Clarification on discontinued programmes

Aarhus BSS now has an overview of the possibilities that the school can offer to students with a legal right of admission to the MACC degree programme, which will close for admission in 2019. A special MSc in Strategic Communication has just been approved, while the MSc in Information Technology (the ITKO) will increase the number of admitted students, says Vice-dean for Education Per Andersen.

Photo: AU Foto

 

Allowing the affected students to complete their studies on a relevant Master’s degree programme. This has been the key concern since last autumn when it was decided to discontinue the BA Marketing and Management Communication (BAMMC) and the MA in Corporate Communication (MACC) due to the international degree programme resizing.

The solution suggested by Aarhus BSS was to offer a special MSc in Strategic Communication as a replacement for the MACC from 2020. This suggestion has just recently been approved by the Danish Agency for Science and Higher Education. The solution only applies to BAMCC students, however, and not to students on the BA in International Business Communication (IVK), who still have a legal right of admission to the MA in International Business Communication. In addition, the Master’s degree programme in IT, Communication and Organisation (ITKO) will be admitting an extra 50 students a year from 2019, while the MACC is still an option for BAMCC and IVK students who graduate this summer. 

This means that all BAMCC and IVK students who follow their prescribed period of study will be able to continue on a relevant Master’s degree programme. The options may be different for students who are delayed in their studies. For that reason, these students will be offered counselling interviews to help them plan an individual study programme, if necessary, says Vice-dean for Education Per Andersen:

“The most important thing is to make sure that all students get to complete their degree in the best way possible,” he says. “Many students have been through a somewhat turbulent process, and we’ve done everything in our power to come up with good solutions. That’s why I’m really pleased that we now have an overview of the options we can offer the affected students - and that we now know what to do about the programmes that are closing and the programme to be established.”

What about the employees?

Apart from ensuring the best possible options for the students, it is important to develop good and sustainable solutions for the lecturers currently teaching on the BAMCC and MACC programmes, says Director of Studies Christian Waldstrøm, deputy head of department at the Department of Management.

“We still need lots of lecturers and supervisors on the programmes for the next two to three years,” he says. “After that, we need to find out how to incorporate the field of communication into our existing degree programmes. This will be an exciting process that the employees will of course be part of when the time comes. It’s important that we include as many of our competent employees in the process as possible.”