VIA University College

{{See also|University colleges in Denmark}}

The university colleges in Denmark were established as a result of a series of mergers of smaller educational centres in 2007. VIA is one of the university colleges. VIA is not an abbreviation, as its name comes from the Latin word via meaning “by way of”.

From January 2008, all medium higher education in the Central Region previously under CVU (Center for Higher Education), became organized as one unit under VIA. As a result of these mergers, VIA became the third largest educational institution following Copenhagen University and Aarhus UniversityVideregående uddannelser, Aarhus Kommune, https://www.aarhus.dk/da/aarhus/Uddannelse-i-Aarhus/Uddannelser.aspx with approximately 2,000 employees and 20,000 students.

VIA University College offers the following vocational bachelor courses:{{cite web|url=http://www.viauc.com/about/Pages/default.aspx|title=About VIA|website=www.viauc.com}}

pedagogical, health professional, and technical-commercial. In addition, VIA also offers a two-year high school exam. Overall, VIA offers more than 50 higher education courses in Danish and a number of courses in English. VIA also participates in various research and development projects. VIA is headquartered in Aarhus, but the activities are anchored on eight campuses spread across 39 locations throughout the region. VIA's annual turnover is 1.6 billion DKK.

Most of the education programmes operated by VIA University College enroll students twice a year, in February and September. The statistics below encompass both enrollment periods. The number of students VIA University College is able to enroll is determined by the Ministry of Education, based on factors including an average of unemployment statistics. Thus, a local VIA University college institution might have its enrollment reduced if the unemployment rate within its area of operation is higher than the average and vice versa.Dimensionering af de videregående uddannelser, http://ufm.dk/uddannelse-og-institutioner/videregaende-uddannelse/dimensionering (Danish)

VIA is organised like most universities.Organisation chart (retrieved 2017), http://en.via.dk/-/media/VIA-EN/about-via/facts/documents/organisation-chart.pdf At the very top there is a board of directors, which selects the rector. The rector heads the executive board together with the deans. There is one dean per faculty. The largest faculty measured in terms of students and turnover is the faculty of Education & Social Studies followed by the faculty of Health Sciences and the School of Business, Technology and Creative Industries and finally the faculty of Continuing Education. The faculties are serviced by a series of departments such as marketing, corporate finance, student administration etc. They are organised between the executive board and the faculties.

VIA University College has campuses across Central Region Denmark, in Aarhus, Grenå, Randers, Skive, Viborg, Holstebro, Nørre Nissum, Ikast, Herning, Silkeborg, Skanderborg, and Horsens.File:VIA University College, Campus Aarhus C.jpg

VIA University College has its headquarters in Aarhus, where it operates two newly-built campuses. The largest is VIA Campus Aarhus C, which is built in the new residential area called CeresByen in central Aarhus. Campus Aarhus C houses mainly education programmes from the department of Education and Social studies, but also includes assorted business, media, design, architectural and constructional vocational programmes.{{cite web|url=http://www.via.dk/om-via/organisation/campusser/aarhusn|title=Campus Aarhus N |publisher=VIA University College|language=da|access-date=16 December 2015}}{{cite web|url=http://www.via.dk/om-via/organisation/campusser/aarhusc |title=Campus Aarhus C |publisher=VIA University College|language=da|access-date=16 December 2015}} The smaller campus, Campus Aarhus N, is located in the northern neighbourhood of Skejby, close to the Aarhus University Hospital. It houses education programmes from the Department of health such as nursing and nutritional educations.{{cite web|url=https://www.via.dk/om-via/organisation/campusser/aarhusn |title=Campus Aarhus N |publisher=VIA University College|language=da|access-date=26 April 2019}}

File:VIA_University_College_New_Campus_Horsens.jpg

Campus Horsens holds most of the engineering, technical and business programmes of VIA University College, but soon Danish programmes in nursing and in pedagogy will also be present here to the professional multiplicity.File:VBI Park Horsens.jpg The increasing campus population is now around 4,000 students, of whom approximately half are international students from more than 40 different countries.{{cite web|url=http://www.viauc.com|title=VIA University College|website=www.viauc.com}}

The new student housing placed directly on Campus contributes to the pulse here, as does the Student Bar, social activities and group work after classes.

Above Campus Horsens towers the newly built 8,000 m2 Vitus Bering Innovation Park, named after the famous Horsens resident and Arctic explorer Vitus Bering (1681 - 1741). The VBI Park also plays an important role in the interaction between the programmes and the companies that employ the students after graduation. Another facilitator of contact between students and companies is the Career Service Centre, also based on Campus.

