Short graduate programmes suggested by government
The political election campaign has unofficially started and shortening graduate programmes is part of the debate.
Dear Staff
Although the general election has not yet been called, there is no doubt that the election campaign has unofficially started. The fact that it coincides with the Reform Commission's report on higher education is probably a coincidence, but it at least gives rise to lots of debates in the media.
It is especially the proposal that more students should only have a 1-year Master's degree that causes concern at the universities.
The Reform Commission has a special focus on the humanities and social sciences, where they propose that 2/3 of the students complete their studies with a business-oriented 1-year Master's degree, while it is only a smaller proportion in the 3 other main areas (10-20 %).
It is always difficult to assess how much attention the universities get in an election campaign, but this time the Reform Commission's plan has generated quite a few comments from the spokespeople of the political parties.
There are a number of alternatives to the commission's proposal, but all seem to worsen conditions for either the students, the universities or both parties.
There is a risk that the politicians seize the opportunities from the Reform Commission to save on university education, now that funds are needed for other areas, such as defense and climate action.
We are, therefore, very likely to face a difficult situation after the general election.
It can be very difficult to understand that you want to degrade the level of education in Denmark right now, when we think of the great challenges we face nationally and globally.
There is a need for knowledge at the highest level.
Therefore, I believe that we must continue to have a high level of ambition for the quality of our degree programmes and ensure that our graduates acquire relevant and in-demand skills.
This is completely in line with our educational strategy. We will continue with the efforts that have been initiated, and in the coming months we will discuss any new measures for 2023 in the faculty's various councils, boards and committees.
I encourage everyone to contribute to these discussions so that we can bring all good ideas into play.
Marianne Holmer, dean