Photo Guy Ackermans Wageningen has to cut its BSc degree programmes from 21 to between 12 and 16 by 2030. All programmes will have to assess whether they can merge to form a broader programme with multiple specialisms, capable of attracting an annual intake of at least 80 students. Tourism and Communication & Life Sciences are being abolished.
Resource asked people what they think of the plans.
‘The decision to pull the plug on Communication & Life Sciences was an unpleasant surprise’
Rens Vliegenthart, professor of Strategic Communication
‘Student numbers are falling and there is increasing competition from elsewhere in the traditional Wageningen domains. It is only logical that action should be taken, and I can understand it too, looking at the BSc portfolio. But the decision to pull the plug on Communication & Life Sciences was an unpleasant surprise.
‘Sanne Kruikemeier (professor of Digital Media & Society, ed.) and I came to Wageningen in 2022 in part to give teaching in that field a boost. We worked hard on new courses that were taught for the first time last year. Some of that work turns out to have been for nothing, which is very frustrating.
‘We also have our doubts about the process. Our BSc programme is the cheapest in Wageningen, with lots of shared courses and students doing elective subjects. Why decide now to stop rather than first looking at whether a shared future is possible with other degree programmes? ‘Communication plays a crucial role in issues such as biodiversity, climate change and healthy diets. It would be a real shame if there is no separate degree for that in the future.’
‘I understand the decision but I think it will be a difficult process’
Julia Diederen, lecturer in Food Technology
‘The intake for Food Technology is relatively stable, but in recent years we have had more and more international students and fewer Dutch students. Apparently, we are no longer offering what Dutch school leavers want. Other universities offer broader degrees — and are doing well. Imagine we were to have a broad programme with Biotechnology, Nutrition & Health and Food Technology combining, for example. Students would do courses in a variety of areas to start with and then make a choice based on what they discovered they really like.
‘But a broader degree would then still need to go into more depth. We are the only university offering a degree in Food Technology in the Netherlands. If you can no longer get a degree certificate saying Food Technology, it will hurt.
‘There are a lot of shared courses in the degree programmes in Wageningen, and it’s already a massive challenge if you want to reschedule a course at a different time. It means a big change for all the other programmes that offer that course and the chair groups that teach the course. So you can imagine how difficult it will be if you decide to merge two, three or four degree programmes and create a new curriculum. In short, I totally understand the decision to merge degree programmes but I think it will be a difficult process.’
‘If we bolster the degree programmes and make them future-proof, that’s to the good’
Renske van Dijk, Student Recruitment team leader
‘I think it is important to assess our degree portfolio critically. We have a lot of degrees compared with the number of students. Some degree programmes are small and getting smaller, even when we put an extra effort into them at Student Recruitment. The number of school leavers entering university is also declining and their interests are changing.
‘Students who do Communication & Life Sciences are choosing a relevant, valuable degree subject, but there is a lot of competition from other universities, and school leavers are less interested in communication degrees in general these days.
‘We also have multiple degrees targeting the same group. If we can combine them to bolster the degree programmes and make them future-proof, that’s to the good.’
‘I don’t see our degree programme merging with programmes that take a less fundamental approach’
Ingrid Lubbers, lecturer in Soil Geography and Landscape
‘It is a good idea to see whether we can offer the same content bundled into fewer degrees because at present there is too much choice. Degree programmes that overlap and don’t attract many students could be merged to create a broader programme.
‘However, we shouldn’t be fixated on numbers, such as requiring a minimum of 80 students per degree. I personally am involved in Earth System Sciences (what used to be called Soil, Water, Atmosphere, ed.), a programme that takes a fundamental look at the landscape. It will never attract 80 new students, but I don’t see it merging easily with programmes that take a less fundamental approach. Degrees such as Forest & Nature Conservation, Landscape Architecture and Marine Sciences have their own niches and attract enough students. I think it would be better to keep them as independent programmes.
‘In short, it’s basically a good plan but we should be careful not to throw out the baby with the bathwater.’
‘Other than the decision to stop with Communication and Tourism, there is nothing dramatic about it’
Rolf Marteijn, Nutrition & Health programme director
‘Over the past 20 years, we have mainly focused on what could be added. Sometimes you need to take a step back and assess whether the portfolio still fits with who we are and what prospective students want.
‘It is important to be viable, but I think the cited minimum of 80 students is too unnuanced. If you have a few thriving degrees with lots of students, you could also have some others with lower intakes if those are topics we find important.
‘Other than the decision to stop the degrees in Communication and Tourism, there is nothing really dramatic about it. It’s good that the programme organizers are being invited to contribute ideas. The plan talks about aiming for 12 to 16 broad degree programmes, but if they end up with 18 viable programmes, I’m sure that will be OK.’