Planeringsuppdrag Masterprogram i biobaserad ekonomi. Arbetsgrupp: Lena Ekelund Axelson, Rob Hart, Helene Lundkvist, Anders Roos

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1 Underlag 11ii Rapport per mars 2014 Planeringsuppdrag Masterprogram i biobaserad ekonomi Arbetsgrupp: Lena Ekelund Axelson, Rob Hart, Helene Lundkvist, Anders Roos Uppdragsbeskrivning: Uppdraget är att analysera förutsättningar och föreslå möjligt master program med fokus på en biobaserad ekonomi med utgångspunkt i de unika forskningsmiljöer som finns inom SLU, syftande till ett masterprogram som kan ersätta de nuvarande programmen på på avancerad nivå. Det förutsätts att kompetens från flera fakulteter samverkar i ett planerat programgenomförande. Förhållandet till nuvarande utbildningsprogram och externa samarbeten måste beskrivas. Kan förslaget ersätta nuvarande program inom området? Vilka ämnen kan bli aktuella att utfärda examen i? Vilken målgrupp av studenter och vilket syfte har den föreslagna utbildningen? Vilken målgrupp av studenter och vilket syfte har den föreslagna utbildningen? Vilka för- och nackdelar skulle det föreslagna upplägget innebära ur ekonomiska och kvalitetsmässiga perspektiv? -o- Arbetsgruppen lämnar nedan en sammanfattning av sina diskussioner och slutsatser. Utöver detta inlämnas separat en fördjupad analys och beskrivning av konsekvenserna av en omläggning från nuvarande masterprogram inom ekonomiområdet till ett masterprogram i biobaserad ekonomi. Den inlagan, som har Rob Hart som huvudförfattare bygger på arbetsgruppens mera ingående diskussioner, lämnas senare i v. 14. Sammanfattning av arbetsgruppens diskussioner och slutsatser Begreppet Biobaserad ekonomi (BBE) är inte klart definierat. De beskrivningar som finns talar om den biologiska basen för ett långsiktigt hållbart samhällssystem där fossilt baserade produkter och energi är utbytta mot förnybara. Parallellt med BBE finns begreppet Bioekonomi (BE), som brukar avse ekonomisk utveckling som bygger på innovationer inom det bioteknologiska området. BBE omfattar å andra sidan all

2 biologisk produktion från odling till höggradigt förädlade varor med biologiskt ursprung. Det ska dock understrykas att de två begreppen ofta används som om de vore synonyma. De bägge begreppen används främst i akademiska och politiska sammanhang. Tolkningen skiftar mellan olika personer även bland experter. Eftersom BBE har en central plats i de gröna näringarna har SLU mycket att tillföra. BBE är grundad på biologisk produktion, men tvärar över flera vetenskapsområden, som samhällsvetenskap, naturvetenskap och teknologi. Vi kan konstatera att SLU som helhet arbetar inom och för den biobaserade ekonomin. Vi har också, efter ingående analys och diskussioner, inom arbetsgruppen samt på våra respektive institutioner, kommit fram till att Biobaserad ekonomi passar bättre i strategiska dokument och övergripande programförklaringar än som än som titel på ett (1) masterprogram. Med de tolkningar av BBE, som gjorts av FN, EU, landsbygdsdepartementet, Formas/Vinnova m fl (se t ex sammanställning i Staffas, m fl 2013) 1 så ligger flertalet, för att inte säga alla, SLUs masterprogram inom området biobaserad ekonomi. SLU kan välja att marknadsföra sina masterprogram som viktiga för utveckling av BBE. Arbetsgruppen har utifrån uppdraget och frågorna/uppmaningarna som riktas i detta samt efter ytterligare förtydliganden per e-post och telefon från SLUs utbildningsledning diskuterat tre scenarier för förändring av SLUs utbud av masterprogram inom ekonomiområdet. 1. BBE blir ett nytt masterprogram som ersätter de tre nuvarande ekonomiprogrammen. Om ett sådant program rubriceras Master i biobaserad ekonomi och ska leva upp till denna rubrik så kommer vi att få ett program som i väsentliga delar liknar och kommer att konkurrera med den master i Sustainable development, som SLU och UU idag ger i samverkan och som är ett mycket populärt program bland studenterna. Arbetsgruppen konstaterar att det är möjligt att göra ett sådant program, men att överlappningar med mastern i Sustainable development blir svåra att undvika samtidigt som inslagen av ekonomi blir mycket begränsade jämfört med dagens masterprogram med examination i företags- resp nationalekonomi. Förändringen att låta ett masterprogram i BBE ersätta de nuvarande masterprogrammen i ekonomi kan i praktiken innebära att de senare läggs ner. Det kommer helt enkelt inte att finnas utrymme/tid att täcka både ekonomi i samma utsträckning som i dagen program och biologiska produktionsdelar, energisystemfrågor mm, som studenterna sannolikt kommer att förvänta sig av ett masterprogram i biobaserad ekonomi. Därmed skulle också välkända 1 Sustainability 2013, 5, : doi: /su samt sammanfattning i ppt: Internationell-utblick-och-j%C3%A4mf%C3%B6relse.pdf

