The organisation of your study programme

Contact persons and responsibilities in your degree programme

Faculty Dean

The Dean (Dutch: decaan) is the head of your faculty, meaning they are responsible for its management and administration. Not to be confused with a student counsellor (Dutch: studentendecaan); these counsellors are there to help you with issues at the personal level.

The Dean, who is always a professor, puts their signature to faculty decisions and communicates decisions by the Executive Board. In addition they steer the education and research policy, by issuing the Teaching and Examination Regulations (OER), for example. The Dean is also responsible for staff and student participation in decision-making.

Programme Director

The Programme Director, who is often a professor, is responsible for the content of your degree programme, both for the organisation and the quality of the education you receive. The Programme Director determines the curriculum, manages the lecturers and reports to the Faculty Board. Recommendations by the Programme Committee are also sent to the Programme Director. Generally speaking you won’t come into direct contact with the Programme Director.

Programme Coordinator

The Programme Coordinator is responsible for planning the education on offer. This includes many aspects of the education you receive: timetabling, scheduling and teaching evaluations. Moreover the Coordinator ensures that your degree programme and the Course Catalogue remain up-to-date.

Study Adviser 

The study advisers for your programme help you with questions relating to scheduling your studies, doubts about your choice of studies or any study delays you may have accrued due to illness or personal circumstances. If necessary they can refer you on to other professionals.

Programme Committee

The Programme Committee considers how to improve the quality and content of the education and issues recommendations, both solicited and unsolicited, to the programme managers and to the Dean. This means your courses are being continually evaluated and improved. Programme Committees are comprised of an equal number of students and lecturers.

Examinations Board

Your programme’s Examinations Board determines whether students meet the conditions for being awarded their degree. In this manner the Examinations Board safeguards the quality of the degree certificate. As a student you can submit various requests to the Board, for instance to request an exemption or to get approval for an elective course.

UvA-wide organisation 

If you would like to know more about the university-wide organisation of the UvAExternal link, you can read more at uva.nl.