S.W.O.T. analysis

Based on the student survey, alumni interviews, student testimonials and the latest student feedback session, we have created a summary of the strenghts and weaknesses of the programme. 

Strengths

  • Diversity in students’ backgrounds. This is one of the main reasons for the students to choose the Master of Computational Science. Students can apply from many different backgrounds. Everyone looks at problems from a slightly different viewpoint, which can be very valuable to the students. In the end, all students have the same basic knowledge, with different specialisations.
  • Personalisation of the study programme. The students are allowed to personalise the study program. Official specialisation tracks are available in various fields. Outside of those tracks, the students have a wide variety of courses to choose from.
  • A strong basis in both Mathematics and Computational Science. The students appreciate the mathematics and computational science knowledge that is taught in the core courses. This core knowledge may seem basic to students with mathematics-related bachelor’s degrees, but they can still choose the optional advanced mathematical courses.
  • The projects provide practical experience. Every course includes a project. During these projects, the students usually work together and gain valuable working experience. Students find these projects very important. They like the balance between theory and practice that the programme offers.
  • The teaching staff are experts in their fields.  The teaching staff exists of very talented and knowledgeable researchers who are experts in their respective fields. In general, they successfully pass on their knowledge.
  • The programme staff is open and helpful, feedback is personal. Students enjoy the atmosphere at the Master of Computational Science. The atmosphere is quite informal, and the team is generally easy to approach. Feedback towards the program is always appreciated and taken seriously. Staff is interested and helpful towards the students.

Weaknesses

  • Course load and difficulty can be unpredictable. Due to the large differences in student backgrounds, and the wide variety of courses that are available, the difficulty of courses can vary. Taking a course from a different master’s programme, out of your original field, can be challenging. With a mathematical background, core courses may be too easy.
  • Students feel there is a bias towards Computational Biology and Finance. These are the most ‘common’ fields, and they have the largest array of courses. The students feel that other fields are underrepresented. The courses are often available if you look for them, but they are often not readily provided.
  • A quality difference is perceived between UvA and VU courses. 86% of students reports that quality plays a role in whether they choose UvA or VU courses. A quarter of those students elaborate that they prefer UvA courses, saying those are more informative. This also came forward in alumni interviews. Students often feel the teaching staff is more involved at UvA and the lectures and projects are better aligned. This being said there are some courses the students stongly value at VU, and students appreciate the broad study programme.

 

Opportunities

  • The programme could have more core courses. Some of the students feel there could be more core courses in the Computational Science programme. They find these courses provide identity to the programme and help students who don’t have a clear plan to find their path.
  • VU courses need to work on their education quality.  It may help to limit the number of students in each class. After all, it is difficult to give personal feedback when the class has 300 students, for example. For most courses, the synchronization between lectures and projects could be improved. Furthermore, teachers could aim to focus more on recent work. Finally, there seem to be a lot of grading constructions at VU to ensure that all students pass. Not only does this allow students who don’t know the material to pass, but it often takes away the chance for hard-working students to excel. 
  • Cooperation between UvA and VU could be improved. This could potentially solve some administrative issues and overlapping course schedules. 

Threats

  • Students are not able to choose some of the contrained choice courses (especially AI), because of high demand. It is very important to the students that these courses do come back. While this problem exists, it should be made clear to new students that they may not be able to choose the courses.
  • Housing is a very significant problem, especially for international students. They could use more clarity and advice on how difficult it is to find housing, and what options they have when there are problems.
  • What is the added value of the joint degree? In the end, students identify with UvA and many prefer UvA courses. VU courses would still be available without the joint degree, and without the joint degree we wouldn’t have the administrative issues. Sure, a joint degree sounds more professional, but is that a valid reason? Of the students who replied, most would prefer a single degree. 

Summary

In general, the Master of Computational Science is providing a very wide array of courses, taught by skilled teachers. It provides students with a solid background in Mathematics and Computer Science, while still allowing them to specialize in whichever field they prefer. Students are very happy with the program staff, and they strongly value the diversity in student backgrounds. Most students are very happy with the degree, and recommend it to friends. This being said, there are some weaknesses.

As a result of the varying backgrounds and the wide variety in courses, difficulty and workload of courses can be unpredictable. Students are able to choose courses from many different master programs, and those programs often have very different admission requirements. This can lead to unexpected difficulties, or sometimes choosing courses that are too easy.

There is also some room for improvement in the courses themselves. Many students would like a few more core courses, to give more identity to the program. Furthermore, there seems to be a bias towards Biology and Finance, and students from other fields often feel somewhat left out. There is also a problem with too high demand. Some courses are full, meaning the students are not able to take courses they had counted on. This mainly involves AI courses, and is very disappointing to the students.

Furthermore, the joint degree is far from perfect. In fact, at the moment, it seems that the problems outweigh the benefits. It is great to have the freedom to choose courses from UvA and VU, but in reality there are many administrative issues and overlapping hours. More importantly, a significant group of students feel that the course quality at VU is lower. Students strongly identify with UvA, but not with VU. If these issues are not improved, students would prefer to just have a single degree. 

Finally, especially for international students, housing is a major issue. Some international students have had periods during their studies that they did not have a place to live. International students need to be better prepared for this issue, as most are not aware of the problem when they get here. It would be great if the university could give the students some advice upon arrival in the Netherlands and help students find a solution when issues arise.