3 masterprogram med inarbetad arbetsmarknad och kända varumärken, som Agronomekonom och Skogsindustriell ekonomi slarvas bort. Vi bedömer att det skulle finnas uppenbara problem i båda ändar av programmet med dels vilka förkunskapskrav som ska ställas, dels vilka examinationsämnen som skulle vara aktuella. Examen i ämnet företagsekonomi kan sannolikt fortfarande vara möjlig för vissa studenter. Men, få, eller inga, studenter skulle uppfylla kraven för att kunna ta ut examen i huvudämnet nationalekonomi. 2. BBE blir namnet på en gemensam masteringång med flera utgångar, som utgörs av idag befintliga inriktningar på masterprogram En gemensam masteringång skulle innebära att generella moment inom såväl ekonomi som andra områden läses av alla BBE-studenter huvudsakligen i inledningen av masterprogrammet. Efter dessa moment väljer studenterna inriktning/utgång. De utgångar vi ser som möjliga är hämtade från nuvarande masterprogram och omfattar befintliga ekonomiprogram på masternivå Agricultural Economics and Management Environmental Economics and Management Skogsindustriell ekonomi men också de masterprogram som är inriktade på värdekedjor och som har ett väsentligt inslag av ekonomi i sig. Hit hör Agroecology Aquatic Food Production Management of Fish and Wildlife Populations Natur, hälsa och trädgård (Soil and Water Management) Masterskolan inom bioenergiprojektet MicroDrivE samt de nuvarande masterprogram som har en tydlig koppling till hållbar utveckling-aspekten av BBE EnvEuro Environmental Communication and Management Hållbar stadsutveckling Rural Development and Natural Resource Management Sustainable Development (kräver samordning också med Uppsala univ.) Till ett masterprogram i BBE med gemensam ingång och skilda utgångar kan också läggas En omstartad livsmedelsinriktning i utbildning på masternivå. En tydlig utgång mot innovationsskapande och företagande i BBE- och BE(bioekonomi/life science)-sektorerna. Arbetsgruppen ser problem med avgränsningar av BBE-området, som ju innefattar flertalet verksamheter på SLU. Vi bedömer att alternativet med en

4 gemensam ingång och flera utgångar enligt ovan riskerar att på sikt urvattna och anonymisera ekonomidelen/utgångarna jämfört med nuvarande masterprogram i ekonomi vid SLU och jämfört med de ekonomimasterprogram som ges vid andra lärosäten. Detta kommer möjligen i förlängningen att ge SLUstudenter stor bredd, men mindre djup, inom BBE-området och begränsade möjligheter till rörlighet, p g a förkunskapskrav, mellan lärosäten för studier på avancerad nivå inom fr a ekonomiområdet. Å andra sidan kan det ges möjligheter att ta ut examina i SLUs klassiska breda ämnen, som lantbruksvetenskap, trädgårdsvetenskap och skogshushållning. 3. BBE användes som paraplybegrepp för SLUs verksamhet inkl utbildningar, medan rubrikerna på nuvarande program inom ekonomiområdet behålls. Samordningen av programmen stärks. Mot bakgrund av svårigheterna att avgränsa BBE till ett masterprogram och de otydligheter som riskerar att uppstå i och med att BBE används för att omfatta den övervägande delen av SLUs verksamhet bedömer vi att SLU uppnår större tydlighet och bättre jämförbarhet med universitetsvärlden i övrigt genom att behålla och utveckla befintliga masterprogram inom ekonomiområdet. Arbetsgruppen ser utvecklingsmöjligheter i att programmen samordnas och synkroniseras ytterligare jämfört med nuvarande läge och att nuvarande program justeras så att tydlig företagsekonomisk resp nationalekonomisk inriktning finns. Koppling till BBE som samhällsföreteelse görs fortlöpande under programmens gång. Vi föreslår vidare att man arbetar med möjligheten till samutveckling av program med andra universitet och högskolor för bl a inslag om innovationer, nya produkter och nya värdekedjor inom biobaserad ekonomi, bioekonomi/bioteknik/ life science. Programmen bör också arbeta för att ge studenterna valmöjligheter inom ramarna för masterprogram och examensämnen. -o- Arbetsgruppens slutsats är att den utveckling som beskrivs under punkt 3 är den som gynnar både studenter och SLU bäst. Den kan förefalla mindre visionär än en total omstöpning av masterutbildningarna i ekonomi, som en anpassning till rubriceringen biobaserad ekonomi skulle innebära. Vi anser att SLU ska behålla de väl profilerade utbildningar som redan i realiteten inspireras av den biobaserade ekonomin. Detta hindrar inte att samordningsvinster kan göras och någon gemensam kurs utvecklas exempelvis i samverkan mellan den skogsindustriella utbildningen och de företagsekonomiska inriktningarna på ekonomiska institutionen.

