The University of Bergen (Norwegian: Universitetet i Bergen) is a publicresearch university in Bergen, Norway. As of 2021, the university had over 4,000 employees and 19,000 students.[2] It was established by an act of parliament in 1946 consolidating several scientific institutions that dated as far back as 1825. It is Norway's second-oldest university, and is considered to be one of the nation’s four so-called "established universities." It has faculties and programmes in all the academic fields typical of a classical university, as well as such degree programmes as medicine and law that, traditionally, only the “established universities” are authorized by law to offer.[3] It is also one of Norway's leading universities in many of the natural sciences, including marine research and climate research. It has consistently been ranked in the top 200 or top one percent of universities in the world,[4] and as one of the best 10 or best 50 universities worldwide in some fields, such as earth and marine sciences.[5][6] It is part of the Coimbra Group and of the U5 group of Norway's oldest and highest-ranked universities.
Bergen would eventually become a city with several arenas for higher education and research with the Geophysical Institute being established in 1917, the Chr. Michelsen Institute in 1930, the Norwegian School of Economics in 1936 and finally the university in 1946.[8] The University of Bergen was established by an act of parliament in 1946, as Norway's second university.
Organization
Office of the Rector of the University of Bergen
The University of Bergen has an elected rector. The current rector is Margareth Hagen, who was elected for a four-year term starting August 1, 2021 after serving as interim rector.[9]
The university has 7 faculties, the newest being The Faculty of Fine Art, Music and Design which was established in 2017.[10] The University of Bergen Library and the University Museum of Bergen have a faculty-like status. Most of the university campus and administration is located in the Nygård neighbourhood, which has resulted in the campus area often being referred to as Nygårdshøyden or simply Høyden, meaning "the hill".[citation needed]
Academics
The University of Bergen has three strategic areas:
The University of Bergen, in common with other Norwegian universities, does not charge tuition fees,[19] except for students coming from outside the EU.[20] Students are however required to be members of the student welfare organisation. As of 2022, this fee (semesteravgift) is NOK 590 (approx. US$70) per semester, and provides access to several services, including cultural activities, childcare, refunds for many medical expenses and subsidized accommodation. 40kr of the fee is a donation to the SAIH, a student charity, but this is optional.[citation needed]
Faculties
Sydneshaugen skole, campus of the Faculty of Humanities
Faculty of Fine Art, Music and Design
The Faculty of Fine Art, Music and Design was established on 1 January 2017. It is composed of the earlier Grieg Academy – Department of Music, and the Bergen Academy of Art and Design.
The Art Academy – Department of Contemporary Art
The Grieg Academy - Department of Music
Department of Design
Faculty of Humanities
Centre for the Study of the Sciences and the Humanities
Centre for Women and Gender Research
Department of Archeology, History, Cultural Studies and Religion (AHKR)
Department of Foreign Languages (Arabic, English, French, Italian, Japanese, Russian, Spanish, German and single courses in Chinese (IF)) [21]
Department of Linguistics, Literary and Aesthetical studies (LLE) (Nordic, Comparative Literature, Theatre Studies, Digital Culture, Linguistics, Art History, Classics)
The faculty revised its structure and names in August 2007.[24]
Faculty of Law
The Faculty of Law at the University of Bergen, seen from Magnus Lagabøtes plass.
The Faculty of Law was established as a separate faculty in 1980, with legal studies and research having been conducted at the university since 1969. The faculty is one of three Norwegian institutions which offer legal studies, the other two being the law faculties at the University of Oslo and the University of Tromsø. The faculty offers a five-year programme leading to a Master's degree in law and a three-year PhD programme, and currently has approximately 1900 students.
Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences
The Natural Science BuildingThe Geophysical Institute
As of January 1, 2023, the faculty is organised into the following seven departments:
The University of Bergen is the only institution in the Nordic countries where the study of psychology has been assigned to its own faculty. Established in 1980, it educates psychologists and is responsible[citation needed] for the university's pedagogic education.
Department of Psychosocial Science
Department of Health Promotion and Development
Department of Education
Department of Clinical Psychology
Department of Biological and Medical Psychology
Centre for Crisis Psychology
SLATE: Centre for the Science of Learning & Technology
Norwegian Competence Center for Gambling and Gaming Research
Faculty of Social Sciences
The Faculty of Social Sciences
Department of Administration and Organization Theory
See also: University colleges with accredited study programs There are also several institutions with approved studies at college level, but without institutional accreditation as a college. These still have the right to call themselves a university college.
