The work on the master’s degree reform at the Faculty of Social Sciences

Which programmes are expected to be affected/restructured? 

The decision has not yet been made on which Master's Degree Programmes will be restructured. This depends on both the Committee for Master's Degree Programmes’ final report and the coordination that must take place across both universities and main academic areas.  
Ultimately, the decision will be made by the Rectorate (Rector, Pro-rector and University Director) on 1 October on the recommendation of the faculty management teams, but they are dependent on the organisation's input in order to qualify that decision as much as possible. 
Involvement is primarily carried out through Heads of Department, Heads of Studies, and Study Boards.   

Will a reorganisation of a degree programme apply to all campus offerings and all lines/profiles? 

This has not yet been clarified, and it is in relation to such issues that we need to include perspectives from the academic environments, including Heads of department, Head of Studies, Study Boards, other employees and the students.  
The involvement will take place continuously over the next few months, with a focus on meetings with Heads of Department, Heads of Studies, and Study Boards.  
The final decision regarding the master's landscape at SDU will be made by the Executive Board (The Rectorate and the deans from the five faculties) in December, so we know what the landscape will look like on 1 January 2025. 

Is it certain that the major programmes that may be affected will be allowed to be flexible in the sense that both 120 ECTS and 75 ECTS Master's Degree Programmes are offered? 

No, it is not certain. It is stated in the terms of reference for the Committees’ work that "The  Committee for Master's Degree Programmes shall assess whether a number of major programmes/areas of study can be advantageously converted to both Master's programmes of 75 ECTS and 120 ECTS".  
It is stated in the preliminary report that "In continuation of this, the Committee for Master's Degree Programmes will continue to work on how a transition to Master's Degree Programmes of 75 ECTS and 120 ECTS can take place in a uniform manner across the universities, including exploring the possibility of flexible organisation at the individual university".  
There is currently no consensus in the Committee. The university rectors work to ensure as much flexibility as possible for the individual university to organise its offerings also on smaller programmes. At the same time, it is not yet clear how a large degree programme is defined, as the size of the programme can vary across universities. 

Master's Degree Programmes for working professionals have not been a great success so far. How do you expect this to be turned in a positive direction?

The Master's Degree Reform will include new opportunities for interaction with our surroundings in the form of flexible master's degrees for working professionals.  
This requires close dialogue with both public and private employers at both SDU and faculty level, and the dialogue must be intensified in the coming months in parallel with the work of the Committee for Master's Degree Programmes. 

How will you engage with the business community (partnership models)? 

First and foremost, we hope that representatives from Danish Industry (DI) and Danish Chamber of Commerce (DE), among others, will have the opportunity through the candidate partnership (Kandidatpartnerskabet) to give their input to a greater extent on which models may be feasible.  

In addition, we at SDU must of course be very aware of how we can intensify our dialogue with the business community. This applies to both the Master's Degree Programmes for working professionals (erhvervskandidater) and the Master's programmes for applied management with business courses (erhvervsrettede kandidatuddannelser med virksomhedsforløb).   
SDU RIO is a relevant partner in relation to this and will be able to conduct dialogue across the university.  
At the Faculty of Business and Social Sciences, we will also start a dialogue with relevant stakeholders to discuss the possibilities, including the Faculty of Business and Social Sciences' Advisory Boards.  

What are 45 ECTS programmes? And who can enter these programmes? 

It is mentioned in the terms of reference that "the Committee for Master's Degree Programmes must also design a model for a so-called supplementary Master's certificate, where graduates from a Master's degree programme of 75 ECTS who have completed continuing and further education activities corresponding to 3/4 years of study (45 ECTS) receive a formal certificate documenting that they have completed education at Master's level corresponding to a total of 2 years of study (120 ECTS).” 
The 45 ECTS programmes will thus be targeted graduates who have completed a 75 ECTS Master's programme. It is a prerequisite for being admitted to a 45-ECTS programme that you are employed. 
You can apply for a 45 ECTS programme immediately after you complete your 75 ECTS Master's programmes (provided that you are employed). 
Graduates from 120 ECTS programmes do not have access to the 45 ECTS programmes. 

How will SDU work with the 45 ECTS? – Will it take place at each faculty or will there be collaboration across the five faculties?  

It has not yet been clarified to what extent a collaboration will be initiated across SDU. 
Initially, in the autumn of 2024, we will focus on the Faculty of Business and Social Sciences as a faculty focusing on how we can jointly create some attractive 45 ECTS courses. 

Why are all academic environments not involved from the beginning? The reform will potentially hit them hard, and they have important knowledge about the substance? 

The academic environments are absolutely central to finding the best solutions, because they possess valuable knowledge about the educational programmes. It is therefore also appreciated that the ties of confidentiality have now been loosened, so that we can start the very important discussions about the restructuring of our master’s degree landscape across the organisation.   
That said, there are some very difficult decisions ahead of us that are based on an external framework. And yes, we have to say, there are some decisions that cannot be taken in plenary. However, this does not mean that the academic environments are not consulted, e.g. through Heads of Department, Heads of Studies, and the Study Boards, to ensure that the unique knowledge about the degree programmes is exploited. 

