Higher education in Norway

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Higher education in Norway is offered by a range of seven universities, five specialised colleges, 25 university colleges as well as a range of private colleges. Education follows the Bologna process, with bachelor's degrees (three years), master's degrees (two years) and doctoral degrees (four years). Acceptance is offered after finishing upper secondary school with general study competence.

Public education is free, with an academic year with two semesters, from August to December and from January to June. The ultimate responsibility for the education lies with the Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research.

System

Admittance

Acceptance to higher education requires either fulfilled three years of upper secondary school with general study competence. This is awarded non-vocational students or vocational students who choose to not take their apprenticeship. Conversely study competence can be achieved by the so-called 23/5 rule where applicants must be 23 years of age and have a total of five years of upper secondary education and work experience as well as have passed courses in Norwegian, English, mathematics, science, social studies. To be accepted as certain lines (for instance engineering) advanced courses in mathematics, physics and chemistry must be passed.

Admittance to Bachelor level programs is coordinated through the Norwegian Universities and Colleges Admission Service based on a point scale, with the highest ranking students offered a place. Points are awarded based on average grades from upper secondary school, but additional points are awarded students with secondary two-year course specialization, science specialization, age and fulfilled one year of higher education, military service or folk high school. Secondary school grades can be improved to increase points, but 40% of the places are only offered based on original transcripts without age or study points.

Structure

Norway was one of the first countries in Europe to adhere to the Bologna convention, creating a 3+2+3 year system. Most students are accepted to three-year Bachelor programs, having to compete again to be granted access to two-year Master programs, based solely on grades. Some programs (including architecture, business management at NHH and engineering at NTNU) are five-year programs. Medical doctors are still awarded cand. med. degrees for six years of study, and it is thus unaffected by the Bologna convention. Three types of Master's degrees are offered: Master of Science (science and business), Master of Philosophy (humanities and social studies) and Master of Technology (engineering). Doctor Philosophae degrees are awarded after four years of research-oriented education.

Grading uses an A to F scale, with A being the best and E the worst passing grade. F is a fail. A normal study progression awards 60 credits per year (30 per semester), most institutions either use a 7.5 or a 10 credit block system. Exams are usually held every semester, in December and June, although exceptions occur.

Old system

Prior to 2002 the higher education in Norway had a significantly different system of education with roots back to the start of higher education in the country. It was based on a 3.5 or 4 year cand.mag. degree supplemented with a Masters or hovedfag lasting 1.5 or 2 years. Total study time was five years within sciences while it was six years within social studies and humanities. Master degrees were named based on the line of study, for instance cand.scient. within science, cand.polit. in political studies or cand.oecon. wihtin economics. Certain professional studies, such as medicine, law, and some engineering and business administration courses had professional studies that offered full-length degrees (without issuing cand.mag. titles). The titles awarded were cand.jur. (law, 6 years), cand.med. (medical doctor, 6 years), cand.psychol. (clinical psychology, 6 years), siviløkonom (business administration, 4 years) or sivilingeniør (engineering, 4.5 years). NHH had a monopoly educating siviløkonoms while NTH had a monopoly education sivilingeniørs. Doctorate studies were offered on top of the masters.

Grading was performed on a 1.0 to 4.0 system, with 1.0 as the best grade and 4.0 the worst passing grade. A total of 41 different grades could be awarded with the system. Credits (then called vekttall) were issued based on a nominal study of 20 credits per year (or 10 per semester).

Institutions

Universities

Traditionally there were only four universities in Norway, located in Oslo (since 1811), Bergen (1948), Trondheim (1968) and Tromsø (1972). Since 2005 any college offering five master programs and four doctoral programs can title themselves a university, leading to the Norwegian College of Agriculture, Stavanger University College and Agder University College converting to universities.

The universities of Norway consist of:

Specialised universities

There are five specialised universities in Norway, each functioning as a national competence centre for the field they represent. Four are located in Oslo while one is in Bergen. The Norwegian Institute of Technology and the Norwegian College of Agriculture have converted to full universities.

The scientific universities in Norway are:

University colleges

The 25 university colleges in Norway are responsible for regional education of primarily bachelor level education within the fields of nursing, teaching, business management, engineering and information technology, though most colleges also offer a number of other educations as well.

