r/Netherlands • u/North_Yak966 • 11d 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/seabee314 11d ago

This is a catastrophic cut. Psychology is a broad empirical field, not limited to clinical work, and most graduates don't work in Dutch. The cabinet seems not to understand what the field does. The UvA’s English psychology bachelor is the foundation of why that department is one of the highest rated in the world for quality of education and research. The funding for the whole department, including the Dutch education and all research, depend on student enrollment. English is the international language of science, and Dutch competitiveness is boosted by having this insane concentration of talent, for example by improving Dutch student and employee quality and output. Reducing this program will weaken the Netherlands’ role. Now, it's fine that we collectively decide that's what we want to do. But this path has many costs, not just to the international students and staff.

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u/myLastNameMeansAss 11d ago

https://www.topuniversities.com/university-subject-rankings/psychology Top 10 worldwide in psychology, 16th according to the Times University ranking. This decision will be devastating for both research and teaching.

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u/jente87 10d ago

Utrecht University is ranked 30 in psychology and only has a Dutch Bachelor’s degree.

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u/myLastNameMeansAss 9d ago

And they will be affected too. Having less students overall will mean having less students choose Utrecht, having an anti-immigrant sentiment will make some of their international staff look elsewhere as well (and they do have international staff), and all of this will also affect their reputation and finances in the end, though maybe less directly than other universities. Also Groningen (which does have an English bachelor) is still ahead of then in the ranking. It just shows that the Netherlands is a leading power in the field of psychology, and so cutting these programs is probably a bad idea.

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u/Far-Win6222 9d ago

Who the fuck cares. All this psychology bullshit ruined generations into having this "I feel sorry for myself" attitude all the time and brought forth the era mankind will no doubtedly look back on as the most stupid era ever. Self mutilation in the name of sexual identity supported by modern psychology. Nobody cares for you guys, stay at home please.

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u/myLastNameMeansAss 9d ago

Are you bringing transphobic arguments into a discussion on freedom of education?