Since 2018, ATLAS, the UT bachelor's programme for excellent students, has been part of the ITC faculty. 'There are certainly connecting factors between ATLAS and ITC, and our lecturers contribute to ATLAS education,' says ITC dean Freek van der Meer. 'But it's not a programme that overlaps in a broad sense with our expertise as a faculty.'
According to Van der Meer, ITC has been 'talking and thinking' for some time about a bachelor's programme 'that ties in with the thematic focus on geo-information and earth observation'. 'We miss a bachelor's programme like that. We miss the natural progression from a bachelor's to our existing master's. But we also notice from conversations with partners and companies that there is a need for education in the field of spatial geosciences in the context of the social transitions we are in, such as climate change and the energy transition.'
Own bachelor's degree or together with VU Amsterdam
According to the dean, there are several possibilities to set up an own bachelor's programme. 'We can start our own bachelor's programme. This is a long and difficult process with a macro-efficiency test and a test for new study programmes at the NVAO. There is a lot of financial risk involved, but there is a hundred percent opportunity of setting up the programme according to your own wishes.'
The other option is a bachelor's programme in collaboration with VU Amsterdam, something the University Council also pushed for last year. 'We are exploring a joint bachelor's programme focused on sustainability and climate,' says Van der Meer. 'This suits us very well and is an opportunity to involve colleagues from other UT faculties in addition to the collaboration with VU Amsterdam. This would also fit in nicely with the ambitions of the UT's Climate Centre, of which ITC is the lead faculty.'
ITC dean Freek van der Meer.
Timing
Is now the right time to invest in a new bachelor's programme, given the UT's financial situation and the current political discourse? 'Certainly, in terms of timing, it may sound a bit odd. But to govern is to look ahead', says Van der Meer. 'We are in the process of implementing the sector plan for earth and environmental sciences, for which we are recruiting a total of sixteen new academic positions together with the ET faculty. Education is an explicit part of this sector plan. That gives us the opportunity and the capacity to take the step towards a bachelor's programme.'
It is still unclear when and in what form the ITC bachelor's programme will be a reality. The dean says he feels broad support from staff, students, participation bodies and the Executive Board. 'I think it would be a great project to sink our teeth into in the coming years.'
