A new report from the Danish Evaluation Institute states that DTU offers elite courses on all its MSc programmes because the University is dedicated to talent development.
DTU is the university in Denmark with the most elite talent programmes. This is stated by the Danish Evaluation Institute (EVA) in a new report on elite and talent programmes in higher education (in Danish).
In 2009, DTU introduced its Honours Programmes—elite tracks on all of the University’s 28 MSc programmes. DTU’s Honours Programmes are particularly challenging courses for the most talented students who, among other things, have achieved high grades on their BSc programmes and their BSc project in order to be admitted, while possessing significant intellectual and personal qualities.
For the first four years, DTU’s Honours programmes co-existed with six other elite programmes at the University, that, however, were discontinued with the abolishment of the so-called ‘elite taximeter’—i.e. additional funding earmarked for elite programmes.
According to the report, DTU’s continuation of the 28 Honours programmes is “a clear indication of an implemented, independent talent strategy which has been laid out independent of the political initiatives."
Senior Vice president, Dean of Graduate Studies and International Affairs Martin P. Bendsøe can attest to that:
“In DTU’s management, we have given high priority to offering our students a wide range of opportunities to challenge themselves through talent programmes focused on research, business collaboration, and innovation. It is a strategic focus area which supports our position as an elite university. Furthermore, it means that DTU has a very active student life, evident, among other things, in our Blue Dot projects, our Roskilde Festival courses, and—of course—Green Challenge. Our Honours system is a special offer to those of our students who want to challenge themselves even more in a special research or business collaboration, stays abroad, participation in conferences, etc. These are activities which you can easily do without being in an honours programme, but through the programme, DTU offers further guidance and a firmer framework for the activities.”
DTU currently has around 100 MSc students on its Honours Programme.
DTU’s elite programmes are called Honours Programmes where students can choose to focus on research or the business sector.
At DTU, the Honours Programmes offer the student the following:
- A personal tutor who is an internationally recognized researcher engaged in a leading research environment.
- An individual study plan containing significant independent elements in the form of courses and/or projects.
- Stays abroad as well as participation in at least one international research conference, workshop, or Summer University.
- Affiliation with one or more research projects either at the University or in close collaboration with companies
Read more about the Honours Programmes.