Review of degree programmes at the Faculty of Arts: What do our schools think?

The schools at the Faculty of Arts are considering a variety of options to ensure that their degree programmes are based on a sound financial footing when the government’s resizing initiative takes full effect. These options include merging certain degree programmes, reducing drop-out rates and simplifying administrative procedures.

The faculty management team and representatives of the various degree programmes met on 3-4 March at Sandbjerg to discuss possible ways of complying with the government’s resizing initiative as well as ensuring the educational profiles of the faculty’s schools in the years ahead. The goal was to find the best way of strengthening the financial foundation of our degree programmes, while preparing a basis for making decisions regarding the reduction of student places that must be achieved from 2016 onwards.

Tough (but necessary) decisions

The schools focused primarily on the following vital prerequisites for financial stability: merging certain degree programmes, reducing drop-out rates, and complying with the study progress reform. The meeting did not lead to any decisions, but it was an important step in the process leading to the decisions to be made by the faculty management team before the summer holiday.

“There are definitely going to be some tough decisions in this process. But we’ll do everything we can to plan ahead and avoid even tougher decisions in the future,” reports Johnny Laursen, the acting dean of the faculty.

School solidarity

The discussions revealed that the schools will be affected in different ways and at different times. The resizing initiative means that the School of Education must reduce its Master’s admissions immediately, but on the other hand the school will have completed the process of adjustment by 2018. The School of Culture and Society and the School of Aesthetics and Communication have a longer phase-in period because they also have Bachelor’s degree programmes – so the full financial effect of the resizing initiative will not be apparent here until after 2018.

“This means that the methods used by our different schools to balance the books are bound to vary a good deal. But we regard this as a challenge facing us all, so it may be necessary to adjust the wishes of each school to comply with the need for solidarity across the faculty,” says Laursen.

At the meeting there was general acceptance of the fact that the plans being made by the schools are provisional – pending a reliable long-term prognosis, a combined faculty plan for following up on the resizing initiative, and a detailed discussion of strategy by the schools including the individual subject areas and local liaison bodies.

Priorities for new degree programmes

At the meeting the schools presented their wishes for new degree programmes or degree programme development. As soon as possible the faculty management team will decide which degree programme initiatives should be given highest priority. The expectation is that new initiatives will be given low priority.

Supplementary subjects were also discussed in relation to both financial stability and creating stronger links between degree programmes. There was support for the idea of considering the faculty’s subsidiary subject strategy and supplementary subject portfolio – including the number of supplementary subjects.

Simplifying the administration

Leo Normann Pedersen, the head of studies administration, presented an analysis of the interplay between educational activities and the administration. He pointed out a range of options for simplifying the administration, improving connections and optimising the resources invested in this area.

Based on these ideas, the faculty management team will arrange a dialogue between the schools, boards of studies and administrative staff to discuss academic regulations, thesis frameworks and other issues. This will take place under the auspices of the faculty’s committee on education, which will have potential topics on its agenda as early as 24 March 2015.

Internationalisation and greater focus on employment

The seminar also had time to discuss other initiatives. For instance, a number of participants expressed a wish for renewed focus on the internationalisation of degree programmes and the options for international collaboration that lie within the framework of the resizing initiative. There was also considerable interest in opportunities for incorporating greater focus on careers and employment into the Bachelor degree programmes.

Several participants also underlined structural aspects of the faculty’s degree programmes, for instance the connection between profile courses and the Master’s thesis. However, the dean felt that the time was not ripe for major structural reforms in our degree programmes, preferring to underline the potential of exploiting the existing flexibility.

Are we all ready for this?

Johnny Laursen concluded that the ideas presented so far should equip us to meet the challenges up until 2018, but underlined that further calculations are required – in particular covering the years after 2018:

“The academic and financial goals of this review of our degree programmes can only be achieved if everyone is prepared to simplify the way we operate,” he said.