Rectors send clear message in the final report from the Master’s degree committee: Unrealistic to realise political ambitions under the current framework

This article was updated on 21.11.24 at 14:00 with comments from Sofie Lippert, spokesperson on education and science for the Socialist People's Party, and Lise Bertelsen, spokesperson on education and science for the Conservative People’s Party.

They’ve said it before and now they’re saying it again. The rectors of the eight Danish universities believe that the political goal to enrol 20 per cent of Master’s students on a work-integrated Master’s programme by 2032 is unrealistic. This was established in the interim report from the Master’s degree committee published last June. They repeated their conclusions on Wednesday in the final report from the Master’s degree committee. A joint statement from the eight rectors towards the end of the report attracted most attention when it was published. This is what the rectors wrote:

"In our view, it is unrealistic to deliver on all the political ambitions within the current reform framework."

They continue:

“It will be very difficult to achieve the political ambition of having 10 per cent of students enrolled on a work-integrated Master’s programmes by 2028, increasing to 20 per cent by 2032. Failure to reach the target will, as a consequence of the political agreement, result in the proportion 75-ECTS graduates significantly exceeding the political ambitions of only 10 per cent.”

10, 20, 30 ...

The rectors refer to a requirement in the political agreement on the Master’s reform that, if universities cannot enrol enough students on work-integrated Master’s programmes, they will have to enrol more students on the new, shorter 75-ECTS Master's programmes. So even though the political ambition was for 10 per cent enrolled on short-term Master's programmes and 20 per cent on work-integrated Master’s programmes, this division may tip because the total restructuring of Master's programmes has to hit 30 per cent. According to the interim report in June, the rectors assessed that only 7 per cent of students could be enrolled on work-integrated Master’s programmes, and therefore up to 23 per cent would have to be enrolled on shorter Master's programmes.   

According to the rectors, the problem is to create a work-integrated Master’s programme within the current framework that is attractive to students and to employers from businesses and public institutions.

"The proposals in the report from the Master’s degree committee do not solve the fundamental challenges of generating significantly more graduates of work-integrated Master’s programmes in the future, thereby increasing the labour supply," the rectors write. Instead, they propose a model in which students take the first year of a work-integrated Master’s degree programme as a full-time course at university with SU (student grant), followed by two years in which the students have a job in parallel with their studies.

The rectors also point out that they lack "feasible solutions" to how students on short Master's programmes can access PhD programmes. In this respect, these graduates need to be offered a research preparation course.

Students: Political objectives have not been pressure tested

The National Union of Students in Denmark (DSF), which is also represented on the Master’s degree committee, shares the rectors' view that the budget behind the reform stands in the way of good solutions. Furthermore, DSF criticises the fact that the Master’s degree committee has not pressure tested the target of 20 per cent graduates of work-integrated Master’s programmes with employers such as public-sector institutions and businesses.

DSF also points out the tight schedule, which entails that the first students to be admitted to the converted Master's programmes must apply for February 2025 admission. This means that the development process for future Master's programmes will not have the time required and this will challenge the quality of programmes and the information students can obtain when choosing their degree programme.

Minister to discuss the report with the political parties behind the agreement

The report from the Master’s degree committee has hit the ball back to the politicians’ court.  

Minister for Higher Education and Science Christina Egelund (Moderaterne) has acknowledged the report from the Master’s degree committee in apress release and she confirmed that it has not been an easy task. With regard to the next steps in the process, she says:

"I will now discuss the report with the parties behind the reform, as we agreed when we set up the committee. And I’ll talk with universities, students and businesses about how we can ensure that the ambitions of the agreement become reality in the years to come."

Socialist People’s Party and Conservative People’s Party: Listen to the criticism

Besides the governing parties, the parties behind the reform include the Liberal Alliance, the Conservative People’s Party, the Socialist People's Party and the Denmark Democrats. According to Socialist People's Party spokesperson on education and research, Sofie Lippert, it is vital that the government listen to the criticism levelled at the reform by the rectors and students on the Master’s degree committee, and she expects the government to convene discussions as soon as possible.

"The Socialist People’s Party still considers it crucial to have a maximum of 10 per cent on the short Master's programmes." 

Lise Bertelsen, spokesperson for education and science for the Conservative People’s Party agrees: 

"I appreciate the honesty of the students and rectors in the report, because it means we have to deal with their concerns. We remain highly critical of the idea of allowing more than 10 per cent to enrol on shorter Master's programmes, so now we expect the minister to go back to the drawing board and rethink the reform budget on the basis of what the report says. We need to look at models that won’t make it necessary to restructure more than the 10 percent."

The link between the number of students on work-integrated Master’s degree programmes and short Master's programmes is part of the agreement that the spokespersons helped conclude last year. When asked whether the parties to the agreement had considered the possible scenario that the rectors were now warning about, with more students enrolled on short Master's programmes than the announced 10 percent, Lise Bertelsen replies: 

"Let me put it this way: the report has confirmed my fears. But at that time, we were reassured by the budget presented to us. In other words, the measures we pointed to could be contained within the budget."

Sofie Lippert says that she was aware of the risk that students may not be interested in the work-integrated Master’s degree programmes.  

"But we did what we could to guard against it, and there was clear consensus that we could assume it was possible."

She goes on to say that she is not surprised by the rectors' statements in the report, which are in line with what they wrote in June in their interim report.

"But it was been important to let the committee finish its work."

For both Lise Bertelsen and Sofie Lippert, rapid political clarification of the reform is vital.

"Clarification mustn’t take months, because students who have to choose their programme in the spring need to know the framework for the programmes they are starting on," says Sofie Lippert.

"I’ve indicated on several occasions that, although the time factor in the reform may seem a little unrealistic,  I expect things to move quickly as this can only be in everyone's interest," says Lise Bertelsen.

Omnibus also tried to get a comment on the rectors' criticism from the spokespersons for education and science from the Liberal Alliance and the Denmark Democrats, but they had not responded to our inquiry before the deadline.  

The Education and Research Committee held an open consultation on the work and conclusions of the Committee for Master’s Degree Programmes on 28 November at Christiansborg, where the committee members and the reference panel presented their views on the report.

Reactions to the report

Several of the organisations representing employers of future graduates reacted to the report on Wednesday. 

Mads Eriksen Storm, head of education and research policy at the Danish Chamber of Commerce, says in a press release:

"The Danish Chamber of Commerce supported the original intention behind the reform to bring graduates closer to business and industry. This purpose does not appear in the report from the Master’s degree committee, and we find that very worrying."

Therefore, he considers it positive that Christina Egelund is willing to enter dialogue with business and industry to secure an attractive solution for the business community and students.

The Confederation of Danish Industry (DI) also believes it is crucial for the success of the reform that a model for work-integrated Master’s programmes is attractive to both students and companies.

"The most important task of the Master's degree reform is to tie student life and working life closer together. The report shows that we will not achieve this as the reform currently stands. Therefore, we must adjust the reform so that we achieve the benefits we’re all hoping for," says Mikkel Haarder, executive vice president at DI, in a press release.

At the labour union for academic professionals, DM, Chairman Camilla Gregersen notes the rectors' criticism in the report from the Master’s degree committee.

"It is now clear that the reform fails to live up to the objective of strengthening the ties between universities and the labour market. The shorter degree programmes will lead to less connection with the labour market and create a supply of labour that no one wants."

Camilla Gregersen believes that the committee has been given an impossible task, and urges the parties behind the agreement to return to the negotiating table and adjust the agreement.

Translated by Simon Scott Palmer.