The dean’s responsibilities are described in Aarhus University’s by-laws.

The dean is responsible for:

• ensuring coherence and the quality of the faculty’s education, teaching, research and knowledge exchange activities.
• ensuring cross-disciplinary development of the quality of the faculty’s degree programmes, including new degree programmes.
• ensuring a good study environment.
• appointing members of the boards of studies and approving chairs and vice-chairs of the boards of studies.
• appointing and dismissing directors of studies on the recommendation of the boards of studies.
• approving academic regulations on the recommendation of the board of studies.

The dean is ultimately responsible for

• the financing of the degree programmes.
• establishing the faculty’s strategy and policies for education.

In performing his leadership role, the dean takes advice from the faculty leadership team, the boards of studies, departments, the academic council, employer panels and the advisory board.

The vice-dean for education assists the dean in the field of education.

Natural Sciences is organised into departments and centres that deliver teaching for the faculty’s degree programmes. Each unit is headed by a head of department/centre director (from now on referred to as department head), who is responsible for managing the academic staff and ensuring coherence between research and education. 

The department head is responsible for

• Financial support of teaching activities within the framework outlined by the dean, including physical facilities, staff resources etc.
• Ensuring that the planned use of teaching resources is realisable.
• Teaching quality, including the interconnectedness of the teaching activities and the department’s/centre’s research and/or development activities.
• Ensuring the development of degree programmes in line with the university’s quality assurance policy.
• The department’s study environment

Involving the director of studies, the head of degree programme and the education committee, the department head follows up on the degree programme and teaching evaluations.

In exercising leadership, the department head involves the education committee, employer panels, departmental forums and liaison committees.

The department head can delegate management tasks within the chain of command, for example to section managers or heads of degree programme. The departments have implemented different structures and practices for this. The delegation principles are described in a set of Principles for delegation and involvement.

The dean has appointed directors of studies on the recommendation of the boards of studies,

The directors of studies are responsible for the day-to-day practical organisation and development of the degree programmes within their respective areas, including:

• study-related matters across their portfolio of degree programmes.
• coordinating the work of the heads of degree programme.
• acting as a representative for the degree programmes in relevant internal and external forums.

The director of studies reports to the vice-dean for education in degree programme-related matters.

The responsibilities of the directors of studies are described in the University Act.

Each department has one or more heads of degree programme who

• are responsible for the day-to-day practical organisation of teaching activities, supervision and teaching evaluations.
• contribute to the quality development and assurance of the degree programmes.
• handle the daily coordination between course coordinators for the various degree programmes.
• have ongoing contact with students.
• approve contracts, degree programmes etc.

See the description of the role and responsibilities of the heads of degree programme.

The vice-dean for education appoints the heads of degree programme based on recommendations from the head of department.

Lecturers are responsible for developing and teaching the individual courses and for contributing to the quality assurance and development of degree programmes in dialogue with the head of the degree programme, the education committee, the head of department etc.

Both tenured academic staff, tenure-track assistant professors and assistant professors who have passed a teacher-training course for assistant professors can fulfil the roles of course coordinator and principal supervisor.

Where several lecturers are involved in teaching a course, the head of department appoints a course coordinator from among them to be responsible for the coordination of the academic content. Sometimes, semester coordinators may also be appointed. In addition, at least one international coordinator is appointed from among the lecturers at each department/centre. 

The students participate in classes and other learning activities. The students are organised into degree programme councils and other academic associations. The students contribute to the strategic and practical degree programme quality assurance efforts via their representatives on the education committees, boards of studies, in the occupational health and safety organisation and on the Academic Council.

The students at Natural Sciences, together with the students at Technical Sciences, have set up ‘SciTech-Tinget’, an umbrella organisation for all the degree programme councils at the faculty.

The student representatives on the Academic Council meet regularly with the dean. The vice-chairs of the faculties’ boards of studies meet regularly with the vice-dean for education.

The responsibilities of the board of studies are described in the University Act.

At NAT, the dean has set up two boards of studies:

• A board of studies for the science programmes: Board of studies of Natural Sciences.
• A board of studies for Molecular Medicine.

The board of studies is responsible for

• Assuring and developing the quality of teaching activities and degree programmes.
• Cross-disciplinary efforts such as follow-up on teaching evaluations, matters relating to academic regulations, key figures, feedback from employers and input from the education committees and the director of studies.
• Guidelines for the degree programmes, including courses, teaching activities, exams, student affairs, planning and teaching evaluations.

The board of studies is responsible for

• being a forum for political discussions in relation to teaching activities and degree programmes.
• ensuring follow-up on teaching and degree programme evaluations.
• preparing proposals for academic regulations.
• approving the planning of teaching activities and exams.
• establishing guidelines for approval of applications for credit transfers and exemptions/dispensations.

The faculty leadership team meets approximately every three weeks. The vice-dean for education liaises with the faculty leadership team and partners in the field of education. The faculty leadership team regularly discusses current matters in the field of education and considers the faculty’s annual degree programme report.

The faculty leadership team is advised by the NAT Forum for Education and four other committees within each area the faculty is involved in: the Research Committee, the Public Sector Consultancy Committee, the Business & Innovation Committee and the GSNS programme committees

The faculty’s directors of studies meet regularly with the heads of degree programme to coordinate and share experiences.

Education committees

• are responsible for the quality assurance and development of degree programmes and teaching activities at subject level.
• contribute to the preparation of course descriptions and academic regulations. The committee develops course offerings and the academic and competency profiles of the individual degree programmes. The committee contributes to the development of new teaching formats and methods of evaluation.
• express their opinion in cases concerning credit transfers and dispensations/exemptions.
• are responsible for ongoing initiatives to increase quality based on the teaching and degree programme evaluations, other surveys, matters relating to the academic regulations, key figures, dialogue with employers, students and teachers as well as dialogue with employer panels, the director of studies, head of department and the board of studies.

The education committee advises the head of department and director of studies and also performs a coordinator role. The vice-dean for education appoints the education committee, the chair and members on the recommendation of the head of department.

See the terms of reference for education committees (in production)

• Template for minutes (in production)

The employer panels advise on the quality and relevance of the degree programmes and are involved in the development of new and existing programmes as well as in the development of new teaching formats and methods of evaluation/forms of examination.

The responsibilities of the employer panel are described in the University Act.

See the terms of reference and website for employer panels.

Employer panels are appointed by the rector on the recommendation of the dean. The dean’s recommendation is based on the wishes of the education committees.  Employer panels are appointed for three years at a time and meet one to two times a year with the education committee.

The head of degree programme is responsible for the dialogue with the employer panels and involves the members of the education committees as required.

Co-examiners contribute to the quality assurance of external exams and their associated courses.
 

As part of the quality assurance of the degree programmes’ examination system, the chairs of external co-examiners must, among other things, submit an annual report and hold contact meetings between the universities (including the employer panels) and co-examiners.

The rules regarding co-examiners can be found in the examination orders here:

• Ministerial order on university examinations and grading  

Overview of

• body of co-examiners for the natural sciences degree programmes

At Natural Sciences, the Nat-Tech Studies Administration, which is part of the Administration Centre Nat-Tech, is responsible for the studies administration.

The Studies Administration is responsible for supporting the boards of studies, directors of studies, education committees and heads of degree programme, for example by preparing academic regulations, planning teaching activities and exams, and processing cases in accordance with the guidelines issued by the board of studies.

The studies administration unit in Aarhus University’s central administration is responsible for delivering satisfactory documentation and information systems as well as ensuring satisfactory system support. The unit provides data and documentation and communicates about quality assurance work in collaboration with, among others, the faculty secretariat.