can identify your strengths and development needs. You can describe your competences in different languages to future employers. You understand the importance of making informed choices that support your career and that lifelong learning is an important part of your career development throughout your life.

You have developed learning strategies and can use them flexibly and diversely in learning processes depending on content and context. Your reading skills are a foundation for learning and knowledge development. Similarly, your problem-solving skills and ability to learn with others are part of your way of working. In addition, you share your knowledge within your study and work community.

Ethical and sustainability competence

Ethical and sustainability competence means the ability to act responsibly and ethically in society and work environments. It means that you are able to consider and assess how ethical and sustainability issues influence the development of services and processes in your sector. You understand that a green transition is critical for the sustainable development of society.

You have the self-leadership skills to balance studies, leisure, everyday life and work. You are aware of the opportunities on offer and how you are shaped by your daily activities and actions, which in turn influence your options and choices in a rapidly changing world. You also recognise the importance of taking responsibility for and reflecting on your health.

You respect the equal value of all people and strive to act fairly, equitably and promote the inclusion of all. You are able to apply ethical principles in your personal life, in your studies, as a collaborator in the work environment and as a citizen in communities both locally and globally.

Communication and social competence refer to your ability to communicate in different contexts and cultures. It also involves active listening and understanding other people's perspectives. You are aware of cultural differences and you promote multicultural co-operation and understanding.

You are able to communicate your views constructively and are open to learning with others. Being able to communicate in several languages, both official national languages and foreign languages, is also an important part of this competence.

You are able to act in different social, international and intercultural settings, reflecting analytically and critically on your own role in the situation. You contribute to openness in groups, networks and the contexts you are part of.

Local and global citizenship is about understanding different actors and their roles at both local and global levels, and how they are linked to societal and economic structures.

You can analyse and critically reflect on the world in a social, cultural and political context and are familiar with the Nordic and democratic model. In addition, you have a basic understanding of how laws regulate societies and organisations, and how working life and different working communities are organised.

You understand and respect the importance of gender equality and cultural diversity and are able to deal with conflict in a constructive and respectful manner. You are also able to take responsibility and contribute to the organisation and development of your own field of activity and local and global communities in a sustainable way.

Technological competence

Technological competence means that you are curious, analytical and critical of technology, including various forms of AI and digital services, to achieve goals and fulfil tasks both in studies and in working life. You understand that digital transformation and change is necessary for society and your professional development.

You understand the difference between data, information and knowledge. You have a source-critical approach and know how to ensure the accuracy of information. You are comfortable learning new technologies and AI to be future-ready. You are able to use technology safely and creatively and recognise the security risks of the technology you use.

In addition, you have the ability to consider accessibility and ethics, and understand how the use of different types of technology and the application of processes affect interpersonal relationships. You can reflect on the ecological consequences of using different types of technology.

Innovation and development competence

Innovation and development competence means your ability to generate new ideas, develop and evaluate products, services and activities. The overall goal is to create sustainable, useful and accessible processes, products or services for the end user. In addition, you can assess the ethical and economic implications of innovations and developments.

You are familiar with the principles and methods of research, development and innovation activities. You can implement projects and capitalise on the potential of a multidisciplinary team. You are also prepared for both entrepreneurship and intrapreneurship. You can apply and commit to good scientific practice.

General Competences MA degree programmes at Arcada (EQF 7)

Learning and career competences

Learning and career competences mean that you can promote competence development and continuous learning for yourself and your work community in a versatile and purposeful way. You are able to evaluate, reflect on and critically appraise the competences of your work community and describe them taking into account the needs of the sector and society. You recognise the importance of competence development and you understand that lifelong learning is an important part of your career development throughout life.

You apply new learning strategies and promote purposeful and continuous learning in the work community. You take self-directed and reflective responsibility for the development of your own professional knowledge and develop specialised problem-solving skills and learn with others.

Ethical and sustainability competence

Ethical and sustainability competence refers to your ability to promote and realise the ethical principles and values of the profession, taking into account the principles of equality and non-discrimination. You apply ethical and sustainability impact assessments to the development of services, products and processes in your field. You lead activities that impact society based on ethical values and sustainable principles. You understand that a green transition is critical for the sustainable development of society.

You have the self-leadership skills to balance studies, leisure, everyday life and work. You are aware of the opportunities offered and how you are shaped by your daily activities and actions, which in turn influence your options and choices in a rapidly changing world. You also recognise the importance of taking responsibility for and reflecting on your health.

You respect the equal value of all people and take into account the realisation of diversity and accessibility in your work. You can lead the search, deployment and establishment of sustainable solutions and operating models in your work community.

Communication and social competences refer to your ability to develop and lead work communities and to innovate working life by communicating consciously in different professional, social and intercultural contexts. You make use of the opportunities offered by technology, digitalisation and AI. You promote diversity and multicultural cooperation in groups, organisations and communities.

You develop and promote overall work community well-being and work community resilience.

You can communicate both orally and in writing in professional English in different working groups and networking, as well as when giving and receiving feedback.

Local and global social competence refers to your ability to sustainably develop and manage multicultural and international business environments and networks, and to analyse their societal and economic linkages. You recognise global challenges and take them into account in your work in both international and local contexts.

You can analyse and critically reflect on the world in a social, cultural and political context and can put the Nordic and democratic model into practice. You apply the legislation that regulates societies and organisations and different working communities.

You apply an inclusive approach that promotes equality, fairness and cultural diversity in the working communities in which you operate. You are aware of and consider the impact and opportunities of global developments and phenomena.

Technological competence

Technological competence means that you use the possibilities of technology, AI and digitalisation analytically and critically in the development and management of work communities. You understand that digital transformation and change are necessary for society, your work community and your own professional development.

You are able to use technology, AI and digital solutions in a sustainable and versatile way and you can apply principles of data security and AI ethics. You are critical of sources. In addition, you have the ability to consider accessibility and ethics, and understand how the use of different types of technology and the application of processes affect interpersonal relationships. You can reflect on the ecological consequences of using different types of technology.

Innovation and development competence

Innovation and development competence means your ability to lead and contribute to the development of new solutions in a forward-looking and future-oriented way and you can strategically develop and evaluate products, services and activities in different working communities. The overall goal is to create sustainable, usable and accessible processes, products or services for the end user.

You proactively drive innovation and development with people at the centre. You base this on interdisciplinarity and include an ethical and economic impact assessment. You can produce new knowledge using different research, development and innovation methods.

You will be able to lead different types of projects and utilise the potential of a multidisciplinary team. You can also apply the principles of entrepreneurship and intrapreneurship. You apply and commit to good scientific practice.