Strategy 2035 – Faculty of Social and Educational Sciences
People Shape Society
At the Faculty of Social and Educational Sciences, people and society are the academic and values-based focal points, forming the basis for our vision regarding knowledge for a better society.
We are facing many major societal challenges: Exclusion leads to people dropping out of school and the workforce. International unrest, climate change and nature crises lead to increasing migration. Democratic values are being weakened, while powerful digital technology causes unpredictable shifts in power and threatens institutional trust, truth and the transfer of knowledge.
The Faculty of Social and Educational Sciences meets these societal challenges by developing knowledge and expertise that promote critical perspectives, mutual understanding, sustainable solutions and active participation in society.
Our employees and students shall be independent voices that challenge established assumptions about society and uncover underlying power structures. We have a special responsibility to facilitate lifelong learning and Bildung processes for individuals and the community.
The Faculty of Social and Educational Sciences will be at the international forefront of knowledge that promotes community, democracy and just transition
The Faculty of Social and Educational Sciences will continue to develop its position as an international leader in knowledge about and solutions for the community. Humans both shape and are shaped by society and culture, by their interactions with nature and the world around them, and by rapidly growing digital environments.
Schools, public administration, and the health and welfare system are three examples of the many formal and informal communities that connect people through relationships and networks. We will further develop research groups and programmes of study that are at the international forefront in core areas related to community, inclusion and social sustainability in a broad sense.
We generate knowledge within the field of social and educational sciences in complex relationships with the phenomena we study. Therefore, it is especially important for us to safeguard the fundamental principles related to freedom of expression and free and independent research. The Faculty of Social and Educational Sciences will be a distinct voice in the work to promote democracy and just transition by setting the agenda in a knowledge-based social debate.
The Faculty of Social and Educational Sciences has a special responsibility to ensure that NTNU remains a comprehensive university. In collaboration with both internal and external academic communities, NTNU’s students and employees contribute critical and constructive perspectives on the complex societal challenges we face, both nationally and internationally.
The Faculty of Social and Educational Sciences will lead the way in the development and critical understanding of services and technologies
The Faculty of Social and Educational Sciences will explore, understand and generate knowledge about the connections between new services and technologies and the human relationships and institutions they are part of.
The Faculty of Social and Educational Sciences will further develop collaboration and partnerships with trade and industry, the public sector and the voluntary sector to translate this knowledge into sustainable solutions. In this work, we will adopt critical perspectives that take into account factors such as power, diversity and ethics, thereby acting in accordance with the vision of knowledge for a better society.
Our academic environment combines societal engagement with innovation and entrepreneurship. This means that we will support and motivate our employees and students to take an active role in societal development through dissemination and public debate.
Developing student expertise is at the heart of our social mission. Research-based education will give students agency enabling them to contribute to sustainable change in society and working life. We will develop our programmes of study in accordance with the forefront of research, societal needs and technological developments, based on the distinctive nature of each subject we offer.
The Faculty of Social and Educational Sciences will cultivate curiosity, Bildung and critical thinking
The Faculty of Social and Educational Sciences will have working and learning environments in which diversity in expertise, perspectives and representation is valued and used as a means of quality development.
Leaders, staff and students will collectively promote academic engagement and create an academic culture characterised by critical thinking, curiosity, courage and debate. At the Faculty of Social and Educational Sciences, students and employees will be inspired to further develop their talents and ambitions.
Our programmes of study shall be relevant to working life and meet current standards, and they shall place high demands on students’ academic engagement. Our students will encounter educators with high academic expertise and educational skills, in learning environments that promote active student learning and challenge their analytical abilities.
At the Faculty of Social and Educational Sciences, we will develop working methods and cultures that support all students and employees in a positive manner. We will ensure health-promoting and inclusive working and learning environments, where collaboration, collegial participation and open, dialogue-based communication are key elements.