The Dutch University Guide is based on the National Student Survey (NSE), which asks students to evaluate their degree programmes. Previously, only programmes with at least ten respondents were included, as smaller sample sizes were considered insufficient for a reliable assessment.
As a result, many programmes with small numbers of students didn’t make the cut. To address this, the Dutch University Guide has decided to drop the minimum response threshold this year. Instead, it now looks at the consistency of responses: if a small group of students is in agreement, the programme is included. This change has benefited the two-year master’s programme in Imaging Engineering at the Faculty of Science and Engineering, which had an intake of just seven students last year and only two this year.
The other UM master’s programme to receive an “excellent” rating – compared to none last year – is Economics and Strategy in Emerging Markets at the School of Business and Economics. Programmes earn this rating by scoring top marks in all five assessment categories: course content, teachers, assessment, atmosphere and career preparation. Across the Netherlands, a total of fifteen university master’s programmes and six higher professional education master’s programmes received this rating.
Participation in the National Student Survey appears to be quite low among UM students. Despite the new methodology, no data is available for 26 of the university’s 58 master’s programmes, compared to 15 out of 57 last year.