The university colleges in Norway consist of:

Private colleges

There are a number of private colleges in Norway, primarily offering courses within popular fields were the number of public places are limited, or offering accelerated courses. Most of the private colleges are foundations, either autonomous (like the Norwegian School of Management and Campus Kristiania) or part of various religious societies, like the Norwegian Lutheran School of Theology or Queen Maud's College of Early Childhood Education. In general pupils attending private colleges must pay school fees equivalent to the entire cost of operating the education, though the Norwegian State Educational Loan Fund will grant loans to cover the tuition fees. About 10% of students attend private colleges.

Student welfare and economics

There are no tuition fees for attending public schools in Norway, as all the costs are covered by the Ministry of Education and Research. Through the Norwegian State Educational Loan Fund all students are granted a loan of about NOK 80,000 and part of this (normally 40 percent)is transferred to a scholarship is courses are passed. There is no interest paid while taking the education.

While studying, all students belong to a student welfare organisation that takes care of such services as housing, on-campus dining, book stores, kindergartens, advisory services and some health care. Part of this is finances through a student fee, typically at NOK 300-400 per semester. There are a total of 25 such organisations, each covering a geographic area and often consisting of more than one institution. The sole exception is Oslo where there are two.

Programs

The four main universities in Bergen, Oslo, Trondheim and Tromsø all offer a wide selection of courses within most fields, while certain minor fields have been left to the specialized colleges (including among others veterinary studies, sports and fisheries). Many educations are left to the regional colleges.

Architecture

Architecture is only offered at two public institutions, NTNU in Trondheim and the Oslo School of Architecture and Design. In addition the private college Bergen School of Architecture offers architect education. NTNU accepts students based on grades while the Oslo School accepts students based on a portfolio. Landscape architecture and area planning is offered at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences at Ås.

Business administration

Most business administrators are educated at the regional colleges throughout the country, with Bachelor programs offered in Alta, Tromsø, Bodø, Steinkjer, Trondheim, Molde, Ålesund, Sogndal, Bergen, Haugesund, Stavanger, Kristiansand, Kongsberg, Oslo, Ås, Halden, Lillehammer, Gjøvik and Hamar. In addition NHH in Bergen is the specialised college offering the highest level of education within the field. Business administration is also offered at some private colleges, most notably the Norwegian School of Management (BI) in Oslo.

Eight institutions offer a Master of Science in Business Administration, also granting the right to use the protected title siviløkonom. These are Bodø Graduate School of Business, Trondheim Business School, Molde University College, the Norwegian School of Economics and Business Administration, the University of Stavanger, the University of Agder, the Norwegian School of Management and the Norwegian University of Life Sciences. Until the 1980s this level of education was only offered at NHH.

Engineering

In general three year Bachelor degrees in engineering are offered throughout the country at the regional colleges, most dominantly within the fields of construction, chemistry, electronics and informatics, though many others also exist. Five year Master of Technology degrees are offered as well, primarily at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in Trondheim, though also at some other institutions to a lesser degree. Candidates with three years of education can apply to attend the last two years at NTNU to complete a Master's study. All Master engineers can use the protected title sivilingeniør. NTNU offers 14 different programs in engineering.

Law

Juridical education is offered at the universities in Oslo, Bergen and Tromsø. Education lasts five years, and gives the right to work as a lawyer in Norway.

Medicine

Medicine is offered at the four major universities in Oslo, Bergen, Trondheim and Tromsø, who have close cooperation with the university hospitals in the cities. Medical education takes six years and still grants the old cand.med. degree. After school candidates are required 1.5 years of practice before being granted certification. After six additional years of work experience they are awarded specialist certification.

Teaching

There are two ways to become a qualified teacher in Norway. For primary and lower secondary levels a four year general teacher education is offered at most regional colleges in the country. This education qualifies the teachers to teach all subjects offered in the lower levels of education in Norway, though it allows students to specialize in subjects. Preschool teaching is offered at some of the regional colleges too.

For upper secondary school taking a degree at a university within the appropriate subject is the preferred course of line. After taking a degree, either at Bachelor or Master level, a one year course in pedagogy is required before teacher certification is granted. To teach a particular subject at the upper secondary level, 60 credits in the appropriate field is required, making most teachers qualified to teach two or three subjects, though these are not absolute requirements.

Sciences

Virtually all education within the sciences are offered at the four major universities, in Bergen, Oslo, Trondheim and Tromsø, though some regional colleges have one-years or maybe even Bachelor programs in certain fields.

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