Aalborg University social science programmes are among the degrees being closed as the university approves a restructuring plan for its Humanities and Social Sciences Faculty (SSH), ending admission to several bachelor’s and master’s programmes in Aalborg in the coming years.
Why Aalborg University is closing social science degrees
The decision follows Denmark’s candidate reform, which requires universities to reduce the number of full 120-ECTS master’s programmes and focus more sharply on labour market needs. Aalborg University (AAU) has already adjusted its study portfolio at its other faculties. With the new plan for SSH, the leadership says it is completing this institutional reshaping.
In a statement, AAU’s rector Per Michael Johansen explains that all four faculties have now prioritised and focused their education portfolios to meet the political demand for fewer young people at universities. The aim, he argues, is to ensure financially and academically sustainable programmes while maintaining a wide disciplinary profile.
According to the university, the closures are based on several indicators: student intake, drop-out rates, graduate unemployment, regional considerations and the ability to sustain strong teaching and research environments. The management stresses that the changes will be phased in and that current students will be able to complete their programmes.
Which study programmes in Aalborg will disappear
The approved plan means that AAU will stop admitting new students to a total of five master’s programmes and three bachelor’s programmes at SSH. These programmes will be closed once there are no more enrolled students.
On the master’s level, admission will be closed to:
- Applied Philosophy (Anvendt filosofi)
- Information Science (Informationsvidenskab)
- Interactive Digital Media (Interaktive digitale medier)
- Experience Design (Oplevelsesdesign)
- Social Science (Samfundsfag)
On the bachelor’s level, the following programmes in Aalborg will no longer admit new students:
- Applied Philosophy (Anvendt filosofi)
- Art and Technology (Kunst og teknologi)
- Social Science (Samfundsfag)
The social science subject Samfundsfag will, however, be maintained as a minor subject attached to the Political Science programme (Statskundskab). This means the discipline will not disappear entirely from AAU, but it will no longer exist as an independent bachelor’s or master’s degree in Aalborg.
How consultations changed Aalborg’s closure plan
The restructuring of humanities and social science education in Aalborg has been the subject of intense internal debate. Students, staff and external partners were invited to submit consultation responses before the final decision.
Following this hearing phase, the SSH dean Rasmus Antoft adjusted the original proposal. Two programmes that were initially listed for closure will now continue:
- Musicology (Musikvidenskab)
- International Business Communication, English
According to the revised plan, the master’s programme in International Business Communication, English will be transformed into a 75-ECTS focused programme rather than closing altogether. For Musicology, the faculty will explore, over the next year, how Musicology and Music Therapy can be more closely integrated to secure a sustainable academic environment.
The university presents these changes as a response to concerns raised in the consultation process, while still keeping the overall reduction in study places required by national policy.
What the new study landscape at Aalborg University will look like
AAU emphasises that, despite the closure of several social science and humanities programmes, it will remain a broad university with a strong SSH faculty. The institution plans to reallocate the freed study places from 2028 onwards to programmes where demand from applicants and employers is higher.
According to the plan, additional capacity will be prioritised for programmes such as Business Law (Erhvervsjura), Law (Jura), Economics and Business Administration (Erhvervsøkonomi), Political Science (Statskundskab), Psychology and Communication. The aim is to strengthen fields that combine academic depth with clear labour market demand.
The faculty will also introduce two new focused 75-ECTS master’s programmes with working titles such as Social & Human Data Science and Digital Design and Information Structure. These are designed to reflect the digitalisation of society and the growing need for data skills within social sciences and the humanities.
In addition, the number of places on the 75-ECTS Entrepreneurial Business Engineering programme will increase, reflecting lower unemployment rates among its graduates.
Consequences for students, Aalborg and Danish higher education
For current and prospective students in Aalborg’s social sciences and humanities, the closures will reduce the range of on-campus study options, especially in fields like philosophy, digital media and general social science. New students will not be able to apply for these degrees in Aalborg, and will instead have to look to other universities or related programmes.
AAU underlines that students already enrolled on the affected programmes will be allowed to complete their degrees, and that student and staff representatives have been involved in the transition planning. Nevertheless, the decision is likely to fuel a wider national debate on access to social science and humanities education outside the major university cities.
In a broader Danish context, Aalborg’s decision illustrates how national reforms and demographic trends are reshaping university education in smaller cities and regions. While policymakers argue that concentrating resources on fewer, larger programmes can improve quality and employability, critics warn that the closure of local social science programmes may weaken regional knowledge environments and reduce opportunities for young people who prefer or need to study close to home.
For the Nordic and European debate on higher education, the case of Aalborg raises familiar questions: how to balance efficiency and labour market relevance with academic diversity, regional access and critical disciplines such as philosophy and social science. Aalborg University’s new plan positions the institution as a broad university with a reoriented SSH profile – but with fewer independent social science programmes in Aalborg itself.
