Norwegian University of Life Sciences

Norwegian University of Life Sciences
Universitetet for miljø- og biovitenskap
Established	1859
Type	Public university
Rector	Hans Fredrik Hoen
Students	3 800
Location	Ås, Norway
Website	http://www.umb.no

The Norwegian University of Life Sciences (Norwegian: Universitetet for miljø- og biovitenskap, UMB) is a public university located in Ås, Norway.

It is located at Ås in Akershus, near Oslo, and has around 3800 students. The university is known for its beautiful campus, with spectacular, big and old trees, as well as ponds, flowers and bushes.

History

UMB campus

Established as an agricultural school in 1859, it became a scientific university college (vitenskapelig høgskole) in 1897 and received university status in 2005. Prior to 2005 it was known as Norges landbrukshøgskole (NLH), also in English as Agricultural University of Norway.

Organization

UMB Courtyard

The university is organized into eight departments:

• Department of Animal and Aquacultural Sciences (IHA)
• Department of Chemistry, Biotechnology and Food Science (IKBM)
• Department of Ecology and Natural Resource Management (INA)
• Department of Economics and Resource Management (IØR)
• Department of Landscape Architecture and Spatial Planning (ILP)
• Department of Mathematical Sciences and Technology (IMT)
• Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences (IPM)
• Department of International Environment and Development Studies (Noragric)

It also includes five centers:

• Aquaculture Protein Center (APC)
• Animal Production Experimental Centre (SHF)
• Centre for Plant Research in Controlled Climate (SKP)
• Centre for Continuing Education (SEVU)
• The Centre for Integrative Genetics (Cigene)

UMB Duck Pond

Degree programmes

Bachelor's degree programmes in English

• Development Studies

Master's degree programmes in English

• Agroecology
• Animal Breeding and Genetics

UMB Animal Sciences

• Aquaculture
• Computational Biology
• Development and Natural Resource Economics
• Development Studies
• Ecology
• Economics
• Feed Manufacturing Technology
• International Environmental Studies
• Plant Science
• Radioecology

Bachelor's degree programmes in Norwegian

• Animal Science
• Biotechnology

UMB Biotechnology Building

• Business Administration
• Chemistry
• Ecology
• Economics
• Environment and Natural Resources
• Food Science
• Forest, Environment and Industry
• Geomatics
• Landscape Construction and Management
• Natural Science
• Plant Science
• Renewable Energy

Ås winter

Master's degree programmes in Norwegian - 5 years

• Chemistry and Biotechnology
• Environmental Physics and Renewable Energy
• Geomatics
• Industrial Economics and Technology Management
• Landscape Architecture
• Property and Land Law
• Spatial Planning
• Structural Engineering and Architecture
• Urban and regional Planning
• Teacher Education in Natural Sciences
• Water and Environmental Technology

Master's degree programmes in Norwegian - 2 years

• Animal Science
• Applied Mathematics and Statistics
• Bioinformatics and Applied Statistics
• Biology
• Biotechnology
• Business Administration
• Chemistry
• Environment and Natural Resources
• Food Science
• Forest Sciences
• Innovation and Entrepreneurship
• Management of Natural Resources
• Mathematical, Physical and Computational Sciences
• Microbiology
• Nature-based Development and Innovation
• Packaging
• Plant Science
• Public Health
• Real Estate Development
• Renewable Energy

PhD studies Doctoral programmes are based on a continuation in the Norwegian degree system from a master's degree or an equivalent qualification. A doctoral programme consists of course work, (an) individual research project(s) and a dissertation, which is defended in a formal oral examination.

Other programmes in Norwegian

• One-year Teacher Education programme - part time
• One-year Teacher Education programme - full time
• Science

Students do not have to pay tuition. The Norwegian government subsidizes all higher education.

Tower Building

International students

UMB has exchange agreements with more than 80 universities worldwide, including six Nordic, 44 European and eight North American institutions. Institutional partnerships with universities in developing countries are carried out mainly through the Department of International Environmental and Development Studies/Noragric. The objectives of UMB’s cooperation with universities abroad include building strong academic networks, facilitating international exchange and contributing to the competence building with universities in the south.

Cost of living

UMB recommends that students have a minimum budget of NOK 39,740 (about 5,950 USD) per semester and NOK 90,800 (about 12,000 EUR) for a full academic year. According to Norwegian government statistics, the average student spends approximately between NOK 7000 (about 1,000 USD) and NOK 9000 (about 1,340 USD) per month.

Unless a student comes to UMB as a part of an exchange program, the student must prove to the Norwegian government that he or she has the above amounts to obtain a student visa.

Research

Research at UMB includes basic research and applied research, providing a foundation for education, research training and research geared towards the private sector. Research is mainly focused on Environmental Sciences, Food Science, Biotechnology, Aquaculture and Business Development. It also has a strong interdisciplinary and international approach. There is a strong link between research and the UMB study programs; students at the Master and PhD level are often involved in many research activities. Research is also a joint venture between research institutes in Ås. Together, the university and the institutions represent the largest research environments for life sciences in Norway. UMB is also active through national alliances with other institutions and through institutional partnerships with universities in developing countries. UMB’s health-related research is linked to healthy food, clean water and the environment and the many related challenges in developing countries.

