Universities: 35 Bachelor’s programmes to get Dutch-taught variant

The introduction of a Dutch-taught variant will affect many Bachelor’s programmes in Economics, Science and Technology. The association of Dutch universities, UNL, unveiled details of its previously published to add Dutch tracks to "major" Bachelor's programmes.

Anticipation
The universities want the freedom to choose for themselves the most appropriate line of action to take when it comes to internationalisation and the influx of international students. These announcements anticipate a bill that the Minister of Education, Robbert Dijkgraaf, is currently drafting, which will shortly be submitted to the House of Representatives.

Separate plans for each university have yet to be finalised, despite being requested by the Parliament. In addition, UNL is keen to exercise caution, given the fact that the universities' representative advisory bodies have yet to signal their agreement.

Nonetheless, if all goes well, twelve Bachelor’s programmes in Economics that are currently taught entirely in English will get a Dutch-taught track alongside the English-taught variant. Only seven of them will remain entirely English-taught. 

Of the Bachelor’s programmes in Science and Technology, thirteen have plans to introduce Dutch-taught tracks, leaving sixteen Bachelor’s programmes being taught entirely in English.

At UU, too, Economics & Business Economics will be the only programme affected for now, as recent inquiries from DUB revealed.

Advantage
Bachelor’s programmes taught in two languages will enjoy a significant advantage in that they will be able to limit the influx of international students into the English-taught track, while accessibility to the Dutch-taught variant is ensured at all times. 

The universities do indeed intend to introduce an enrolment quota of this type for the English-language track of 27 Bachelor’s programmes, of which 14 are in Behavioural & Social Sciences and 6 in Economics.