Who will be involved in the decision on which programmes will be affected/restructured? 

 On 1 October, the Rectorate will decide which programmes will be offered as 120 ECTS in 2028 and 2032, and therefore also which programmes will be affected by a restructuring. The decision is preceded by bilateral discussions between the pro-rector and the faculty management teams.  

During August and September, meetings will therefore be planned and held with the relevant managers at the departments with a view to providing input that can qualify the Rectorate's decision. 

Is there real involvement when the Rectorate ultimately decides which programmes to restructure? 

It is true that there are limits to the involvement. But what we really need is input on how employees at the Faculty of Business and Social Sciences see it. These complex processes require a certain degree of control, but the faculty management team and the dean, as a member of the Executive Board, would really like to be equipped to provide more qualified input into the Rectorate as well as the Executive Board (Rector, Pro-rector, University director and the deans from all five faculties of the university).  
In addition, it is important to note that it is the Executive Board that decides SDU's overall Master’s degree landscape (in terms of programme types) by 1 January 2025. 

During the public hearing on 21 June, the word "coordination" was mentioned many times. How do we at SDU BSS intend to approach the coordination task?

It is true that both across universities and in the main academic areas, there must be a high degree of coordination.  
No overall plan has yet been drawn up for this coordination. On the one hand, there will be coordination in the Committee on Master's Degree Programmes between the rectors. In addition, there is also coordination in the dean's circle at the faculties of social sciences. 

How are the Study Boards involved? 

The Study Boards are key players that will play a major role, especially when we know after 1 October which programmes will only be offered as 120 ECTS and as a result which programmes will be restructured. 
The Vice-Dean for Education and Head of BSS Education has invited themselves to visit meetings in the Study Boards in the autumn, focusing on the Master's degree reform, among other things.  
If the Study Boards have special requests or questions, you are very welcome to contact us, preferably via kandidatreform@sam.sdu.dk. 

Do you intend to involve the students? 

The students are involved by virtue of their presence in the Study Boards and the Academic Council.  
In addition, it is being considered to hold a general meeting for students on affected programmes in October with a view to their input on qualifying the changes to be made in the educational programmes. The format of this meeting has not yet been clarified. 

When will the restructured Master's Degree Programmes be offered for the first time? 

The new Master's Degree Programmes will be offered for the first time in 2028. We are looking at a  phase-in, where the political ambition is that in 2028, 10 per cent will be admitted to a Master's degree programme of 75 ECTS and 10 per cent to a Master's degree programme for working professionals, that in 2030 an additional 5 per cent will be admitted to a Master's degree programme for working professionals, and that in 2032 a further 5 per cent will be admitted to a Master's degree programme for working professionals.  
In the new Master's landscape, it will thus be possible to admit students to a Master's degree programme of 2 academic years or more from 2028, 2030 and 2032 respectively 80 per cent (2028), 75 per cent (2030) and 70 per cent (2032) of the study places on the Master's Degree Programmes (when we look at Master's Degree Programmes in the sector as a whole). 

How many study places should be restructured? 

Within business and social sciences, 40 per cent of the study places will generally be restructured, while this applies to approx. 35 per cent of the places in the humanities, approx. 30 per cent in the natural sciences, approx. 15 per cent in technology and approx. 10 per cent in the health sciences.  
On the basis of a specific academic assessment, the Committee on Master's Degree Programmes may make recommendations for a restructuring within the main academic areas that deviates from the outlined starting point, provided that this is compatible with the overall political ambitions and the overall restructuring percentage of 30 per cent. 

How does sector dimensioning affect SDU BSS? 

The sector dimensioning of the academic bachelor's degree programmes will come into force in 2025.  
A maximum influx of 3,656 students is being worked on in the years 2025-2029 at SDU. This gives SDU 425 extra places compared to 1 October 2023.  
SDU has earmarked 400 study places for new IT/STEM-programmes in Vejle, and psychology in Esbjerg has been prequalified with admission after 2023. 
In general, the approach to the academic bachelor's degree programmes will be continuously adjusted based on demographic developments. 

What is the target number for students on Master's programmes of 120 ECTS at SDU BSS? 

Target figures for SDU, including at the Faculty of Business and Social Sciences, have not yet been finally clarified.  
At a joint meeting between the Executive Board and the Education Council on 22 August, the target figure and general principles for the restructuring of Master's Degree Programmes and capacity in Bachelor's and Master's Degree Programmes will be discussed. 
From 2032, Master's degree places of 120 ECTS may account for 70 per cent of the total Master's degree intake at SDU. 

How many international students are we allowed to admit? 

At sector level, the universities can create 1,100 English-language ordinary study places each year in the period 2024-2028 and 2,500 ordinary English-language study places annually from 2029. Specifically, these are ordinary study places on English-language Master's Degree Programmes.  
In 2024, SDU will have 180 extra English-language study places. The places are distributed between the pro-rector and the faculty management teams in connection with the capacity determination.  
A decision will not be made on the places until later, including the additional 1,400 English-language places annually from 2029. 

