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Possible honours programme for master’s students

Excellent Master’s students may soon be able to follow an Honours Programme. Honours students are currently discussing suggestions for a Master’s programme for honours students in addition to the present programme for Bachelor’s students only.
Linda van der Nat

‘These students wonder what we can offer them after this,’ said Ellis Hoffland, programme director of the Honours Programme. ‘They themselves are studying the possibilities, trying to determine if there’s enough support, lobbying for their ideas and writing policy.’ The results cannot be predicted. ‘This doesn’t mean that a Master’s programme will be created; the university currently has no opinion on the matter. A further trajectory could be attractive, but there are also good arguments against it.’ The students will present their results when they complete their Bachelor’s.

The first class of honours students has been working on this issue for more than six months. Students, tutors and teachers are very enthusiastic, said Hoffland. She hopes that the experiences will trickle through to the mainstream courses in the form of new lesson material or teaching methods. The programme director admits that there were some initial problems. ‘It was especially difficult to define what makes an assignment deeper and broader. Moreover, a student may come to us with an attractive activity that we eventually have to reject because it isn’t worthy of the Honours Programme. That’s discouraging for the students, but it’s part of the process. We’re building an aeroplane while we’re already up and flying.’

Those interested can find information at www.wageningenuniversity.nl/honours or can attend an information session in Forum 030 on 3 and 5 February between 12.00 and 14.00.

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