Forschungsorientierte Ausbildung: Qualifikationsprofile in der Curriculumsentwicklung von Masterstudiengängen

Determining qualification profiles is one of the main tasks of the curriculum
development process. Qualification profiles define either a specific field of learning,
or a broader aggregation of qualification clusters with a common purpose such as
applied vocational or more theoretical academic courses of study. How can one
evaluate whether a planned program really empowers a student to achieve a
certain qualification profile? How can a curriculum impart to graduates the profile
required for an academic research career? Does this curriculum have anything in
common with curricula with a vocational qualification profile?
We have developed a checklist which will help curriculum developers, program
providers and external reviewers to develop curricula or evaluate them before
implementing a program. One set of the checklist's criteria focuses on the
qualification profile, and consists of three indices: (i) a research proximity index; (ii)
a practice proximity index; and (iii) an interdisciplinarity proximity index. Here we
wish to present these proximity indices for Master Programs in the sciences, and
illuminate the educational concepts upon which it is based.