Bachelor’s degree programmes

Admission to Bachelor’s degree programmes requires an upper-secondary school education and compliance with specific admission requirements, cf. the Ministerial Order on Admission to and Enrolment on Bachelor’s Degree Programmes at Universities (bacheloradgangsbekendtgørelsen).

The admission requirements can be found at www.bachelor.au.dk and are not stated in the academic regulations.    

Bachelor’s supplementary subjects

The admission requirements for Bachelor’s supplementary subjects must be stated in the academic regulations.

Master’s degree programmes

Admission to Master’s degree programmes requires a relevant Bachelor’s degree or another relevant Danish or international degree of the same level. The academic regulations must state:

• Which relevant Bachelor’s degrees give the right of admission to the Master’s degree programme in question.
• Which special admission requirements students must comply with on a Bachelor’s degree programme in order to gain admission to the Master’s degree programme concerned (in terms of courses or course elements and the number of ECTS credits attached to them).

Master’s supplementary subjects

The admission requirements for Master’s supplementary subjects must be stated in the academic regulations.

Professional Master’s degree programmes

• Admission to professional Master’s degree programmes is only possible for applicants who have completed at least:

  • A relevant Bachelor’s degree programme
  • A relevant professional Bachelor’s degree programme
  • A relevant medium-cycle higher education degree
  • A relevant diploma degree programme completed in the form of a regulated course of study, or
  • A relevant degree programme at the same level from a university outside Denmark
• Applicants must have at least two years of relevant work experience after completing the degree programme on which their admission is based.

• If a part-time degree programme is conducted in English (either in its entirety or to a significant extent), applicants must have provided documentary evidence that their knowledge of English corresponds at least to level B by the time the programme starts.

• The university may require applicants to pass a special test.    
• The admission requirements for the degree programme must be stated in the academic regulations.    

Bachelor’s degree programmes and Bachelor’s supplementary subjects

• Bachelor’s degree programmes must be rounded courses of study which expand the level of education on which admission was based.

• The programme must be structured with a view to ensuring both academic alignment and progression.    

• The courses contained in the degree programme must ensure that students can choose either to study one of several Master’s degree programmes, or to start utilising the professional skills they have acquired on their Bachelor’s degree programme.

• Progression requirements must not be included in the programme. One exception to this rule is the demand for the language skills that will be needed to read the material included in subsequent areas of study.        

Master’s degree programmes and Master’s supplementary subjects

• Master’s degree programmes must be rounded courses of study which expand the knowledge and insight gained by the students during their Bachelor’s degree programme. They qualify the students for admission to the PhD degree programme.

• The programme must be structured with a view to ensuring both academic alignment and progression.

• The courses must ensure that the students can normally choose between various profiles providing them with the skills needed in a variety of professional functions.    
• Progression requirements must not be included in the programme. One exception to this rule is the demand for the language skills that will be needed to read the material included in subsequent areas of study.    

Professional Master’s degree programmes

• Professional Master’s degree programmes must have the same level as Master’s degree programmes.
• Professional Master’s degree programmes are independent, rounded study programmes.

Bachelor’s degree programmes

These degree programmes consist of 180 ECTS credits (+ any introductory courses of 30/60 ECTS), including 15 ECTS for the Bachelor’s project and at least 10 ECTS for elective courses and a course dealing with the philosophy of science (normally 10 ECTS of general studies).

A Bachelor’s degree programme normally consists of:    

• Core subject: 135 ECTS

• Supplementary subject: 45 ECTS

• However, there are a few exceptions involving a core subject of 180 ECTS and no supplementary subject

• Internationalisation courses are placed on the third semester and generate 10 ECTS credits (graded and assessed internally).

Bachelor's supplementary subjects

Bachelor’s supplementary subjects consist of 45 ECTS credits, with 15 ECTS credits on the fifth semester. Tailored Bachelor’s supplementary subjects also have either 3X10 ECTS or 10 ECTS+20 ECTS on the sixth semester.

