Exterminating the BEDS bugs

In 2024, the BEDS program was launched to meet the demand of tech-savvy students. This would turn out to be a hit among aspiring students, garnering 1101 applicants, and the 7th highest grade-requirement among studies in Norway.

A year later, BEDS has experienced turbulent times. Students have fallen off and applications have dropped. Most of all, however, rumors flourish among the students of NHH. K7 Bulletin wants to clear it up. 

New Boss In Town

With the new administration at school, the positions are being adjusted. The statistician and previous program leader, Håkon Otneim, has been substituted.

In comes Jørgen Haug, from the department of finance. The associate professor has experience from Haas School of Business and Wharton. He is well aware of the challenges and opportunities facing the BEDS program.

– I’m trying to learn from people with experience, both course responsibles and students, he tells K7 Bulletin. 

Let’s get the number straight. Sort of.

Rumors about the challenges facing BEDS have been flourishing among the students well before the first students were enrolled. Naturally, the rumors vary in validity. 

From what K7 Bulletin has gathered, there has been a drop in the 2024 class from about 60 students to about 40 today. 

This represents a dropout rate of 33% from last autumn. 

Haug's numbers disagree with K7 Bulletin’s numbers, showing a reduction from 56 to 41 students over the same period. 

This represents a rate of 27%.

Regardless, the numbers are notable, and Haug admits they are higher than what he and the rest of the administration would like. Still, he doesn’t seem especially bothered.

– It’s no secret there have been launch challenges in BEDS, and that doesn’t surprise me. Now, we have started to understand what causes dropouts. 

Expected issues in products

According to Haug, some of the factors are not unique to BEDS. People might simply not enjoy studying business.

When it comes to challenges facing BEDS specifically, Haug is clear. 

– You need to be really lucky to not need adjustments after making new courses. When making new courses, you may need three to four repetitions to reach a steady state, he says, referring to his own experiences. 

The administration has been ambitious to create only new courses for the entire program, so challenges linked to new courses seem to have stacked up. With the 2025 class, adjustments have been made.

– This is product development. We have launched a product, and in the short term we need to ensure that the current BEDS offering is the product we intended to deliver, which rules out certain changes. In the longer term, we may allow for bigger changes.

Adjustment within NHH’s control

While challenges linked to new courses are hard to mitigate, Haug believes communications are easier for NHH to adjust. 

Any BEDS student from the 2024 class has seen the level of communication the program receives, with many students appearing as ambassadors for the program. 

– One important aspect of this learning process is how we communicate the program externally, ensuring good congruence with what BEDS actually is. 

New class, adjustments and optimism

Another important goal for the BEDS program has been to attract international students. According to NHH’s numbers, the rate of new international students in 2025 is 37%, an improvement from 2024. 

Haug also points out the 33% of females in this year's class, a rate closer to 50% than previously.

Adjustments are being made to several of the first year courses (see table), based on feedback from the 2024 guinea pigs. 

Last year, there seemed to be an atmosphere between students and faculty, blowing up problems to large proportions. According to Haug, that is better today.

– Some of the challenges are now of a scope that allows them to be solved at the ideal level, between students and lecturers. My clear impression is that the course portfolio is running smoother now than a year ago.

The response from the first and second year students is still yet to be seen, but perhaps the climate around BEDS will be better with some of the rumors cleared up. Time will tell.