5 Med bibehållna program i ekonomi ges studenterna en tydlig ekonomiutbildning, som beroende på förkunskaper och ytterligare studier kan riktas också mot de värdekedjor som är fundamenten i den biobaserade ekonomin.

6 Master s program in bio-based economy Background and analysis from the working group SLU is revisiting its Master s programs. As part of the planning for this, a working group of four employees was put together and given the task suggesting a new Master s program with a focus on a bio-based economy. To see the full details of the terms of reference for the group go to ØØÔ»»ÛÛÛº ÓÒ ÒØ ÖÒغ»ÖÓ»ÌÓʺÔ, pages The program should build on SLU s research competence, and replace the existing programs in the area of economics and business (ekonomiområdet). The group reported on 2 April 2014, briefly analysing three alternatives and recommending the third of these. The present document complements the report, giving a detailed analysis of the current situation and the three alternatives outlined in the main report. It is written by Rob Hart, based on discussions and suggestions within the working group and with input also from other sources primarily at SLU. It is approved by the other working-group members. 1. Economics, business administration, and bio-based economy We begin by defining the meaning of some of the key terms. We cite definitions from widely used sources, including Wikipedia, because the purpose is to show how the terms are generally understood Economics and business administration First, the distinction between economics (nationalekonomi) and business administration (företagsekonomi). According to Wikipedia 1, Economics is the social science that studies the behavior of individuals, groups, and organizations (called economic actors, players, or agents), when they manage or use scarce resources, which have alternative uses, to achieve desired ends. Meanwhile, business administration is the study of how businesses and organizations work, their role in society (relationship to stakeholders) and how they can best achieve their goals. According to Nils Brunsson, 2 Företagsekonomin är vetenskapen om organisationer. In other words, business administration is the science of organizations. So in business administration the focus is on individual organizations (primarily firms), how they work, and how they should be managed, whereas economics is about the behaviour and management of systems of firms and other agents (including the government and the central bank). A basic understanding of how firms work is of course essential for understanding the behaviour of the economy, and a basic understanding of how the economy works is advantageous when managing a firm, hence there is a certain amount of overlap between study programs in economics and business administration. However, at the end of a typical bachelor program students are specialized 1 ØØÔ»» ÒºÛ Ô ºÓÖ»Û» ÓÒÓÑ, downloaded 3 March ØØÔ»»ÛÛÛº º» ÖØ Ð»¾¼¼»½½» Øع ÓÑÑÙÒ Ö ¹ ÓÖ Ø ÓÒÓÑ, downloaded 3 April Rob Hart April 6, 2014

7 either in economics or business administration. This specialization can be understood from different angles, such as opportunities for further study, or jobs. Regarding further study, the vast majority of students with a bachelor s degree in economics and business administration are qualified for further study at master s level either in economics or in business administration, but not both. Similarly, students with a master s degree in economics are qualified for jobs analysing economic policy in government departments, regulatory authorities, banks, etc., while the opportunities open to students specialized in business administration such as managing firms, accounting, or banking are different Bio-based economy Regarding the term bio-based economy, a review of existing policy documents and research publications show that the concept does not yet have an established definition, even among experts. Two contrasting interpretations are illustrated by the following quotations, the first from Wikipedia, 3 the second from the European Union. 4 Biobased economy, bioeconomy or biotechonomy refers to all economic activity derived from scientific and research activity focused on biotechnology in other words, on understanding mechanisms and processes at the genetic and molecular levels and its application to industrial process. The term is widely used by regional development agencies, international organizations, biotechnology companies. It is closely linked to the evolution of the biotechnology industry. The Bioeconomy encompassing the sustainable production of renewable resources from land, fisheries and aquaculture environments and their conversion into food, feed, fiber bio-based products and bio-energy as well as the related public goods is an important element of Europe s reply to the challenges ahead. The Bioeconomy includes primary production, such as agriculture, forestry, fisheries and aquaculture, and industries using / processing biological resources, such as the food and pulp and paper industries and parts of the chemical, biotechnological and energy industries. Staffas et al (2013) analyze national strategies related to bio-based economy, and clarify the distinction between the terms bioeconomy and bio-based economy. 