Investigation into master programmes RSM

For the last year, the Dutch government’s Inspectorate of Education has investigated the admission requirements and tuition fees for three tracks of master programmes offered at RSM: Master in Management (MiM), the Dutch-language Parttime Master Business Administration (PMB) and Finance & Investments Advanced (F&I A). Today, the Inspectorate has published a report with its findings. .

The quality of RSM’s accredited study programmes is not under discussion. This is supported by the most recent assessments of educational quality conducted by the Accreditation Organisation of the Netherlands and Flanders (NVAO). The findings by NVAO were confirmed in an equivalent international assessment by AACSB, the international accreditation organisation for business schools.

In two master study programmes (F&I A and PMB), the Inspectorate concluded that additional financial contributions for extra activities, curriculum elements and services cannot be charged in the way designed by these programmes. For MiM, the Inspectorate concluded that the registration of the programme duration must be modified.

The quality of the study programmes is not under discussion

We note that the Dutch Higher Education and Research Act is not clear regarding the precise possibilities with respect to financial contributions for voluntary study tracks and curriculum elements. The Act, although seemingly clear, does not always give unambiguous guidelines for daily practice. That is why the investigation has taken so long to be completed.

It is good that this report clarifies the Inspectorate’s interpretation of this. We are, however, surprised by the strict conclusions and are considering the outcomes of the Inspectorate’s report.

The Act demands that we, as university, safeguard that each student has access to our study programmes. For a university such as Erasmus University Rotterdam, this is a core value. In practice, this means that EUR offers alternative high-quality study programmes for which a standard tuition fee is paid. This is true for all the study programmes under review in this report. Access to the publicly-funded programmes MSc F&I and MSc BA has always been possible without paying an extra fee and taking up the additional voluntary package.

The programme versions under review by the Inspectorate are intended for special groups of students and professionals. These programmes with an additional financial fee, for which the students voluntarily chose, enabled them to take an important step in their careers by following a sound academic study programme that responds to society’s needs.

Modifications in the interests of students

Although we do not agree with all of its conclusions, in the interests of clarity for our students, we will be introducing modifications in our study programmes. The aim of these modifications is to end further discussion and any lack of clarity about these study programmes in the future.

For the latest information on the aforementioned programmes, please check the websites of van PMB, F&I A en MiM.