Governance: our impact on fair and reliable education

Which developments contribute to an even higher quality in education and training?

Quality requires continuous development. In 2025, we took important steps to keep our education and training future-proof and of high quality.

Curricula revised

For the Medicine, Biomedical Sciences, and Clinical Health Sciences programs, we worked on revising the curricula in 2025, in which the themes of The New Utrecht School are fully incorporated.

The Medicine program will launch The New Utrecht Doctor on September 1, 2026, a new bachelor’s program for year 1 and a new master’s program for year 1. In 2025, transition arrangements were prepared, major steps were taken to secure clinical placement capacity, and the placement procedure for the master’s program was revised. We also worked on curriculum renewal with more attention to extramural fields, structural space for personal and professional development, and more formative assessment in the master’s program.

A revised basic curriculum was drawn up for the Biomedical Sciences program in 2025. In this curriculum, students learn to relate to themselves, to science, and to society. The program will move to 9-week educational periods and two parallel courses based on the concept-context principle. New students will start with the revised curriculum in September 2027.

The Clinical Health Sciences program also made major progress in 2025. Final learning outcomes were formulated, the graduation profile was refined, and eight learning lines were established. Themes such as patient participation and planetary health are embedded in a learning line on 'socially responsible research'. Students will begin the revised premaster and master year 1 and 2 programs in September 2026.

Accreditation of the Medicine program

Every six years, higher education programs are assessed as part of the accreditation process by the Netherlands-Flemish Accreditation Organization (NVAO). In 2025, the Bachelor of Medicine CRU, the Master of Medicine CRU, and the Master of Science SUMMA were reviewed by an independent panel of experts. Accreditation is an important instrument for independently assessing and strengthening program quality.

The review went well, and accreditation was renewed. During the public feedback, the review committee issued the final verdict: “All three study programs meet all standards.” In addition, the committee indicated: “We have had two enjoyable days where we could ask questions openly, and we are inspired by everyone we spoke to.” In 2026, the programs will work with the recommendations, incorporating them into the new curriculum plans.

Top Programs

In 2025, the Medicine and Biomedical Sciences programs again received the ‘Top Program’ quality label. This label is awarded to programs scoring 75 or more index points. The designation appears in the Selection guide for prospective bachelor students who want to explore possible further study options. It confirms students’ appreciation for content, organization, and studyability.

EPA-based training in CZO programs

Within the UMC Utrecht Academy, specific EPAs (Entrustable Professional Activities) for medical support programs were successfully developed in 2025. After completing the core program, students can follow advanced modules. These modules were positively evaluated by students and contribute to flexible, future-oriented training.

Based on a baseline assessment across all programs, the UMC Utrecht Academy received a positive evaluation from the CZO in 2025: we meet the CZO’s quality requirements. The on-site accreditation visit is scheduled for spring 2026.

As part of our continuous quality cycle, simulation-based education gained an increasingly prominent role in 2025, and blended learning was further strengthened. We also evaluated our education through feedback from students and affiliated healthcare organizations. A practice we will continue structurally in 2026.

Faculty name change

An initiative from the Student (Representative) Council led to a remarkable decision in 2025: the name Faculty of Medicine was changed to Faculty of Medical Sciences. According to the Executive Board and the Utrecht University Board, the new name reflects the inclusive faculty we strive for and aligns with both the ‘Utrecht educational model’ and ‘The New Utrecht School’.

The Student (Representative) Council of our Faculty of Medicine requested the name change because the faculty offers far more programs than Medicine alone – including Biomedical Sciences, Biomedical Sciences (English-language track), Clinical Health Sciences, and Medical Humanities.