Dutch Master’s degree guide: Wageningen gives good value for money

The recently published 2013 edition of the Dutch University Guide for Master’s degrees has concluded that Wageningen MSc programmes are, with a few exceptions, of high quality. The MSc in Earth & Environment was the pick of the litter, but, according to the Guide, you can’t go far wrong with any of the MSc programmes at Wageningen. They all score above average, with the exception of Landscape Architecture. A surprising anomaly, the Guide claims. ‘Unusually for the WUR, neither students nor experts could point out particular strengths of that programme.’ The University Guide also takes into account the tuition fees universities charge for a second Master’s degree. Some universities charge thousands of euros more than others. Wageningen charges 9,480 euros for social science and science MSc programmes and 14,750 euros for medical programmes such as Biotechnology. That’s considerably more than mandatory fee of 1,835 euros, but still cheaper than most other universities. Only the technical universities Delft and Eindhoven stick to the low mandatory rate. Student organizations ISO and LSVb call the price differences between second Master’s programmes ‘shockingly large’ and ‘absurd’. They want minister Bussemaker to make sure a second Master’s degree remains an affordable option.