Can graduates with a 75 ECTS master's degree go the research route/PhD? 

The terms of reference for the Committee on Master's Degree Programmes state that there must be no dead ends for graduates from Master's programmes of 75 ECTS and Master's programmes for working professionals who wish to pursue a research career at some point.  
In this connection, the Committee has set up a university group with representatives from the universities to describe and elucidate the advantages and disadvantages of one or more relevant models for research tracks for graduates from the new Master's Degree Programmes. In addition, the group has been asked to consider how the proposed models will affect international recruitment to Danish research programmes, including how to attract foreign research talents with shorter Master's Degree Programmes. 
The models are awaiting the Committee's final report, which will be available on 1 November 2024. 

What impact will the Master's degree reform have on the Bachelor's degree programmes? 

Bachelor's degree programmes are independent, rounded, and qualifying courses of study that must therefore be able to stand on their own.  
As a general rule, Bachelor's degree programmes will therefore be able to continue unchanged, unless restructured Master's Degree Programmes require special entrance qualifications. Any changes will be made in the ordinary tracks via the Study Boards.  
The Study Board/Head of Studies should consider whether the new types of Master’s programmes give rise to, for example, introducing a mobility window and the possibility of a project-oriented course in the Bachelor's degree programmes. 

And what about the master's programmes? 

Lifelong learning is central to the strategy of both SDU BSS and SDU. The thinking behind the Master's degree reform has only underlined the importance of us as a faculty developing our portfolio within lifelong learning.  
With the new Master's Degree Programmes, which to a large extent encourage graduates to study "throughout their lives" (with a 75 ECTS Master's degree programme in the bag, you can complete several 45 ECTS supplementary certificates), the need to take a more holistic view of the faculty's full-time and part-time programmes is intensifying.  
There will also be a need for master's programmes in the future, which is why our master's programmes within the fields of private and public management are also mentioned as an independent focus area in the strategy for the area of lifelong learning. 

A task force for lifelong learning was recently established at the faculty. Does it make sense to maintain, given the reform and new synergies between the full-time and part-time areas?

Yes! There is good reason why some of the employees, who know most about lifelong learning, use their energy to provide the Faculty with new perspectives on the matter.  
Having said that, we must, of course, ensure that the discussions and decisions take place in the appropriate fora.  
The task force has also been tasked with coming up with recommendations regarding models for income-generating business (IDV) and governance across full-time and part-time work.  
In addition, the task force will come up with a proposal on how we can look at the overall description of the portfolio of full-time education and continuing education in the future. 

It appears likely that the reform of the Master’s degree will result in high administrative costs. What considerations does the faculty management team make about the use of resources in the Study Administration, among other things? 

The reform requires that we think about education administration in a different way. Given the uncertainty, it is not possible right now to say exactly how.  
It is to be expected that the rectors will also focus on a Master’s degree landscape with a certain degree of clarity – both for the students, companies and organisations as well as our administration.  
The administrative managers - both at the faculty and SDU as a whole - will continuously focus on the need for possible adjustments and the supply of resources.  

What will the educational changes mean financially for the faculty, the departments, and the administration? 

The Master's Degree Reform may lead to a reduction in direct education revenues. Both the general decline in the number of students due to demographic developments and sector dimensioning and declining FTE (STÅ) revenues due to the reduction in the number of ECTS credits in some of the Master's Degree Programmes underline the need to increase income from other activities.  
This is why the faculty's strategic work in this area is particularly important in the coming years. This applies not least to the new 45 ECTS programmes, the opportunities to admit more students to 75 ECTS programmes, admission of international students outside the EU/EEA, and in the area of lifelong learning.  
However, the Master's Degree Reform also includes an increased FTE-rate for the programmes that are being restructured. The increased FTE-rate will be used to improve the quality of our degree programmes. The level of the increased FTE has not yet been decided. 

We need to restructure 40 per cent of our Master's Degree Programmes – does this mean financial cost savings? 

It is not possible at this stage to be very concrete about the economic consequences, as it depends on several factors that remain unknown, including the potential sources of income related to the new opportunities in the graduate reform. 

Why is there a difference between  the Ministry of Higher Education andResearch (UFM's)  calculations and SDU's own calculations in relation to the baseline for restructuring? 

SDU has a number of prequalified Master's Degree Programmes with admissions in 2024 and 2025. At the Faculty of Business and Social Sciences, this applies to the Master's Degree Programmes in Law in Esbjerg and Population Studies in Odense, as well as MSc profiles in Kolding and Esbjerg. 
The admission to the new Master's Degree Programmes must therefore be added to the baseline used by the Ministry of Higher Education and Science as a starting point for their calculations of how many study places are to be restructured. SDU will thus have to restructure more study places than is assumed in the calculations of the Ministry of Higher Education and Science.  
However, it has been decided by the Rectorate that the fact that a faculty has new degree programmes does not mean that it is the faculty that will necessarily have to bear the brunt of the restructuring. The consequences of the calculation technique are thus awaiting the Rectorate's decision at the end of August.