ADMISSION TO THE DEGREE PROGRAMME M.A. PREVENTION AND INTERVENTION IN CHILDHOOD (SINGLE-SUBJECT) WAS POSSIBLE FOR THE LAST TIME IN THE WINTER SEMESTER 2022/23.THE DEGREE PROGRAMME CAN BE FOUND AS A SUBJECT IN THE NEW M.A. REHABILITATION SCIENCES (DUAL-SUBJECT).

In the area of prevention and intervention, support is understood as a targeted intervention in the person’s development based on theoretical knowledge. Primary prevention describes here the early establishment of protective factors with the aim of generally promoting health or minimising developmental risks. In contrast, secondary and tertiary prevention, intervention or therapy are utilised at a time when deviations already exist and the measures to promote health aim to reduce impairments or avoid subsequent disorders. Possible fields of employment for graduates include facilities for early learning, assistance for the disabled, early support, child and youth welfare, health management and health policy, advice centres, social paediatric centres, practices or inclusive education facilities, whereby the focus in the latter is placed on children with special educational needs and on non-academic support in primary education. Four principles are particularly relevant for current developments in these fields of employment and influence the structure of the degree programme:

1. Perspectives in primary, secondary and tertiary prevention: The target group is vulnerable children up to the age of 14 whose development could be hindered by disability, imminent disability or psychosocial risks. The main focus is placed on childhood (up to 10 years of age or until the end of primary school). The next development phase and the transfer to the secondary phase of the education system will be examined by taking an outlook.
2. Combining an application-oriented with a research-oriented focus: The master’s degree focuses on integrating scientific and application-oriented perspectives in the sense of a scientist-practitioner model. This enables evidence-based practice and also allows measures to be adopted using evaluation and data-based criteria in order to support children and families in the best possible way and to promote the scientific development of the subject.
3. The child in their social environment: Support is provided on a multi-modal basis at all levels of the system, i.e. both at the level of the child and also their living environment (family, institution, society).
4. Interprofessional collaboration: Subsequent fields of employment are characterised by cooperation in multiprofessional teams and by cross-institutional, interdisciplinary cooperation. The analysis of your own personal role and of the benefits and challenges of cooperation are other important focuses of the degree programme.

The aim of the master’s degree is thus for students to acquire the specialist, methodological, social and personal skills that allow them to implement theory and evidence-based multimodal prevention and intervention measures for vulnerable children and families in a multiprofessional team and thus promote their health and help the children and families lead a normal life. An equally important aim is to give students the skills to independently apply research methods and thus allow them to scientifically analyse and reflect on accepted scientific standards and subsequently study for their doctorate.