5 On reading this analysis it becomes apparent that almost everything we do at SLU falls within the subject area bio-based economy. Finally, simple surveys we have performed among SLU students and teachers, and others, show that the interpretation of the concept differs even more amongst these groups. This suggests that naming a Master s program Biobased economy would be problematic. 2. The existing situation concerning Master s programs in economics and business administration Recall that the proposal is to replace existing programs in the area of economics and business with a program in bio-based economy. What are these existing programs, and how do they interact with other programs offered at SLU and elsewhere? 3 ØØÔ»» ÒºÛ Ô ºÓÖ»Û» Ó ÓÒÓÑÝ, downloaded 5 Feb ØØÔ»» º ÙÖÓÔ º Ù»Ö Ö» Ó ÓÒÓÑÝ»ÔÓÐ Ý» Ó ÓÒÓÑÝ Òº ØÑ, downloaded 3 March Sustainability 2013, 5, ; ØØÔ»»ÛÛÛºÑ Ô ºÓÑ»¾¼ ½¹½¼ ¼»»»¾ ½. See also the power-point summary at ØØÔ»»ÛÛÛº Ñ Ò ØÛÓÖ º»ÛÔ¹ÓÒØ ÒØ»ÙÔÐÓ»¾¼½»¼» ÄÓÙ ¹ËØ ¹ÁÎĺ¹ÁÒØ ÖÒ Ø ÓÒ ÐйÙØ Ð ¹Ó ¹ Ñ Ö Ð ºÔ 2

8 2.1. Overview of existing programs There are three Master s programs in the area of economics and business administration offered at SLU, all of which are based at Ultuna: these are Agricultural Economics and Management, Environmental Economics and Management, and Forest Industry Economics. Furthermore, there are several programs which include elements of economics and business, such as the interdisciplinary Master s program in Sustainable Development, which is given jointly with Uppsala University, and the distance program Food Innovation and Market. The programs in Agricultural Economics and Management and Environmental Economics and Management are primarily based at the Department of Economics, SLU. There are two tracks within each of these programs, economics and business administration. Formally, students apply to one or other of these programs, and then choose either the economics track or the business track. However, in practice students are almost always qualified for either one track or the other, and not both, since a bachelor in the relevant discipline is required. Hence they effectively choose both program and track at the time of application. Furthermore, the economics tracks in the respective programs actually overlap to a very great extent: that is, most of the courses studied by agricultural economists are also studied by environmental economists, and vice versa, and all students qualified to study one would also be qualified to study the other. The same applies to the business administration tracks. 6 Thus the situation in practice is best characterized as follows: SLU offers two Master s programs, one in Economics and one in Administration, and within each program students may specialize either in environment and sustainability, or in agriculture. The program in Forest Industry Economics is focused on management careers in the Swedish forest industry: it gives a degree in business administration, and a bachelor in business administration or a bachelor in forest science with a business administration specialization is required for admission. The Sustainable Development program is interdisciplinary. In the first year there is one 10-credit course which includes elements of economics and business administration. There is then an opportunity to study up to 30 credits in a field of the student s choice in year 2, however in practice it is typically difficult or impossible for students to choose advanced economics or business courses in this period due to a lack of prior knowledge. The exception would be for a student who had a bachelor s degree in economics or business administration prior to entering the program Analysis of the current situation: Economics As explained above, SLU effectively has a single Master s program in economics (nationalekonomi), and gives students the choice to specialize either in agricultural or environmental economics. Regarding applications, we have taken on 10 to 15 students per year in economics over the last few years. Within this program teachers from the Department of Economics at SLU are responsible a total of credit courses, all of which have a clear SLU profile, e.g. analysis of international food systems, economic growth and sustainable development, and cost benefit analysis of agricultural and environmental projects. Of these courses, a typical Master s student might study 4 (corresponding to 30 credits), with the remaining 60 course credits (excluding the Master s thesis) obtained through courses in economic theory, applied economics, and econometrics at Uppsala University. The program is put together in order to combine a thorough grounding in economics with relevant expertise in the areas of environmental and agricultural economics in particular. Thus 6 For the courses offered to the students see the following links: ØØÔ»»ÛÛÛº ÐÙº» Ò» Ù Ø ÓÒ»Ñ Ø Ö ¹ÔÖÓ Ö ÑÑ» ÒÚ ÖÓÒÑ ÒØ Ð¹ ÓÒÓÑ ¹ Ò ¹Ñ Ò Ñ ÒØ» ÓÒØ ÒØ»ÓÙÖ ¹ Ùл and ØØÔ»»ÛÛÛº ÐÙº» Ò» Ù Ø ÓÒ»Ñ Ø Ö ¹ÔÖÓ Ö ÑÑ» Ö ÙÐØÙÖ Ð¹ ÓÒÓÑ ¹ Ò ¹Ñ Ò Ñ ÒØ»ÓÒØ ÒØ»ÓÙÖ ¹ Ùл. 3

