Study Progress Reform at the Faculty of Science – a status

There are still some details to be resolved following the consultation deadline of 30 March, but overall the chairman of the Academic Study Board of Science, Professor Poul Nielsen, is satisfied. He says of the new model:

– The result will be an improved Study Progress Reform. For instance, compulsory registration for courses will be done away with, and instead the students themselves will be responsible for making the right choices and registering for courses so that they meet the activity requirements. This makes things more manageable and flexible for the individual, and although the system is being tightened up compared to previously, we will end up with a model that is more transparent and hopefully less bureaucratic than what we have today. I think that is positive, says Poul Nielsen.

But what does this mean in real terms? Although the final decision will be taken by the Executive Board on 8 April, the overall framework is fixed.

Study activity requirement

From the study year 2016/2017, there will be a requirement for students on Bachelor study programmes at SDU to pass at least 45 ECTS per study year. If the study activity requirements are not met, the student will be withdrawn. Adherence to the minimum of 45 passed ECTS requirement will be checked after the second, fourth and sixth semesters, but as students are entitled to three examination attempts, it will in fact only be possible to exclude students one year after the check.

The same system will apply to Master's study programmes, where the first check will take place after the second semester.

Study time

There are also likely to be stricter requirements concerning time limitations for conclusion of both Bachelor and Master's study programmes. Where previously it was possible for students to take their time with their studies and still finish, in the future there will be no room for divergence. Study time for the Bachelor study programmes will be prescribed time plus one year, and for Master's study programmes the requirement will be prescribed time plus half a year.

First-year examination

Previously, as a compulsory part of the study programme, the requirement was for the first-year examination to have been passed by the end of the second study year, but this requirement is also being sharpened. In the future, the first-year examination must be passed by the end of the first study year. In addition, there may not be more than two attempts at passing individual courses allowed, and it will be up to the Academic Study Board to decide about courses on which a third attempt at passing will be offered. In contrast to before, there will be less time for students to find their feet with their studies, an issue which was also raised by the two students' council chairs who met the Dean in January. The first-year examination will be worth between 30 and 60 ECTS.

Registration for courses and examinations

It will be the responsibility of the students to register themselves for teaching, and this will automatically register them for the first attempt of the first-year examination in the subject.

However, the exception to this will be in the first study year of the Bachelor study programmes, where students will automatically be registered for teaching and examinations for the relevant study programme.

Sharpened requirements and tough penalties

The basis for the Study Progress Reform and the sharpened requirements to universities and students is the political desire for Danish university students to complete their study programmes more quickly, whereas previously many students have considerably exceeded the prescribed study time. Consequently, the reform embodies direct requirements from students and what are called "financial disincentives" to universities for reducing the average study time.

Therefore, SDU must ensure that the study completion time falls by 3.1 months towards 2020, with an annual reduction of approximately 14-16 days. If SDU is not able to reach the annual goal, the "financial disincentives" will come into effect and the university's grants will be cut.

If SDU does not succeed in reducing the average completion time by one month in 2016, it could cost the university as much as DKK 30 million. Financial sanctions will increase in line with the increased demand for shorter completion time. For instance, an unchanged completion time by 2020 could cost SDU a total of over half a billion DKK in lost grants.