The University of Bergen ( no, Universitetet i Bergen, ) is a
research
Research is "creativity, creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge". It involves the collection, organization and analysis of evidence to increase understanding of a topic, characterized by a particular att ...
-intensive
state university
A state university system in the United States is a group of public universities supported by an individual state, territory or federal district. These systems constitute the majority of public-funded universities in the country.
State univer ...
located in
Bergen
Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway. The municipality covers and is on the peninsula of ...
,
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...
. As of 2019, the
university
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...
has over 4,000 employees and 18,000 students. It was established by an act of parliament in 1946 based on several older scientific institutions dating back to 1825, and is Norway's second oldest university. It is considered one of Norway's four "established universities" and has faculties and programmes in all the fields of a classical university including fields that are traditionally reserved by law for established universities, including
medicine
Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care pract ...
and
law
Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vario ...
. It is also one of Norway's leading universities in many natural sciences, including
marine research
Oceanography (), also known as oceanology and ocean science, is the scientific study of the oceans. It is an Earth science, which covers a wide range of topics, including ecosystem dynamics; ocean currents, waves, and geophysical fluid dynamic ...
and
climate research
Climatology (from Greek , ''klima'', "place, zone"; and , '' -logia'') or climate science is the scientific study of Earth's climate, typically defined as weather conditions averaged over a period of at least 30 years. This modern field of stu ...
. It is consistently ranked in the top one percentage among the world's universities, usually among the best 200 universities and among the best 10 or 50 universities worldwide in some fields such as
earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surfa ...
and marine sciences. It is part of the
Coimbra Group
The Coimbra Group (CG) is an international association of 41 universities in Europe. It was established in 1985. It works for the benefit of its members by promoting "internationalization, academic collaboration, excellence in learning and resear ...
and of the U5 group of Norway's oldest and highest ranked universities.
History
The university traces its roots to several earlier scientific and scholarly institutions founded in
Bergen
Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway. The municipality covers and is on the peninsula of ...
. Academic activity had taken place in Bergen since the founding of
Bergen Cathedral School in 1153, the
Seminarium Fredericianum
The Seminarium Fredericianum or Bergen Daycare ( no, Bergens barneasyl) is located at Asylplass 2 in Bergen's Bergenhus district and today it houses Norway's oldest preschool.
History
The Seminarium Fredericianum was established in 1750 by Bis ...
in 1750 and the establishment of the
Royal Norwegian Naval Academy
The Royal Norwegian Naval Academy (RNoNA, ''Sjøkrigsskolen'' in Norwegian) is located at Laksevåg in Bergen. It was formally established 27 October 1817 in Frederiksvern. The institution educates officers for the Royal Norwegian Navy.
History
...
in 1817. Academia and higher education would also be significantly advanced in the city with the establishment of
Bergen Museum
The University Museum of Bergen ( no, Universitetsmuseet i Bergen) is a university museum in Bergen, Norway. The museum features material related to anthropology, archaeology, botany, geology, zoology, art, and cultural history.
History
The Univ ...
, later renamed ''University Museum of Bergen'', in 1825. Founded by
Wilhelm Frimann Christie and
Jacob Neumann
Jacob Neumann (13 July 1772 – 25 January 1848) was a Norwegian bishop.
Personal life
He was born in Strømsø as a son of Hans Neumann (1745–1789) and Annechen Johanne Blom (1754–1773), and a grandson of Jakob Hansen Neumann. He was als ...
, the museum became a venue for both research and education specialized on natural science, and featured prominent researcher like
Michael Sars
Michael Sars (30 August 1805 – 22 October 1869) was a Norwegian theologian and biologist.
Biography
Sars was born in Bergen, Norway. He studied natural history and theology at Royal Frederick University from 1823 and completed a cand.theol. ...
,
Daniel Cornelius Danielssen
Daniel Cornelius Danielssen (4 July 1815 – 13 July 1894) was a Norwegian physician. He was most noted for his research regarding the causes and treatment of leprosy.
Biography
Danielssen was from Bergen, Norway. Dating from 1839, he was ass ...
and
Fridtjof Nansen.
