The master’s degrees reform
Q&A about the master’s degrees reform
Right before the summer break, the Danish Government (the Social Democrats, the Liberal Party and the Moderate Party) and SF, the Democrats of Denmark, Liberal Alliance and the Conservative People’s Party signed a political framework agreement on the reform of master’s degree programmes. In this Q&A, Rector Jens Ringsmose elaborates on the content of the agreement.
Q: What are the main elements of the master’s degree reform?
A: The reform involves a major change to the university landscape as we know it today. According to the agreement, the intention is for 10% of future graduate students to study on a shorter programme of 1¼ years. The remaining 20% of students who cannot take an ordinary two-year master’s degree programme will in future have to study a vocational master’s degree programme of up to 120 ECTS, in which part-time study is carried out in parallel with a job, or a business-oriented master’s degree programme with a mandatory company internship. The agreement also places a cap on the universities’ future intake of new bachelor students, with a proposed reduction of 8% compared with the average intake between 2018 and 2022. In addition to the adjustments to the master’s degree programmes, the political agreement also includes a focus on strengthening the framework for further and continuing education and a greater intake of international students.
Read more about the reform on the Ministry of Higher Education and Science’s website (in Danish): https://ufm.dk/aktuelt/pressemeddelelser/2023/bredt-reformforlig-sikrer-milliardinvestering-i-uddannelse/bredt-reformforlig-sikrer-milliardinvestering-i-uddannelse
Q: What is the status of the process?
A: Currently, the parties behind the master’s degree reform have reached an agreement on the terms of reference for the Master’s Degree Committee that will ‘design the new bachelor’s and master’s degree programme landscape’. This is according to a news item published by the Ministry of Higher Education and Science on 24 August. The terms of reference define what the Master’s Degree Committee should make recommendations for, and it appears that all faculties will be subject to some degree of reorganisation into other master’s degree programmes than those currently offered: 35% in Humanities, 40% in Business and Social Sciences, 30% in Natural Sciences, 10% in Health Sciences and 15% in Engineering. The terms of reference state that the Master’s Degree Committee shall consist of the eight university rectors, two student representatives, as well as the Permanent Secretary, Director, Director of Administration and Deputy Director from the Ministry. The Ministry chairs the committee, and the Director of Universities Denmark will have a seat as an observer. The Master’s Degree Committee will have its first meeting in autumn 2023 and must make its recommendations by the end of October 2024.
Read more about the terms of reference on the Ministry of Higher Education and Science’s website: https://ufm.dk/aktuelt/pressemeddelelser/2023/kommissorium-for-kandidatudvalg-er-pa-plads
Q: What is SDU’s view on the matter?
A: There is no doubt that this is a difficult task for the University. Our ambition is to engage constructively in the collaboration and help find the solutions that benefit the University in the best possible way. This process will now be organised and we will keep you updated on the progress of the reform in this newsletter.