9 the students must be economists first and foremost, but with a clear profile related to agriculture and environment. In addition to regular SLU Master s students, four further groups of students study these 5 courses: AFEPA students, agronomists, Uppsala University students, and others (such as exchange students). AFEPA is the European Master in Agricultural, Food and Environmental Policy Analysis. Around 5 to 10 such students arrive at SLU each year in the AFEPA program, the majority of whom come in their second year and thus study advanced courses for one term and then write a thesis supervised by us. The AFEPA program has been very well received by the EU and the signals are that it will be extended for a new program period beyond 2015/16. Agronomists are students of the agriculture program in economics (NEK-inriktad ekonomagronom), of whom there are a handful each year. Regarding Uppsala University students, while SLU sends students to study courses at Uppsala University, students who are on Uppsala University s Master s program in economics also have the option of taking SLU s courses. From the perspective of careers, the students who currently follow the Master s degrees in economics typically go on to careers in national and international policy and regulatory bodies, while a few move on to further research. These options are open to them thanks to the thorough grounding they have obtained in theoretical and applied economics, and the high quality of the theses they have written. A very important piece of evidence on student careers, which has helped guide the moulding of the current programs, is von Sabsay (2010). 7 This is a survey of former economics students (63 students) and their employers (over 50 employers), with a view to helping current students, improving the programs, and boosting recruitment. In-depth interviews were conducted by telephone. Here are some of the more striking results. A large majority of students specializing in economics had gone on to obtain relevant jobs, and most of them found jobs very easily. Students were generally happy with the education they received, but they were unhappy about the lack of information about the job market, and lack of emphasis on skills demanded of them in their future careers. Both students and employers emphasized the need for a mastery of quantitative methods (statistics, econometrics, applied modelling), and good analytical skills, while employers were also concerned about the poor writing of graduate recruits. Many respondents, both former students and employers, were very positive about the education program at the department, and keen to cooperate more with us in the future. Within the interdisciplinary program Sustainable Development the department of economics is involved in one 10-credit course, which is not followed by the other Master s students as it is on a very basic level in terms of economic theory. This is an inevitable consequence of the general nature of the program, which accepts students from a wide range of different disciplines Analysis of the current situation: Within business administration (företagsekonomi) there are the two programs described earlier, in Agricultural Economics and Management and Environmental Economics and Management, which in reality overlap to a very large extent. 8 Furthermore, there is the program in Forest Industry Economics which focuses on management careers in the Swedish forest industry students chooses this two-year program each year, of whom a few (2 4) students have taken the bachelor degree at the Department of Economics, SLU, Uppsala. The majority are forest students from the Forest Science Faculty, SLU, Umeå. Finally, there are the agronomists (ekonom-agronomer). The intake of Master s students to the business administration Master s programs at the 7 Martina von Sabsay, Rapport över undersökningen kring NEK: utbildningen och arbetsmarknad. Institutionen för ekonomi, SLU, ØØÔ»»ÛÛÛº ÐÙº» Ò» Ù Ø ÓÒ»Ñ Ø Ö ¹ÔÖÓ Ö ÑÑ» ÒÚ ÖÓÒÑ ÒØ Ð¹ ÓÒÓÑ ¹ Ò ¹Ñ Ò Ñ ÒØ» ÓÒØ ÒØ»ÓÙÖ ¹ Ùл and ØØÔ»»ÛÛÛº ÐÙº» Ò» Ù Ø ÓÒ»Ñ Ø Ö ¹ÔÖÓ Ö ÑÑ» Ö ÙÐØÙÖ Ð¹ ÓÒÓÑ ¹ Ò ¹Ñ Ò Ñ ÒØ»ÓÒØ ÒØ»ÓÙÖ ¹ Ùл. 4

10 Department of Economics is quite small around 10 per year implying that the majority of students on most of the program courses at the Department of Economics are agronomists, since they number around 30 per year. It is therefore essential to analyse how any changes to the Master s programs would affect the agronomists. Finally, there is a range of other programs including elements of business administration Analysis of the current situation: Applications The background to the ToR highlights the complexity of SLU s Master s programs, and the claim is made that this makes it hard to get a clear picture of the whole. The premise seems to be that prospective students first decide that they want to study at SLU, then look at what programs SLU offers in order to decide amongst them. On finding a variety of programs in many different areas, they give up. On the other hand, the working group s understanding of the most common way in which students find SLU s programs in environmental and agricultural economics is as follows. They go onto the web searching (internationally) for Master s programs focused on environmental (or agricultural) economics, find one of the programs, and apply. It is hard to imagine that any more than a handful of SLU s Master s students start off with the ambition to study at SLU, and take it from there; consider the simple fact that the majority come from overseas. Furthermore, we suspect that the same process applies for the vast majority of students on all of SLU s Master s programs. Therefore the goal of reducing the headline number of programs seems to be pointless. 