Higher Education in Norway
The Norwegian system of higher education is undergoing continuous change and development. A major objective during the nineties is the establishment of a "Network Norway" which will link all universities and colleges. The objective is to increase the overall quality of education, by strengthening the individual disciplines through the better use of resources and by establishing a network of national centres of competence. This will necessitate not only closer co-operation, but also a better division of labour between the institutions.
The Structure of Higher Education in Norway
Institutions offering higher education may be divided into two major sectors; the university sector and the college sector.
The University Sector
The university sector includes the universities and the university colleges, with an estimated total enrollment of 80,000 students in 1997/98. These institutions carry out research and offer universitylevel instruction at undergraduate and graduate levels leading to academic degrees. There are four universities in Norway. The University of Oslo, founded in 1811, is Norway's oldest and largest university, with approximately 35,000 students registered in 1997. The remaining three universities, the University of Bergen, the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, and the University of Tromsø had in 1996 17,000, 16,800 and 7,000 students respectively.
There are six university colleges, each offering at university-level specialized professional degree programmes in agriculture, veterinary medicine, economics and business administration, sport and physical education, music, and architecture. The university colleges have a total of approximately 6,000 students.
The College Sector
After a reorganization finalised in August 1994, there are 26 state colleges (university colleges) with approximately 75,000 students (1997/98). The state colleges carry out research and offer a wide variety of 1-4 year study programmes that lead both to specialized professional degrees and to more general undergraduate degrees.
Studies at the state colleges may also provide the basis for fulfilling the entrance requirements for graduate studies at the universities and/ or university colleges.
The state colleges have a regulation structure in common with the institutions in the university sector.
In addition there are about 12,000 students in private colleges.
Admission Criteria and Degrees
According to the Law on Higher Education, the Ministry of Education, Research and Church Affairs has the authority to define the general criteria required to qualify for student status. To gain access to a university or a college, an applicant has to have a "general study certificate" A secondary school leaving certificate normally satisfies this requirement. It is issued upon completion of a three year general study in the natural sciences, the humanities or in technical and vocational subjects, for a total of 12 years of education below university level.
Access to certain studies may be restricted due to lack of capacity. Most studies have certain specific requirements, which means that a "general study certificate" alone does not guarantee acceptance into every specific programme a university or college offers.
Undergraduate level
At Norwegian institutions of higher education courses are measured in "vekttal", the Norwegian term for credit units. The normal work load for one semester is 10 "vekttal" which equal to 30 ECTS Credits. In Norway the following undergradute degrees exist:
"Høgskolekandidat"
A final diploma/title awarded at the state colleges upon completion of two to three year study programmes.
Candidatus/Candidata magisterii (cand.mag.)
An undergraduate degree offered at the universities after a total of 3.5 - 4 years of study. The cand.mag. degree may be obtained at all the universities in the fields within the humanities, natural sciences, social sciences, or through a combination of these. The cand.mag. degree requires exams totalling 80 credit units (240 ECTS Credits), the natural science degree is an exception and requires 70 credit units (210 ECTS Credits). This includes a preparatory course in phi-losophy called the Examen philosophicum. The cand.mag. degree implies a "general" education, which means that the students have considerable choice options when selecting subjects leading up to the degree. Examinations from state colleges, may alternatively be induded in the university cand.mag. degree.
Graduate Level
Graduate degrees are awarded by universities, the university colleges, in some cases by state colleges. These are awarded on completion of 1.5 - 2 additional years of graduate study beyond yhe cand. mag. og equivalent degree. These degrees include independent research and a thesis.
Humanities: Candidatus/candidata philospiae (Cand.philol.)
Social sciences: Candidatus/candidata politicarum (Cand.polit.)
Mathematics and natural sciences: Candidatus/candidata scientiarum (Cand.scient.)
Professional degrees have a more rigid structure with fewer options for choosing general subjects. These studies are normally composed of modules that must be completed in a given sequence. The universities and university colleges offer various integrated study programmes for professional degrees of 4.5-6 years. Degrees in engineering and business administration are also awarded by some of the state colleges.
Doctoral studies
Graduate degree studies may be followed by a doctoral study programme (dr.scient., dr.art., dr.polit. etc) lasting 4 years. This assumes a successful application to the doctoral programme, which is essentially a research programme. In addition to completing a doctoral thesis under contract-bound supervision, the candidate has to undergo obligatory training in scientific theory and method. There is also a "general" doctoral degree, doctor philosophise (dr.philos.) requiring no obligatory training, but with even higher requirements for the doctoral thesis.
Internationalisation
Internationalisation of higher education is given high priority by the Norwegian authorities. In 1996/97 about 9,000 Norwegians studied abroad, mostly at educational institutions in the USA, the United Kingdom and Germany. Most of these students take their entire university studies abroad. The State Educational Loan Fund offers help towards tuition fees and additional costs of studying abroad. The number of students attending institutions of higher education in Norway who do part of their studies abroad is increasing.
Participation in international educational programmes such as the European exchange programme SOCRATES/ERASMUS is important if the objective that most Norwegian students should obtain part of their educational training abroad is to be met. Nordic co-operation is further developed through participation in NORDPLUS, a programme designed for the exchange of students and teachers.
Under the so-called NUFU programme the Norwegian Vouncil of Universities, together with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, organises a co-operative scheme between Norwegian universities and universities in developing countries. The aim of this programme, which is administered by the Cenre of International Cooperation (SIU), is the promotion of academic competence at the universities in the developing countries. Similarly, SIU also administers co-operative programmes with Eastern and Central Europe, with Palestine and other areas of the Middle-East and with South Africa. SIU is also National Agency of the SOCRATES programme in Norway.
A few universities and university colleges have also introduced degree programmes (Master of Philosophy, Master of Science, Master of International Business, etc.) modelled on the English system. In these programmes the language of instruction is English.
Student Welfare and the Financing of Studies
The student welfare organisations are independent organisations that take care of a wide range of student welfare matters. The most important welfare services offered are housing, nurseries/kindergar-tens, bookshops and cafeterias.
Special government support schemes exist for building student flats and running kindergartens. Moreover, the student welfare organisations receive some public support for their overall costs.
Norwegian law ensures Norwegian students economic support from the State Educational Loan Fund, in the form of loans and stipends. Foreign applicants will only be supported for special pro-grammes at individual institutions. However, foreign students may study in Norway without paying tuition.
In order to obtain a stipend and/or a loan, the student must demonstrate that he or she will be able to complete the studies within the normal time span defined by the State Educational Loan Fund. Students who complete major degrees may have a portion of their loan reduced as a bonus.
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