A Comparative Study of Intercultural Competence Among Students in the Utrecht and Eurocampus Tracks of the Intercultural Communication Master’s Programme of the University of Utrecht

Abstract

Intercultural competence is an increasingly essential skill in today’s globalized world (Leung et al., 2014). This thesis explores the development of intercultural competence among students in two tracks of Utrecht University’s Master’s programme in Intercultural Communication: the local Utrecht track and the international Eurocampus programme. Using a mixed-methods approach inspired by the INCA framework (INCA assessor manual, 2004) and the Intercultural Deskpad (Schoutsen, Severs, & ten Thije, 2023), this study compares self-assessed intercultural competences, investigates the role of study location and programme structure, and examines how intercultural learning is perceived within each curriculum. Data was collected from ten students (five from each track) through a survey containing 5-point Likert-scale items and four scenario-based questions. Results show that both groups demonstrated moderate to high levels of intercultural competence across all six INCA dimensions: Tolerance for Ambiguity, Behavioral Flexibility, Communicative Awareness, Knowledge Discovery, Respect for Otherness, and Empathy. Eurocampus students self-reported slightly higher levels in Behavioral Flexibility, Communicative Awareness, and Empathy. In contrast, Utrecht students demonstrated stronger abilities in Knowledge Discovery and Respect for Otherness, as well as more effective coping strategies in ambiguous situations. Additionally, Students in the Utrecht track attributed their development of intercultural competences to the programme’s structured academic content, while Eurocampus students highlighted the impact of daily intercultural experiences abroad. Finally, Utrecht students also perceived a stronger and more explicit integration of intercultural competences in the curriculum. The findings suggest that both academic structure and immersive experience support the development of intercultural competence in different ways. Combining these strengths could offer a more complete approach to intercultural education in higher education settings.