As far as possible, academic regulations should be aligned to ensure that there are no structural barriers preventing the co-teaching of Bachelor’s supplementary subjects and Bachelor’s degree programmes.

Master’s degree programmes

These degree programmes consist of 120 ECTS credits.

• Line A: Core subject: 120 ECTS

• Line B: Core subject: 75 ECTS + Master’s supplementary subject: 45 ECTS (+ possible extension of 30 ECTS credits if the student is studying a core subject at another faculty)

• The profile semester is placed on the third semester and normally consists of the following three options:

• Profile course (20 ECTS) + thesis preparation (10 ECTS)

• International elective (30 ECTS)

• Project placement (30 ECTS) or project placement (20 ECTS) + thesis preparation (10 ECTS)

• Master’s degree programmes at the Danish School of Education and Master’s degree programmes without a qualifying Bachelor’s degree programme do not normally have a profile semester

• All Master’s degree programmes must contain a thesis preparation course on the third semester – either as part of the 30 ECTS project placement, or as a 10 ECTS course, or as part of another course

Master's supplementary subjects

Master’s supplementary subjects consist of 45 ECTS (+ possible extension of 30 ECTS credits if the student is studying a core subject at another faculty). As far as possible, academic regulations should be aligned to ensure that there are no structural barriers preventing the co-teaching of Master’s supplementary subjects and Bachelor’s degree programmes/Master’s degree programmes.

Professional Master’s degree programmes

• A number of compulsory modules corresponding to 30-45 ECTS credits which constitute the identity and qualification profile of the programme.

• A final Master’s project corresponding to 15 ECTS credits which documents that the level set for the programme has been achieved in a topic that has been approved by the university.

• Perhaps 15 ECTS of elective courses or specialisation modules. If the programme includes specialisation modules, the Master’s project must be within the field of the specialisation in question.

The programme is organised in the form of part-time teaching within a time frame of up to three years, but may also be organised in the form of full-time teaching within a time frame of one year. 

Part-time degree programmes must be organised in such a way that people who have full-time employment can attend them

Courses and elective courses

• Courses and elective courses generate 10, 15, 20 or 30 ECTS credits. The departments must assess the potential for turning small courses into larger courses to reduce the intensity of the students’ studies.

• All courses and elective courses must be given a full name in both Danish and English, no matter what language they are conducted in. This is because these names will be used on exam certificates.    

• Courses and elective courses must contain a description of:

1. The course objectives

2. The learning outcomes in the form of precise academic objectives (6-8 bullet points) covering knowledge, skills and competences, as well as criteria for assessing the fulfilment of the academic objectives    

3. The number of ECTS credits generated

4. The forms of teaching and working methods

5. Their chronology

6. Prerequisites for participation (if any)

Elective courses

• All Bachelor’s and Master’s degree programmes must contain elective courses of at least 10 ECTS credits. Students must be allowed a choice between at least two elective courses with two unique sets of academic objectives. Elective courses are not required on supplementary subjects and professional Master’s degree programmes.

• The academic regulations must reveal the student’s options and selection criteria for elective subjects. This includes the option of choosing courses from a different degree programme at a university in Denmark or abroad.   

Bachelor’s degree programmes    

• The Bachelor’s project is compulsory (15 ECTS), graded, subject to external assessment, and placed on the fifth semester. It must demonstrate the student’s ability to identify, analyse and process issues relating to a defined topic within the field of study. 

• The topic field for the Bachelor’s project is subject to the approval of the university.

• The project involves the production of a home assignment on a topic chosen by the student. The same form of examination is used for the re-examination.    

• The Bachelor’s project must always include a summary in a foreign language. The academic regulations must state the foreign language(s) in which the summary can or must be written. If the Bachelor’s project is written in a foreign language other than Norwegian or Swedish, the summary can be written in Danish.

• The total length of the Bachelor’s project must be stated, including the length of the summary and whether the summary is included in the total length of the Bachelor’s project.    

• The academic regulations must also explain the way in which the summary will be included in the overall assessment of the exam performance.