9 What SLU needs to do is to reduce costs and raise income, while giving courses and programs which are in line with SLU s overall strategy. Reducing costs means offering fewer courses, while raising income means attracting more students. In order to attract students in the long run SLU must offer programs which prospective students in Sweden, the EU, and globally find relevant and interesting, and which are also recognized by employers as giving relevant, high-quality teaching. 3. Analysis of alternatives 3.1. Alternative 1: Bio-based economy replaces existing programs in economics and business administration The first alternative we discuss is to replace the existing programs specifically focused on economics and business (Agricultural Economics and Management, Environmental Economics and Management, and Forest Industry Economics) with a single program in Bio-based economy (BBE); see Figure 1. Regarding economics, we argue that this would effectively imply closing down advanced economics education at SLU. Regarding business administration, it would still be possible to maintain a degree in business administration under this alternative. However, it is not clear to whom such a program would be attractive, and what cost savings could be achieved compared to the situation today. Moreover, it would remove programs with well defined employment markets and established brands. Detail. In more detail, the proposal is that the existing programs in agricultural economics and management, environmental economics and management, and forest industrial economics (skogsindustriell ekonomi) are merged into a single program in biobased economy (or some related name). Such a program would give a degree in business administration possibly with other, broader, alternatives with base courses in 9 Stockholm University offers 41 Master s programs in the social sciences alone, and over 150 in total. We have 20 programs in total. The problem is not the total number of programs, the problem is the number of students per program, and more particularly students per course. Based on statistics for total admissions, Stockholm University has roughly double the number of Master s students per program compared to SLU. 5

11 Existing Alternative 1 Prog. name Degree Prog. name Degree Ag Econ Man Economics Env Econ Man Economics BBE Interdis Forest Ind Econ Sus Dev Interdis. Sus Dev Interdis. FOOD Food science FOOD Food science Figure 1: Comparison of the existing situation and alternative 1. business administration complemented by a range of courses with a focus on agriculture, forestry, and the environment, some of which would have a technical or naturalscientific character (timber processing, life-cycle assessment, etc). Although there would be some flexibility within the program to choose a specialization (agriculture, forestry, environment), there would be a significant joint block of courses. The goal would be to educate students for sustainable, consumer-adapted, and profitable production systems and value chains within the green sector. Since the program would be rather broad, it would not be a prerequisite to have a degree in business administration, and the program would presumably offer alternative degrees at the end: although many of the students would take a degree in business administration, there would be an option to take degrees in other subjects such as environmental or agricultural science. Nevertheless, it would be possible to require some studies in business administration for admission. Economics. Alternative 1 does not include the option to study economics (nationalekonomi), and thus implies closing down Master s level economics education at SLU. The reasons for this are as follows. Economics is a relatively small subject both in terms of student numbers and in terms of the size of the job market. At the same time, it is highly demanding in the sense that most jobs which require a degree in economics require at least a Master s degree, if not a PhD. The reason is that in order to practice as an economist an individual must understand a significant amount of economic theory as well as learning a basic minimum of mathematical (microeconomic) and statistical (econometric) methodologies. It is for these reasons that any economics degree must focus primarily on core knowledge in economics, and any specialization should be in any area of relatively broad interest: without the focus on the core, graduates will not be able to practice as economists; and if too narrow a specialization is chosen, the job market for graduates will be exceedingly small. That is why the degrees currently offered in agricultural and environmental economics are put together as they are. And it is why a degree in bio-based economy of the type described would be incompatible with a Master s degree in economics. With such a broad focus it would not be possible to include sufficient economics in order to satisfy employers looking for economists, nor to satisfy UKÄ, nor to attract students with the necessary background (prerequisites). This alternative would therefore imply scrapping all of the courses (5 7.5 credits) which are currently given in the existing Master s programs, since students without an economics background would not be able to cope with these courses. If this were to achieve significant cost savings it would also imply scrapping the agronomist program specialized in economics, and the AFEPA program, both of which also rely on these 6

