This core program contains our views on the communication profession and, consequently, our views on program content. This has resulted in final levels of attainment - detailed descriptions of the objectives to be achieved in higher communication education. All universities are offering recognized communication programs and have committed themselves to the programs profiles and final levels of attainment.

This does not mean that instruction is the same at every university. Universities make their own choices, depending on their mission and their methodology. However, it does mean that universities that are offering communication programs have agreed that graduates must at least satisfy the requirements specified in the program profiles. Furthermore, each university offers students its own specialization.

We hope the core program will give a clean picture to businesses, institutions and the government of students’ areas of competence. In this way, we hope to have contributed to the further professionalization of this field. The chairpersons of the BvC (Professional Association for Communication in the Netherlands) and the VVO (Association for Government Communication) have advised us in the meantime that they endorse our guide lines.