Relocations and closures: Deans discuss how the draft will affect the faculties

Since the five faculties at Aarhus University are all different, they have all contributed in their own way to the university’s draft for the institutional plan, which is currently being discussed by liaison committees and student associations. But one thing is true for them all: they have all been asked to play their part, and they have all done so.

The draft includes relocations, cutbacks and closures, but how these are distributed depends entirely on the possibilities in the various faculties. 

READ MORE: AU’s rector on the relocation proposal: “There aren’t any more relocation options in a secret drawer”

No relocations at Natural Sciences

“First and foremost, I would say that this is a political agreement based on neither objectivity nor facts, and it is of course both frustrating and painful to have to be part of producing the draft for how it should be implemented.” This was the first opinion expressed by Kristian Pedersen, dean at Natural Sciences, when asked to comment on the draft for the institutional plan. 

At Natural Sciences, the plan is to cut student enrolment by 7% compared with 2019 admissions, which equates to a reduction of 191 student places by 2030. 

“This has not been an enjoyable task, especially not in the natural sciences, where all our graduates get good jobs. Some graduates find it more difficult to get a job as quickly, and this affects us,” says Kristian Pedersen.

He explains that this proposed cut in admissions has not been welcomed by the faculty’s collaboration partners, who employ many of its graduates and who, according to the dean, are “crying out for more graduates”.

None of the degree programmes at Natural Sciences will be relocated, partly because degree programmes outside Aarhus would not attract applicants, and partly because it would be too expensive to set up degree programmes outside the city. 

“Many of our degree programmes are based around laboratories and facilities here in the university’s yellow buildings. It would be very expensive to have to build parallel teaching and research facilities in order to relocate,” says Kristian Pedersen. 

This means that the only remaining options are to cut admissions or close degree programmes. Kristian Pedersen explains that it is good to retain a reasonably wide range of research and teaching programmes in the faculty’s portfolio, and, for this reason, he has not suggested closing degree programmes. IT and mathematics degree programmes will not be reduced, because there is a great demand for these subjects. The plan is therefore to reduce admissions on the Bachelor’s and Master’s programmes in biology, medical chemistry, molecular medicine and molecular biology. In addition, admissions cuts will be made on the Master’s programmes in geology, geophysics, chemistry and nanoscience. There are also proposed cuts for the Bachelor’s in physics. 

Social science and political science to merge at Aarhus BSS

At Aarhus BSS, 5% of student places will be reduced or relocated compared with 2019 admissions. This means that 166 student places will be cut and 117 will be relocated. 

“Our main contribution is to move our Master’s programme in IT, Communication and Organisation to Herning. We are, of course, annoyed that we need to move a well-functioning degree programme whose graduates quickly find good jobs on the labour market,” says Thomas Pallesen, dean at Aarhus BSS. 

He highlights a concern that it might not be possible to fill all the places on this programme, since, in the past, BSS has found it difficult to attract enough students to degree programmes in Herning. 

“When we were asked to find a solution at our faculty, we thought this was the best option. Firstly, we already have degree programmes in Herning, and we think the programme in IT, Communication and Organisation will fit in well with the educational and research environments there,” says the dean.  

Secondly, we hope that more degree programmes in Herning will enhance the study environment, which can help attract more students and avoid empty places on the programmes. 

In addition to the relocation, both the Bachelor’s and Master’s programmes in social science will close and will instead form part of the political science programme. 

“This means that, when students apply to study political science, they also apply for the option to take social science. When students start on the political science/social science programme, as it will be called, they do not have to choose from day one whether they wish to study political science or social science. It is only in the fifth semester that they have to decide on one or the other,” says Thomas Pallesen. 

He explains that this model has been used before and that it is likely that students who are considering teaching in upper secondary schools will choose social science when demand for teachers is high and vice versa. However, the worry is that this will ultimately mean that fewer people choose social science, which was the case the last time the model was used, explains the dean. 

The merger also means that there will be a small reduction in the number of students admitted to the political science/social science programme, but, according to the dean, this will have limited financial consequences. 

Last but not least, the English-language Master’s programme in political science will be closed down. 

“We haven’t been able to get the volume of students we wanted on this programme, and we therefore thought it was reasonable to consider closing it,” says Thomas Pallesen. 

Arts to cut the most student places

Arts is to take the biggest hit with regard to reducing and relocating student places, since it needs to cut enrolment by 9% compared with 2019 admissions. The plan is therefore to cut 315 and relocate 33 student places.

