Social Work and Exclusion 2026

The Social Work and Exclusion programme at the Catholic University of Applied Sciences North Rhine-Westphalia (katho) is an international study programme offered to students spending a semester at the institution. Participants study alongside local Bachelor in Social Work students and form a single cohort throughout the semester. Courses run as weekly sessions or intensive block courses held over specific weekends. The curriculum covers theories of social inequality, poverty, and social exclusion; current developments in inequality and their implications for social work practice; and the mechanisms of social exclusion and their effects on different groups in society. The programme also develops international and intercultural competencies, including critical cultural awareness and the ability to work across disciplinary, professional, linguistic, and cultural backgrounds. Assessment takes the form of oral individual or group presentations or written essays, graded on the German scale from 1 (best) to 5 (worst), with intermediate grades. Groups have an average of 20 participants. The programme is held at the Catholic University of Applied Sciences North Rhine-Westphalia in Köln, Germany.