• The student’s spelling and fluency must always be included in the assessment. The academic regulations must explain how this will be done.        

Master’s degree programmes

• The Master’s thesis is compulsory (30 ECTS), graded, subject to external assessment, and placed on the fourth semester. It must demonstrate the student’s ability to use academic theories and methods while working on a defined topic within the field of study. 
• The thesis statement for the Master’s thesis is subject to the approval of the university.
• In most cases, one of the following three forms of examination must be chosen:

• The thesis must always include a summary in a foreign language. The academic regulations must state the foreign language(s) in which the summary can or must be written. If the Master’s thesis is written in a foreign language other than Norwegian or Swedish, the summary can be written in Danish.
• The total length of the Master’s thesis must be stated, including the length of the summary and whether the summary is included in the total length of the thesis.
• The academic regulations must also explain the way in which the summary will be included in the overall assessment of the exam performance.
• The student’s spelling and fluency must always be included in the assessment. The academic regulations must explain how this will be done.    

Professional Master’s degree programmes    

• The Master’s project is compulsory (15 ECTS), graded, subject to external assessment and placed on the second semester.

• The Master’s project must always include a summary in a foreign language. The academic regulations must state the foreign language(s) in which the summary can or must be written. If the Master’s project is written in a foreign language other than Norwegian or Swedish, the summary can be written in Danish.

• The total length of the Master’s project must be stated, including the length of the summary and whether the summary is included in the total length of the project. 

• The academic regulations must also explain the way in which the summary will be included in the overall assessment of the exam performance.

• The student’s spelling and fluency must always be included in the assessment.     

• No more than one-third of the total ECTS credits for the programme may be assessed as “pass/fail”, which means that:
  • No more than 45 ECTS of the core subject may be assessed as “pass/fail”.
  • No more than 15 ECTS of the supplementary subject may be assessed as “pass/fail”.
• Introductory courses are not included in this calculation.

Master’s degree programmes and Master’s supplementary subjects

• No more than one-third of the total ECTS credits for the programme may be assessed as “pass/fail”, which means that:

  • Line A: No more than 40 ECTS may be assessed as “pass/fail”.

  • B line: Core subject: No more than 30 ECTS can be assessed as “pass/fail”.

  • Supplementary subject: No more than 10 ECTS can be assessed as “pass/fail” (supplementary subjects with an extension: no more than 20 ECTS).

Professional Master’s degree programmes

• No more than one-third of the total ECTS credits for the programme may be assessed as “pass/fail”, which means that:
  • No more than 20 ECTS can be assessed as “pass/fail”.

• At least one-third of the total ECTS credits for the programme are assessed externally, which means that:

  • At least 45 ECTS of the core subject must be assessed by an external co-examiner.
  • At least 15 ECTS of the supplementary subject must be assessed by an external co-examiner.
• Introductory courses are not included in this calculation.

Master’s degree programmes and Master’s supplementary subjects

• At least one-third of the total ECTS credits for the programme are assessed externally, which means that:
  • Line A: At least 40 ECTS must be assessed by an external co-examiner.
  • B line: Core subject: At least 30 ECTS must be assessed by an external co-examiner.
  • Supplementary subject: At least 10 ECTS must be assessed by an external co-examiner (supplementary subjects with an extension: at least 20 ECTS).

Professional Master’s degree programmes

• At least one-third of the total ECTS credits for the programme are assessed by an external examiner, which means that:

  • At least 20 ECTS must be assessed by an external co-examiner.

The academic regulations must state whether students need to read texts in foreign languages, as well as stating how much knowledge of the foreign language(s) concerned the students will need.     

The academic regulations must state the language in which exams will be conducted. The following rules apply to the language of exams and teaching in relation to the language in which the degree programme is conducted:

Language of
degree programme or line

Language of teaching
on a course

As a general rule,
the language of the
exam must be:

can be:

Danish

Danish

Danish

English if the teacher allows this

English

English

Danish if the teacher allows this    

English

English

English

Danish if the teacher allows this