for employees at Department of Culture and Language

“What can I become?” is one of the most important questions for prospective students. For Humanities programmes, the answer is rarely simple, as our degrees open the door to many different career paths. This is a strength in practice, but a challenge when it comes to communication. To make career perspectives more tangible, we have, over the past two months, developed 60 alumni profiles that put faces and stories to the many paths our graduates pursue. 60 pathways from education to careerThe profiles cover all Bachelor’s and Master’s programmes, with three alumni from each programme. Across industries and sectors, alumni share reflections on meaningful work, professional pride, and how their education continues to form the foundation of their careers. At the same time, the profiles offer a nuanced and inspiring picture of the many opportunities a Humanities degree provides—and help challenge simplified assumptions about humanities graduates’ career prospects. Strong perspectives on the programmesThe profiles are rich in positive reflections from student life. The alumni highlight academic content, teaching staff, and the competencies they developed as key factors shaping their careers and current professional practice. The alumni were selected in close collaboration with heads of studies and academic environments, with a focus on showcasing diverse career paths and ensuring broad representation. A coherent narrative across programme pagesThe alumni profiles are a central element of the overall content on the programme pages, supporting prospective students in answering three key questions: ·        [list][*]Do I fit in here? – through videos with relatable students[*]What will I encounter academically? – through clear programme descriptions    [*]What can this lead to? – through alumni profiles demonstrating concrete career paths [/list]Use in recruitmentThe profiles are featured on programme pages on sdu.dk targeting prospective students and form part of Humanities’ recruitment and communication efforts, including LinkedIn, campaigns, and guidance activities.Where to find the profilesAll alumni profiles are available on the programme pages on sdu.dk under “Career” (scroll down the page). Examples:       American Studies:https://www.sdu.dk/da/uddannelse/bachelor/amerikanske-studier/karriere        Library and Information Science:https://www.sdu.dk/da/uddannelse/bachelor/biblioteksvidenskab-it-kommunikation/karriere        Negot:https://www.sdu.dk/da/uddannelse/bachelor/negot/karriere        Classical Studies:https://www.sdu.dk/da/uddannelse/bachelor/oldtidskundskab/karriereFor us in the Communications Office, it has been a great pleasure to speak with 60 highly engaged alumni. Their stories have been marked by pride and enthusiasm for both their education and their time at SDU—and this quite naturally resonates with us as well. // HUM COM

The Faculty has now published a plan for the strategic development of programmes at the Faculty of Humanities towards 2030. The plan is based on the Faculty’s 2030 strategy and has been prepared in dialogue with programme directors and departments, including discussions at the recent summer seminar.Through a major curriculum reform, effective from September 2027, the initiative aims to realise several of the educational objectives set out in the 2030 strategy and strengthen the overall financial sustainability of the programme portfolio. The overarching purpose of the reform is to enhance quality, relevance, coherence and interdisciplinarity across the Faculty’s programmes. Its specific objectives are to increase interdisciplinary collaboration and shared teaching, embed digital competences in all curricula, introduce new teaching and working methods that foster student engagement, and establish clearer career pathways from the start of the programme through to entry into the labour market, with particular emphasis on teacher training for upper secondary education. The reform comprises four key areas of action:[list=1][*]Increased Interdisciplinary Collaboration and Shared TeachingThe aim is to expand the number of interdisciplinary and jointly taught courses – based on shared needs for new modules and opportunities for joint teaching where subjects overlap – thereby promoting interdisciplinarity, ensuring a critical mass of students in classes, and securing financial sustainability across all programmes.[*]Curriculum Reform with a Focus on Digital CompetencesThe aim is to ensure that graduates consistently possess the digital skills demanded in the humanities labour market. [*]Career Pathways Oriented Towards Upper Secondary EducationThe aim is to strengthen the relevance of programmes geared towards upper secondary teaching and to clarify the route to a career as a secondary school teacher for both prospective and current students. [*]Engaging Teaching and Working MethodsThe aim is to develop teaching formats and working practices that increase student engagement both within and beyond staff-led teaching, in line with the Humanities Model. This includes working with compulsory learning activities and strengthening the interaction and relationship between students and academic staff.[/list]Work is now commencing in task groups under the four areas of action, comprising programme directors, deputy heads of department, resource persons (including those responsible for pedagogical development and digital competences in programmes) and the Vice-Dean. Study boards and subject groups will, of course, be involved in the concrete implementation within curricula. If you would like to know more about the reform and how it will be implemented in the programmes you are associated with, please contact your programme director or deputy head of department.

Work is underway to update the Humanities programme pages with revised texts, new content and an improved structure.