UMB Electric Cars

Student life

Pentagon

UMB students

UMB student life

Student Housing

Most first year students live in the Pentagon, a building south of the UMB campus. The Pentagon enhances the international UMB experience. Up to six people share a flat, which includes a private room and a shared toilet, shower, kitchen and living area. The University Foundation of Student Life (SiÅs) oversees the Pentagon. Private housing in Ås is also available.

Organizations

University Foundation for Student Life in Ås (SiÅs) The University Foundation for Student Life in Ås was established in 1955 under and in pursuance of the Act of 28.06.96 of Student unions. SiÅs shall:

• provide the students with good and reasonable welfare offers
• promote the students’ interests
• contribute do that UMB becomes and attractive place to study and work

SiÅs is in charge of the student accommodations, sports center, bookstore, print shop, restaurant and cafeterias, nursery, kiosk and booking of meeting and function rooms.

Studensamfunnet in Ås The UMB student community consists of 60-70 clubs and societies that both alone and together offer most students unique and social activities with many challenges. Studentsamfunnet in Ås is the oldest and most powerful society that owns most of the buildings that bring most of the social activities together.

The Student Board The Student Board (NSO Ås) deals with everything that concerns student democracy, including daily contact with SiÅs and contact with the different student representatives in various boards, assemblies and committees. The Student Board is the administrative head of the Student Parliament, but it is the Student Parliament that controls the Student Board. The Student Committee consists of elected representatives from each department plus elected members of the Student Board. The highest body in the student democracy is the general assembly (Allmøtet). Here, all students have speaking and voting rights. Representatives to the Student Board are elected at the general assembly, which is held every autumn and spring. at the department general assemblies, student representatives on department level are elected. All students have speaking and voting rights on their department’s general assemblies.

International Student Union The International Student Union (ISU) is an organization composed of international students that attend various universities and Høgskolen throughout Norway and who have particular interest in student politics and international student rights. ISU is a democratic, non-profit, non-religious, multicultural and non-partisan organization that seeks to serve and promote the interests of foreign students who are studying in Norway. ISU represents the voice of international students in political and academic matters and has to main aims:

• to ensure that the rights and interests of all international students are suitably represented and protected
• to maintain social welfare

ISU also promotes the relationship between Norwegian and international students and works to sustain the connections with local student organizations. Membership with ISU is free and open to all international students in Norway. Elections are held once a year in September and all international students have the right o run for office and vote. The members of the board meet in the student post office approximately every two weeks after classes and work as a team to discuss many different aspects of the international student life. ISU is a democracy and each member has the right to propose, suggest and advise. The highest branch of the ISU is the National Assembly that carries out the working plans and approves budgets for all of the ISU branches. Local branches have the autonomy to decide the conditions for their own activities.

Newspapers Tuntreet

Athletics GG-Hallen, the university’s sports hall, offers recreational sports clubs.

Notable graduates

1926

• Lauri Kristian Relander President Finland

1936

• Nils H. Nilsson-Ehle Administration Plant Sciences Sweden

1949

• Lord Boyd Orr of Brechin Scotland Nobel Peace Prize Winner

1959

• H. K. Hayes Plant Sciences USA

• J. Ilvessalo Forestry Finland

• P. Kästli Dairy Sciences Switzerland

• S. Mattson Sweden

• Elias Melin Mycology Sweden

• Carl. Mar Møller Animal Sciences Denmark

• H. Møllgaard Physiology Denmark

• S. J. Wellensiek Holland

1970

• Norman Borlaug Plant Sciences USA Nobel Peace Prize Winner

1975

• Kenneth Blaxter Animal Sciences Scotland

• Victor Kovdav Soil Sciences Russia

• Jay Laurence Lush Animal Sciences USA

1984

• Carl Olof Tamm Forestry Sweden

• Walter Schwabe Horticulture England

• Roy Simonsen Soil Sciences USA

• Alan Robertson Animal Sciences Scotland

1989

• Gerhardt Bünemann Horticulture

1997

• Olafur Ragnar Grimsson Social Sciences Iceland

• Alan Randall Economics Australia

• Mårten Carlsson Horticulture Sweden

• Ragnhild Solberg Economics Norway

• Wangari M. Maathai Nature Management Kenya Nobel Peace Prize Winner

• Inger Nafstad Veterinarian Norway

• Dusan Mlinsek Engineering Slovenia

• Martin Luther Kyomo Animal Sciences Tanzania

• Edward Patrick Cunningham Animal Sciences Ireland

• Olavi Junttila Plant Sciences Finland (Norway)

2005

• Arne Brimi IKBM Norway

• Sara von Arnold Plant and Environmental Sciences Sweden

• Donald Broom Animal Sciences England

• Mike Gale Genetics and Plant Sciences England

• Rattan Lal Soil Sciences India/USA

External links

• UMB official web site in English
• UMB Animal and Aquacultural Sciences
• UMB Chemistry, Biotechnology and Food Science
• UMB Ecology and Natural Resource Management
• UMB Economics and Resource Management
• UMB Plant and Environmental Sciences
• UMB Noragric
• The Centre for Integrative Genetics
• SiÅs
• Samfunnet in Ås
• Tuntreet