Nordic master programme in sexology?

Abstract

The Nordic countries have a long tradition of cooperation. The Nordic Association for Clinical Sexology (NACS) has existed since 1978. During the first years, Denmark Norway and Sweden were the dominant participants. In the 1995 NACS changed its official language to English, allowing the Finns, the Islanders and the Estonians to participate. Since that, the cooperation around authorization in sexological counselling, clinical sexology, and educational sexology, has evolved, and the need for sexological education is getting increasingly more important. In 2004 a group from Finland applied for funding from The Nordic Council (NORPLUS) to develop a Nordic Master programme in sexology. The work started in January 2005, where a group of participants from Jyväskylä University of Applied Sciences in Finland, University of Göteborg, The Nordic School of Public Health in Göteborg, Sweden, and Agder University College in Kristiansand, Norway made an agreement to develop a Nordic programme for a Master in sexology. The model for the development of a joint Master is based on the LEGO-principle. As a main outline, it is suggested that Finland takes the main responsibility for sex education and sexual health promotion; Sweden takes the main responsibility for Sexological research, Norway takes the main responsibility for clinical sexology, and Iceland the main responsibility for Ethics in sexology. The latest development in this work will be presented.