New amendment to agreement on Master’s degree programmes gives the universities better conditions for realising political reform ambitions

The parties behind the new Master’s degree reform have just concluded an amendment to the agreement. It provides universities, business and industry and the public sector with a more flexible framework in which to  work together to design new work-integrated Master’s programmes.

The amendment makes it possible to create several different types of work-integrated Master’s degree programmes. That makes the amendment a step in the right direction, says Rector Brian Bech Nielsen.

"The more flexible approaches that have now been agreed on increases the likelihood that the universities will be able to realise the political ambitions to forge a closer link between employers and the universities in how our programmes are designed and executed. In addition to the existing Master's degree programme for working professionals model, we now have several other models for this type of programme. It’s to be hoped that both employers and students will find this new framework workable and attractive, which is crucial to the success of the reform. I’d like to acknowledge my appreciation for the willingness on the part of the minister and the parties behind the agreement to listen to the Master’s degree committee’s critique of the original agreement," says BBech Nielsen, who was a member of the Master’s degree committee along with the rectors of the remaining Danish universities.

Under the terms of the addendum, the new shorter 75 ECTS Master’s degree programmes will be conform to the standard academic year, instead of running from August to August as originally proposed.

The senior management team is highly conscious of how trying the long period of uncertainty about the redesign of Master’s degree programmes has been for the many staff who work with degree programme planning and administration. The first new Master’s degree programmes must be ready from 2028, which means it’s necessary to align them with the Bachelor’s degree programmes the university that will be admitting students in the summer 2025 admissions round.

“This is one of the really big puzzles we have to solve, but now we at least know about how many pieces the puzzle contains. It goes without saying that we will need to read the fine print of the addendum before we have complete clarity about how the new possibilities it provides can come into play, and we don’t have much time. But our highly competent people at the faculties and AU Student Administration and Services have already given a lot of thought to how we can go about designing meaningful, high-quality degree programmes in new formats, the rector says, adding:

“But, but, but...to everything there is a season! Christmas is right around the corner. So let’s all enjoy the peace of the holiday season – the work will be there waiting for us in the new year. So once again, Merry Christmas to all!”

• Read the Ministry of Higher Education and Science’s statement about the addendum (in Danish)
• Read the addendum (in Danish)

As part of the addendum, it’s also been decided that the Master’s reform will be evaluated in 2028.