12 courses. Furthermore, the students would no longer be able to study the courses they currently take at Uppsala University either. Thus this alternative is in fact a proposal to close advanced economics education at SLU completely. administration. Regarding business administration (företagsekonomi), alternative 1 would be compatible with offering a degree in business administration. However, it would be essential to analyse the relationship between the BBE degree agriculture program in business administration (FEK-inriktad ekonomagronom). The latter is a core program for SLU, and attracts around 30 students per year through to 4th and 5th-year level, hence it is not to be toyed with lightly. If we assume that the courses offered to these students should be left largely intact then it is doubtful that any significant savings could be made by merging the Master s programs. Furthermore, while the merging of the business administration programs at the two departments (Economics and Forest Products) seems logical, it should be noted that the current programs are not particularly similar, and thus the potential for synergies seems limited. 10 Prospects. A program in Bio-based economy leading to a degree in business administration or environmental science would be a direct rival to an existing (highly successful) program, i.e. the Master in Sustainable Development given jointly with Uppsala University with a focus on social science, natural science, and sustainable development. It might also face competition from degrees offered by Mälardalen University and Stockholm University Alternative 2: Bio-based economy becomes the name for a joint Master s entry point to SLU, with distinct streams In alternative 2, bio-based economy becomes the name for a joint Master s entry point to SLU, with distinct streams. In comparison to alternative 1 the joint elements of the program are severely reduced, and the specializations become much more distinct from one another. (Compare for instance to the agronomy program is it works today.) Under this alternative it would remain possible to offer degrees in both Economics and administration, and other subjects such as Environmental science. Furthermore, if such a joint entry point is to be created, it seems logical to include a range of further degrees which focus on value chains and have a significant element of economics, such as Agroecology, Aquatic Food Production, FOOD, and Management of Fish and Wildlife Populations. And since there is a focus on sustainability within the concept of bio-based economy, it might also make sense to include programs with a sustainability profile under the same name: EnvEuro; Environmental Communication and Management; Sustainable town planning; Rural Development and Natural Resource Management; and Sustainable Development. This alternative fits the goal of reducing the headline number of programs, but seems unlikely to achieve other goals such as increasing clarity, raising student numbers, and reducing costs. Instead there is an obvious risk that the BBE name would serve to obscure the real nature of the alternatives on offer, leading to fewer applicants. Furthermore, it is not obvious how creation of such a joint entry point could help in reducing costs. 10 To compare the programs use the following links: ØØÔ»»ÛÛÛº ÐÙº» Ú»ÙØ Ð Ò Ò»Ñ Ø ÖÔÖÓ Ö Ñ» Ó Ò Ù ØÖ Ðй ÓÒÓÑ»ÙØ Ð Ò Ò Ò»Ö Ñ Ñ»; ØØÔ»»ÛÛÛº ÐÙº» Ò» Ù Ø ÓÒ» Ñ Ø Ö ¹ÔÖÓ Ö ÑÑ» ÒÚ ÖÓÒÑ ÒØ Ð¹ ÓÒÓÑ ¹ Ò ¹Ñ Ò Ñ ÒØ»ÓÒØ ÒØ»ÓÙÖ ¹ Ùл; and ØØÔ»»ÛÛÛº ÐÙº» Ò» Ù Ø ÓÒ»Ñ Ø Ö ¹ÔÖÓ Ö ÑÑ» Ö ÙÐØÙÖ Ð¹ ÓÒÓÑ ¹ Ò ¹Ñ Ò Ñ ÒØ» ÓÒØ ÒØ»ÓÙÖ ¹ Ùл. 11 The degree of competition would depend on the profile of the program. For the programs at Mälardalen and Stockholm University see ØØÔ»»ÛÛÛºÑ º»ÙØ Ð Ò Ò» ÔÖÓ Ö Ñ»Ñ Ø Ö¹ Ò Ö Ý¹ Ý Ø Ñ and ØØÔ»»ÛÛÛº ØÓ ÓÐÑÖ Ð Ò ºÓÖ»¾½» Ù Ø ÓÒ» ÓÒ ¹Ð Ú Ð¹ ØÙ» Ó Ð¹ ÓÐÓ Ð¹Ö Ð Ò ¹ ÓÖ¹ Ù Ø Ò Ð ¹ Ú ÐÓÔÑ Òعº ØÑÐ. 7

