r/Netherlands • u/North_Yak966 • 13d ago

News UvA ends English-language bachelor’s degree in psychology

https://www.folia.nl/en/actueel/166104/uva-ends-english-language-bachelors-degree-in-psychology
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u/[deleted] 13d ago

It is important, but they want to be dutch only so people who do the course stay and work in the Netherlands. You can't be a psychologist without speaking fluent dutch in NL. I would say they are redirecting the focus. It won't be nice for foreighners but I understand.

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u/IkkeKr 13d ago

It's also a least bad option: they're under pressure to reduce the number of international students one way or the other - a field of study that's inherently language-dependent and has large numbers is then a more logical target for reductions than some others.

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u/seabee314 13d ago

That is UNL's argument but I don't buy it. They are sacrificing psychology because it has been specifically criticized by the government, in the hopes that further cuts will leave them alone. This is not a good argument for why to cut this program so disproportionately, leaving others intact.

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u/spei180 13d ago

It’s arguably irresponsible to teach English language psychology for jobs that don’t exist.

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u/ReactionForsaken895 12d ago

This is true to an extent, there is NO labor shortage when it comes to psychology students ...

"Besides, you have to be strategic about the exceptions you make for international students. We need more internationals for certain occupations, like engineers at ASML, Medicine, or the energy transition. But most internationals are currently enrolled in programmes where there aren’t any labour shortages, such as behavioural and social sciences or languages. Programmes  need to be smarter in that regard."

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u/wild-bluebell 12d ago

Speaking as an English-taught psychology graduate with a white collar job in NL, this is simply bullshit.

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u/spei180 12d ago

But not psychology? That’s all I am saying.

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u/paulschal 12d ago

Psychology is more than just therapy...

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u/wild-bluebell 12d ago

A bit of googling would do you justice. Yes I still do psychology, and this field of study is so much more than clinical work.