Roskilde University will strengthen its regional profile and maintain all study programmes
Roskilde University's board of directors has approved a plan for the progression of the university's relocation plan: No programmes will be closed. Instead the plan is to place specific, well-defined educational activities in Region Zealand in places with potential for a rewarding collaboration between students, companies, organisations and municipalities.
"We will further develop our local activities so that we create an even better framework for master's students to enter into project, internship and thesis collaborations with regional stakeholders during their education," says Rector Hanne Leth Andersen.
More local activities
The background for the relocation plan is the government's announcement that the university must reduce enrolment on the main campus by 3-5 per cent. (equivalent to 144 students) before 2030 via relocation or reduced admission of students.
Many of Roskilde University's disciplines and study programmes have a tradition for locally based educational activities. It is essential for the management to build on this, says Rector Hanne Leth Andersen:
“We will make agreements with local partners, which will help make it more accessible for students to get in touch with local companies or institutions. We also hope that they will help with providing temporary accommodation for students while they, for example, do project work or a thesis locally,” she says.
Local study places
The plans for strengthening activities in the region must be completed by 2025. This will be done in collaboration with the municipalities.
In the long run, there are also plans to establish 1-2 educational branches with a number of study places outside Trekroner, which master's students can apply for admission to.
“We do this not least to comply with the requirements from the government, which says that the relocation of single teaching activities must not exceed 1/3 of the total relocation plan. But we also believe that this will be an exciting and attractive model for some students. It will bring realistic challenges into their education, preferably interdisciplinary across the study programmes - and at the same time give them a head start on the labour market when they want to find a job after graduation, ” says Hanne Leth Andersen.
If you apply for admission locally at a branch, you will take a little over half of your master's education there. This can, for example, be in the form of an internship or a semester project in a company and a subsequent thesis. At the same time, the university, together with the municipalities, will seek to provide young people with access to relevant student jobs locally and set up mentoring schemes.
The chairman of the Regional Council, Heino Knudsen, welcomes the plan to strengthen the university's regional role:
“Roskilde University has many of the country's most talented researchers and educates each year many competent people who create value in Zealandic companies and organisations. With the great societal challenges within for example green transition, health and climate, there is more than ever a need for the university’s knowledge and education in the region. Therefore, it is very positive that Roskilde University will strengthen their presence and cooperation with stakeholders in the region. As a region, we want to do our part to make Roskilde University's plans for relocation a success and create value locally and regionally. ”
Local study places might very well be part of existing study environments in, for example, Næstved, Nykøbing Falster or Holbæk, where we already have research and education collaborations,” says Hanne Leth Andersen.
No entire study programmes will be relocated
The plan for branches with local study places is not expected to be implemented until 2026-28. The students who apply for such places will also be connected to the research environments in Roskilde, through both supervision, courses and seminars, probably also through blended learning. But the model requires that a certain number apply for the partially relocated master's programmes, Hanne Leth Andersen points out:
“We expect a number of at least 40 master's students from RUC in the local study environment for the sake of professional discussion between the students. This is something the students themselves have also placed great emphasis on in our dialogue about the relocation plan. ”
Roskilde University's relocation plan has been created after a process in which the university's staff and students as well as regional partners have provided input. It has not yet been determined which study places will be offered locally, and the implementation itself will take place in collaboration with the academic environments and not least the students.
On the 12th of January, the university must submit an institutional plan to the Danish Agency for Higher Education and Science with a concrete proposal for the implementation of the agreement.