The world around us is changing rapidly—socially, ecologically, technologically, and geopolitically. To ensure that our bachelor’s and master’s programmes can respond swiftly to these developments, we conduct a portfolio analysis every three years. The most recent analysis identified several challenges: the number of pre-university (VWO) students is declining, enrolment in our Bachelor’s programmes is decreasing, and other universities are launching programmes in domains central to WUR’s profile. In our Strategic Plan 2025–2028, enhancing the adaptability and flexibility of our bachelor’s portfolio has therefore been designated as a priority.

Advice of the working group Bachelor portfolio

In early 2025, the Executive Board established the working group BSc Portfolio to advise on how to address the challenges mentioned above.

The working group’s key recommendation is to reduce the number of bachelor’s programmes from 21 independent programmes to 12–16 broader ones in the coming years: fewer points of entry, but with more (specialisations) within programmes, underpinned by a coherent shared profile. This approach is expected to foster greater opportunities for innovation and reduce internal competition. A coherent bachelor portfolio with a distinct profile will also make it easier to present our programmes more powerfully and attractively to prospective students, thereby sustaining enrolment.

In September 2025, the Executive Board endorsed the conclusions and recommendations of the working group.

Next steps   

A steering committee has been appointed to oversee the implementation of the recommendations and ensure clear communication throughout the process. The steering committee is chaired by the Dean of Education, Dick de Ridder. Several working groups have been set up to elaborate specific components: 

• Elaboration of the domain lenses.
  The advisory report defines three domain lenses that express the types of responsible changemakers WUR aims to educate:
  • Fundamentals of Life;
  • Technology and Design for Innovation;
  • Bridging Nature and Human Wellbeing.
    
    
• Update of the Framework for Education.
  Several working groups are working on policies related to minors, specialisations, and increasing the adaptability of our bachelor’s programmes.
  
  
• Development of the five subsets.
  A subset is a group of programmes with a similar thematic focus or disciplinary foundation. In the coming period, we will develop plans to merge or redesign bachelor’s programmes. The first subset is ‘Sustainable Transitions for Society & Business’, which includes the following programmes: Health & Society, Business and Consumer Studies, Economics and Policy, Communication and Life Sciences, International Development Studies, and Tourism. The expertise and knowledge of our chair groups will remain firmly embedded in the education provided. 

The next steps require creativity and active engagement from lecturers, students, chair holders, programme directors, and programme committees. We are taking deliberate time for this process. New programme ideas will be explored and developed step by step: each round will focus on a cluster of programmes, allowing room for innovative thinking and proposals to be thoroughly assessed. The Steering Committee will guide the process and ensure transparent communication. By working together, we can harness WUR’s collective strength to keep our bachelor’s programmes relevant and inspiring for the future.