A new and improved campus has just been finished and inaugurated.{{Cite web|title=Rejsegilde uden fest i Horsens|url=http://www.dagensbyggeri.dk/artikel/110649-rejsegilde-uden-fest-i-horsens|access-date=2021-03-11|website=www.dagensbyggeri.dk|language=da}}

File:Campus Randers, VIA University College.jpg

In Randers VIA University College offers nursing, social education and psychomotor therapy.Psykomotorikuddannelsen (in Danish), http://www.via.dk/uddannelser/sundhed-og-omsorg/psykomotorik The campus is situated in the middle of Randers in a new three story building, which houses the aforementioned educations as well as COK educations.COK, http://www.cok.dk/cok-english The latter is not offered by VIA, but by a third party. Furthermore, from 2017 VIA also offers FIF-courses in Randers, which is a preparation course for refugees and immigrants.FIF-courses (in Danish) http://www.via.dk/uddannelser/forberedelseskurser/uddannelser-til-flygtninge-og-indvandrere/randers From 2017 the social education department offers a six-month 30 ECTS course in the Early Childhood-field.Early Childhood and Preschooling, http://en.via.dk/programmes/education-and-social-studies/early-childhood-exchange In early 2018 a part of the teacher training in Aarhus relocated to Randers.Ny meritlæreruddannelse i Randers, https://www.folkeskolen.dk/66264/ny-meritlaereruddannelse-i-randers The teacher training programme is part of the qualification teacher training programme in Aarhus. Approximately 800 students attend the educations housed at campus Randers.Internal figure sets the number at 785 as of 17th of February, 2017, which excludes FIF and COK students. In addition to the aforementioned educations, campus Randers also offers counselling in entrepreneurship as part of VIA's growth initiatives and in collaboration with the municipality of Randers as well as Business Academy Dania.VækstVærket - Hvem er vi (Danish), http://vaekstvaerket.dk/2017/?page_id=13

VækstVærket is located on campus Randers, but has its own facilitiesVækstVærket (in Danish), http://www.via.dk/om-via/organisation/campusser/randers as well as budget. VIA and Dania each have a coordinator, which coordinates activities such as courses, teaching etc. VækstVærket also offers students excursions to various startup villages as well as highly successful cultural get-togethers with students from different countries. Students from VIA and Dania can use VækstVærket for study purposes as well as work on growth projects. In addition they also have the option of receiving council from a professional consultant.VækstVærket, Til studerende (in Danish), http://vaekstvaerket.dk/2017/?page_id=15 Finally VækstVærket also offers various courses in entrepreneurship and a chance to partake in projects about entrepreneurship.

VIA campus Viborg houses, among other departments, The Animation Workshop, which is considered one of the top animation schools in the world.{{cite web|url=https://www.animationcareerreview.com/articles/top-25-animation-schools-and-colleges-world-2019-international-rankings |title=Top 25 Animation Schools and Colleges in the World - 2019 International Rankings |date=25 April 2019 |publisher=Animation Career Review|language=en|access-date=21 July 2019}} TAW offers BA educations in Character Animation, Computer Graphic Arts and, since 2013, Graphic Storytelling. Apart from its educational activities, TAW hosts the Viborg Animation Festival, the largest animation festival in Denmark.

VIA campus Silkeborg provides programmes related to teaching and nursing.

Campus Herning houses Scandinavia's largest educational center within design and business aimed at the furniture, fashion and lifestyle industry.

Campus Holstebro is an educational institution with health, educational, social work and technical educations.

The table below lists the various programmes, VIA offers in English.

Every year, VIA offers a variety of summer schools at Campus Horsens. The courses are taught in English.

VIA University College is engaged in various international research and development projects as the leading institution or as a partner. Projects are initiated under a variety of funding programmes and are often interdisciplinary and cross-sectorial yet always rooted within the educational fields of VIA's Faculties and Schools.

Partners universities:

• California State University East Bay;
• Edinburgh Napier University;
• Universidad Politécnica de Valencia.

Some of the programmes VIA is participating in:

• Erasmus (Life Long Learning Programme)/Erasmus+;
• Erasmus Mundus;
• Leonardo da Vinci;
• EU – Australia;
• DK – USA/Canada;
• Tempus.

There are several other university college organisations in Denmark:

• University College of Northern Denmark (UCN);
• UCL University College;
• West Jutland University College;
• University College South Denmark;
• University College Sealand;
• University College Capital;
• Metropolitan University College.

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Category:Central Denmark Region

Category:Higher education in Aarhus

Category:Universities in Denmark

Category:Colleges in Denmark