Arts’ main contribution to the draft is to reduce student admissions, and, although it is taking the brunt of the cutbacks, dean Johnny Laursen believes we should view the plan in its entirety.

“It is right that Arts contributes to the draft by cutting several student places, particularly because a number of Arts degree programmes are linked to high graduate unemployment. Of course, we expect this unemployment to fall as a result of degree programme resizing and many other initiatives we have introduced,” says Johnny Laursen, who continues:

“But there are also other faculties that are moving some – in fact several – degree programmes out of Aarhus, and they are contributing in this way. It is therefore important to view the draft as an overall plan to which we are all contributing in the ways we can.

At Arts, we have only suggested relocating a single degree programme – the Master’s in experience economy – from Aarhus to Herning. 

“There are a number of criteria that need to be met if you want to move. I don’t think these criteria are met by any other programmes than the one we have suggested relocating,” says Johnny Laursen, dean at Arts.  

When looking for ways to cut back, we have decided to safeguard language subjects and IT degree programmes. This means that, in the draft, we have suggested reducing student places on the Bachelor’s programmes in philosophy, history, the history of ideas, international business communication in English, international business communication in Spanish, and the study of religion. We also plan to reduce the size of the Bachelor’s and Master’s programmes in archaeology, English, art history, comparative literature and educational science. As well as this, we have proposed cutting student places on the Master’s programmes in sustainable heritage management, human security, journalism, educational anthropology, educational philosophy, educational psychology and educational sociology.

The Master’s programmes in diaconia and cognitive semiotics will also be closed down.

“Our decision to close these programmes was based on an overall assessment. Of course, as far as possible, we took our point of departure in objective criteria, such as applications, admissions, employment and a number of other things,” says Johnny Laursen.

Technical Sciences focuses on Campus Foulum

Technical Sciences needs reduce or relocate 5% of student places compared with 2019 admissions. It therefore plans to cut 33 student places and relocate 265.

This major relocation should be viewed in connection with AU’s campus in Foulum, where the faculty proposes to move its programme in agrobiology, explains the dean at Technical Sciences, Eskild Holm Nielsen. 

“We are creating a unique research and teaching environment in Foulum, and I expect that, out of all the faculties in Denmark, we will have one of the largest relocation programmes and will establish one of the largest academic environments outside the big cities. We already have an internationally leading research environment in Foulum, and now we have the opportunity to build on this further. Some of our researchers in Foulum rank among the best in the world, and now we can also create a teaching environment to attract even more talented people”, says the dean.  

The relocation to Foulum is dependent on a veterinary science degree programme being set up at the campus, but Eskild Holm Nielsen is optimistic about this. 

“Nothing has been decided, but we are working on it, analysing the finances and the academic basis. And the signs are positive,” he says. 

The relocation means that Technical Sciences does not need to reduce admissions to any of its degree programmes, but the Master’s programme in agro-environmental management is to close. 

“This programme has already been downsized, and now we need to close it, because it’s difficult to achieve quality, diversity and good dynamics with only six students. Where relevant, specific aspects of this programme can be integrated into the degree in agrobiology,” says Eskild Holm Nielsen.

The draft has taken into account the investment being made in engineering and the degree programmes offered in this area. As a result, there will be no proposed slow down in the growth of engineering programmes until 2025 at the earliest, but, according to the dean, it is far too soon to engage in such discussions. 

Health withdraws nursing programme from Emdrup

Health needs to reduce its admissions by 5% compared with 2019, which amounts to 114 student places.

Since it is not possible to reduce the number of students studying medicine and dentistry, as these programmes are sized according to society’s needs, Health has proposed closing its Master’s programme in nursing in Emdrup.  

According to Hans Erik Bøtker, acting dean at Health, the faculty would have liked to keep this programme in Emdrup, but, forced by circumstances, it decided to keep its department in Aarhus, in order to comply with Aarhus University’s strategy to be a campus-based university.

“Our hope is that the nursing programme in Emdrup will be taken over by other universities. It is possible that this programme will form part of the sector plan and that the universities will agree on a sensible course of action. We sincerely hope so. We have discussed the issue with some universities, and the situation doesn’t look too bleak,” says Hans Erik Bøtker. 

The draft from Health also includes reducing enrolment for the programmes in public health science and sport science, which have already been subject to unemployment resizing.  

The draft for the institutional plan is divided into two phases, and, so far, only the first phase has been presented. All the deans expect the Ministry of Higher Education and Science to approve the first phase of the draft. As yet, none of them have made any specific statements about what the second phase will mean for their respective faculties.

Translated by Sarah Louise Jennings