Developing an International Master’s Programme in Ergonomics at a Technical University in Sweden

The objective of this paper is to present the rationale for, and the development process of, a new international master’s programme in Ergonomics, here framed as ‘Technology, Work and Health’, at KTH, Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden. The masters’ programme is designed for two years of full-time studies (120 credits). A challenge during this development process, has been to decide not only what to include in the programme, but also what to exclude. The systems-oriented discipline of ergonomics now covers all aspects of human work. Thus, two tracks of specialization are offered: Work Environment Engineering (WEE) and Human Factors and Ergonomics (HFE). The programme is given for the first time in the autumn 2018. After the first year it is necessary to evaluate the programme from student and teacher perspectives, to capture effects and improvement possibilities. Naturally, this evaluation includes the usual course evaluations that are done during and after each course. But also, from a recruiting perspective, when we now how many students, from where, and of which background that eventually were awarded a MSc degree. Finally, a programme review with an emphasis on outcomes is essential to establish that the programme meets academic standards, professional discipline expectations among employers of the graduates, and student expectations and satisfaction. The results from this review will provide the incentive for necessary major and minor changes to maintain an up-to-date and high-quality curriculum in a discipline that continues to evolve.