13 3.3. Alternative 3: Bio-based economy is used as an umbrella term for SLU s activities, not a name for Master s programs Alternative 3 is that bio-based economy is used as an umbrella term for SLU s activities rather than as a name for a Master s program. Regarding the programs, the current profiles are retained and marketed more clearly, and coordination between the programs is strengthened. This is not to say that the programs must continue exactly as they are. Indeed, they are under continual development as it is, as we are constantly looking for ways to improve the programs from the perspective of applicants, current students, and career prospects. Options that should be looked at closely with regard to coordination include finding ways to use the existing range of courses on offer better, such that students within different programs have a wider choice of courses available to them, and investigating the development of further joint programs with other universities and colleges, programs related to innovation and value chains within the bio-economy. A specific suggestion with regard to how SLU s programs are presented and marketed is to change the way the economics programs at the Department of Economics are profiled. At present as explained above there are officially two Master s programs in economics based at the Department of Economics, one in Environmental Economics and Management and the other in Agricultural Economics and Management. Each program takes students in both economics and business administration. An alternative categorization, more in line with reality, would be to have two programs, one in economics and the other in business administration. The economics program could perhaps be named Environmental Economics / Agricultural Economics ; the business program along the lines of MBA with an agricultural/environmental profile. Existing Alternative 2 Prog. name Degree Prog. name Degree Ag Econ Man Economics Env Econ / Ag Econ Economics Env Econ Man Economics MBA with ag/env profile Figure 2: Suggesting re-profiling of Master s programs in Agricultural and Environmental Economics. 4. Conclusions We have analysed the following three alternatives. 1. Bio-based economy replaces existing programs in economics and business administration. 2. Bio-based economy becomes the name for a joint Master s entry point to SLU, with distinct streams. 3. Bio-based economy is used as an umbrella term for SLU s activities, not a name for Master s programs. The working group s conclusion is that alternative 3 is the one that would benefit both students and SLU most. We believe that we should maintain the well-profiled programs that are already in effect inspired by the bio-based economy. At the same time we should continue to seek synergies between the programs, and increase our collaboration, for instance between the Forest Industry Economics program and business administration programs based at the Department of Economics. By retaining the existing programs we are giving students a proper education in economics and business administration which depending on previous knowledge and further studies may be profiled towards the value chains that are the foundations of the bio-based economy. 8

14 Alternative 2 would in our opinion lead to many negative consequences, with scarcely any positives. Regarding alternative 1, it is the most radical in that it involves the end of advanced teaching in economics (nationalekonomi) at SLU. This would at least have the advantage of saving money, but there would of course be other consequences. Given the current climate it is not unthinkable that economics should be closed down as a subject at SLU. However, this option merits a broader discussion than that allowed for within the remit of our group, given the long and very successful tradition of economics at SLU, and the fact that understanding of environmental and agricultural economics is absolutely central to SLU s strategic priorities: 12 SLU is expected to contribute to the solutions of several of the global challenges, e.g. urbanisation, food secutity, zoonoses and climate change, mainly within these two priority areas: a bio-based economy [and] environment, health and life quality. If economics is to continue at Master s level it needs to be strengthened and made more attractive. In order to achieve this the whole economics stream should be analysed, from bachelor through to Master. Student numbers on courses in economics are relatively small from the start of the economics stream (after bachelor and agronomy students choose whether to specialize in economics or in business administration), i.e. from the start of term 4 from a bachelor/agronomist perspective. From this point onwards student numbers are relatively low (around 10 students per course) right through to advanced Master s level courses. A very drastic measure with wide-ranging negative repercussions and not consistent with SLU s strategy would be to abandon all economics teaching from term 4 upwards. An alternative would be to make changes making the courses and programs more attractive to students. A suggestion which was first made in September 2013 is to close the existing Bachelor program Ekonomi kandidat, and start a new Bachelor program Nationalekonomi med naturresursinriktning kandidat (Bachelor in Economics with a natural-resource focus). 13 This program would have 15 places, while the number of places on the agronomy program would be raised (or, alternatively, a further program focused on business administration and sustainability could be created). The goal would be to raise total student numbers of 20 per course on average, right through from advanced bachelor level to advanced Master. 12 ØØÔ»»ÛÛÛº ÐÙº» Ò» ÓÙع ÐÙ» ØÖ Ø ¹ Ò ¹ Ú ÐÙ Ø ÓÒ» ÐÙ ¹ ØÖ Ø Ý¹¾¼½ ¹¾¼½». 13 The document in which this is suggested can be downloaded from ØØÔ»»ÛÛÛº ÓÒ ÒØ ÖÒغ» ÖÓ»ÊÓ À ÖغÔ. 9