Language programmes at the UvA appear to be disappearing
Nine language, culture and regional studies bachelor’s programmes (LCR) at the UvA appear to be set to disappear within a few years. In order to counter declining student numbers, the individual bachelor’s programmes would have to be merged into one new, overarching LCR programme. This emerges from a report by the Faculty of Humanities.
According to the Faculty of Humanities (FGw), there has been a mismatch for years between the growing importance of language and culture in international politics on the one hand, and the decline in the number of students opting for language- and culture-related bachelor’s programmes on the other. For this reason, Project Group Action Line 1 has been working since 2024 on a proposal for a new language programme. It has now become clear that this new programme would not be introduced alongside the existing bachelor’s degrees, but that the intention is for all LCR programmes at the UvA – except Dutch Language and Culture, English Language and Culture, and Greek and Latin Language and Culture – to be merged into it.
This development fits into a broader trend: earlier, for example, the universities of Utrecht and Leiden announced that they would have to cut language bachelor’s programmes due to budget cuts in higher education. According to the FGw, however, in the case of the language programmes at the UvA this is not a cost-saving measure, but above all a necessary renewal of the academic field.
February
The name of the new programme is not yet known, but for now the bachelor’s degree carries the working title Interdisciplinary Languages and Society Studies. In February 2026, the faculty board will take a final decision on whether the new generic programme – into which all language bachelor’s degrees would be merged – will actually go ahead. If everything proceeds smoothly, the bachelor’s programme could start in September 2029. In that case, all participation, application and accreditation procedures would need to run without delays. Student recruitment could begin a year earlier, in 2028.
In the three academic years in between, the precise content of the new programme will be further developed. Which courses will be taught is therefore not yet clear. The principle is that specialisation in a specific language, culture or region must remain possible within the new bachelor’s programme. It is also intended that the current range of languages offered will be maintained.
- Arabic Language and Culture
- German Studies
- French Language and Culture
- Hebrew Language and Culture
- Italian Studies
- Modern Greek Language and Culture
- Slavic Languages and Cultures
- Scandinavian Studies
- Spanish and Latin American Studies
In fact, according to the faculty, the new bachelor’s programme could potentially offer even more languages than before, because adding a new language would no longer automatically require the creation of a new degree programme, as is currently the case. To what extent a student’s chosen specialisation will be reflected on the diploma is not yet known.
Interdisciplinary
The programme is intended to have an interdisciplinary character, combining knowledge of language, culture and regions with fields such as sociology, political science, communication studies, media studies and cognitive science. According to the proposal currently under discussion, three different graduation tracks will be offered: Languages, Diplomacy and International Organizations; Languages, Communication and New Technologies; and Languages, Histories and Area Studies.