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
The Chr. Michelsens Institutt for Videnskap og Åndsfrihet (CMI) was founded in 1930, and is currently the largest centre for development research in Scandinavia. In 1992, the Department for Natural Science and Technology established the ''Ch ...
in 1930, the
Norwegian School of Economics
The Norwegian School of Economics ( no, Norges Handelshøyskole) or NHH is a business school situated in Bergen, Norway. It was founded in 1936 as Norway's first business school and is a leading teaching and research institution in the fields of ...
in 1936 and finally the university in 1946. The University of Bergen was established by an act of parliament in 1946, as Norway's second university.
Priority areas
The University of Bergen has three strategic areas
* Marine research
* Climate and
energy transition
* Global challenges
Within these areas, UiB will contribute to society with excellent research, education, interdisciplinary cooperation and dissemination of knowledge and innovation.
Organization
The University of Bergen has an elected
rector
Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to:
Style or title
*Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations
*Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...
. The current rector is
Margareth Hagen, who was elected rector for a four-year term starting August 1, 2021 after serving as interim rector from January 7, 2021. The university has 7 faculties, the newest being ''The Faculty of Fine Art, Music and Design'' which was established in 2017. The University of Bergen Library and the
University Museum of Bergen
The University Museum of Bergen ( no, Universitetsmuseet i Bergen) is a university museum in Bergen, Norway. The museum features material related to anthropology, archaeology, botany, geology, zoology, art, and cultural history.
History
The Univ ...
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 H''øyden'', meaning "the hill".
Ranking
In 2010 the university was ranked as number 135 worldwide by the
Times Higher Education World University Rankings
The ''Times Higher Education World University Rankings'' (often referred to as the THE Rankings) is an annual publication of university rankings by the ''Times Higher Education'' (THE) magazine. The publisher had collaborated with Quacquarelli ...
, and 181st worldwide by the 2015/16
QS World University Rankings
''QS World University Rankings'' is an annual publication of university rankings by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS). The QS system comprises three parts: the global overall ranking, the subject rankings (which name the world's top universities for the ...
. UiB was also ranked number 148 worldwide in the July 2010
Webometrics Ranking of World Universities The Webometrics Ranking of World Universities, also known as Ranking Web of Universities, is a ranking system for the world's universities based on a composite indicator that takes into account both the volume of the Web content (number of web pages ...
. The URAP (University Ranking by Academic Performance) has ranked UiB for 2014/2015 as the 219th worldwide.
Tuition
The University of Bergen, in common with other Norwegian universities, does not charge tuition fees, which also applies to international students. Students are however required to be members of the student welfare organisation. As of 2022, this fee (''semesteravgift'') is NOK 590 (approx. 70 USD) 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. However most of the students give the donation.
Faculties and academia at the University of Bergen
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
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...
,
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
,
French,
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
,
Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
,
Russian
Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including:
*Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries
*Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...
,
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
,
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
and single courses in
Chinese
Chinese can refer to:
* Something related to China
* Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity
**''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation
** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...
(IF)
* Department of Linguistics, Literary and Aesthetical studies (LLE) (Nordic, Comparative Literature, Theatre Studies, Digital Culture, Linguistics, Art History, Classics)
* Department of Philosophy and First Semester Studies (see
Examen philosophicum Examen philosophicum (Latin for ''philosophic exam''; abbreviated to ''Ex.phil.'') is, together with Examen facultatum, one of two academic exams in most undergraduate programmes at Norwegian universities. Whereas ''Examen facultatum'' aims at te ...
and
Examen facultatum) (FOF)
* The Grieg Academy – Department of Music
The faculty revised its structure and names in August 2007.
Faculty of Law
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
The University of Oslo ( no, Universitetet i Oslo; la, Universitas Osloensis) is a public research university located in Oslo, Norway. It is the highest ranked and oldest university in Norway. It is consistently ranked among the top universit ...
and the
University of Tromsø
The University of Tromsø – The Arctic University of Norway (Norwegian: ''Universitetet i Tromsø – Norges arktiske universitet''; Northern Sami: ''Romssa universitehta – Norgga árktalaš universitehta'') is a state university in Norway an ...
. The faculty offers a five-year programme leading to a
Master's degree
A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice. in law and a three-year
PhD programme, and currently has approximately 1900 students.
Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences
As of January 1, 2018, the faculty is organised into the following seven departments:
* Department of Biological Sciences
* Department of Chemistry
* Department of Earth Science
* Department of Informatics
* Department of Mathematics
* Department of Physics and Technology
*
Geophysical Institute
The Faculty is tied to a number of centres:
Centres of Excellence in Research:
* Birkeland Centre for Space Science
* Centre for Geobiology
Centres of Research-based Innovation:
* Sea Lice Research Centre
Centres of Excellence in Education:
* BioCEED
Other important units and centres:
*
Sars International Centre for Marine Molecular Biology The Sars International Centre for Marine Molecular Biology is a research establishment located at Bergen in Norway.
History
Sars International Centre for Marine Molecular Biology was established in April 1997. It is located at the Bergen High Tech ...
* K.G. Jebsen Centre for Deep Sea Research
*
Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research
* CBU - Computational Biology Unit
* Norwegian Ocean Observation Laboratory
* Centre for Sustainable Aquaculture Innovations (CSAI)
* Bergen Offshore Wind Centre (BOW)
Faculty of Medicine
Since January 2013 the faculty is organised in the following departments and units:
* Department of Biomedicine
* Department of Clinical Medicine
* Department of Clinical Science
* Department of Clinical Dentistry
* Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care
*
Centre for International Health
* Laboratory Animal Facility
Faculty of Psychology
The University of Bergen is the only institution in the Nordic countries where the study of
psychology
Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries betwe ...
has been assigned to its own faculty. Established in 1980, it educates psychologists and is responsible for the university's
pedagogic
Pedagogy (), most commonly understood as the approach to teaching, is the theory and practice of learning, and how this process influences, and is influenced by, the social, political and psychological development of learners. Pedagogy, taken as ...
education.
Faculty of Social Sciences
* Department of Administration and Organization Theory
* Department of
Comparative Politics
Comparative politics is a field in political science characterized either by the use of the ''comparative method'' or other empirical methods to explore politics both within and between countries. Substantively, this can include questions relatin ...
* Department of Economics
* Department of Geography
* Department of Information Science and Media Studies
* Department of Social Anthropology
* Department of Sociology
* Centre for Development Studies
* Centre for Gender Studies
* Centre for Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies
Notable people
Faculty
*
Fredrik Barth
Thomas Fredrik Weybye Barth (22 December 1928 – 24 January 2016) was a Norwegian social anthropologist who published several ethnographic books with a clear formalist view. He was a professor in the Department of Anthropology at Boston Univ ...
, social anthropology
*
Jan Fridthjof Bernt, law
*
Margunn Bjørnholt
Margunn Bjørnholt (born 9 October 1958 in Bø, Telemark) is a Norwegian sociologist and economist. She is a research professor at the Norwegian Centre for Violence and Traumatic Stress Studies (NKVTS) and a professor of sociology at the Univers ...
, sociology
*
Julia Brannen, sociology
*
Tom Colbjørnsen, sociology
*
Per Fugelli
Per Fugelli (7 December 1943 – 13 September 2017) was a Norwegian physician and professor of General Practice at the University of Bergen from 1984 to 1992, and social medicine at the University of Oslo from 1992 until his death in 2017.
Early ...
, medicine
*
Knut Fægri, botany
*
Gabriel Gustafson
Gabriel Adolf Gustafson (8August 185316April 1915) was a Swedish-Norwegian archaeologist. He was responsible for the excavation and conservation of the Oseberg Ship (''Osebergfunnet'') .
Biography
Gabriel Gustafson was born in Visby, in Got ...
, archeology
*
Gudmund Hernes
Gudmund Hernes (born 25 March 1941 in Trondheim) is a Norwegian professor and politician for the Labour Party. He was the state secretary to the Secretariat for Long-Term Planning 1980–1981, Minister of Education and Research and Ministry of Chu ...
, sociology
*
Helga Hernes
Helga Marie Hernes (born 16 January 1938) is a German-born Norwegian political scientist, diplomat, and politician for the Labour Party.
Educated in the United States, she moved to Norway following her marriage to Norwegian sociologist and poli ...
, sociology/political science
*
Georg Johannesen, rhetoric
*
Stein Kuhnle
Stein Kuhnle (born 22 November 1947) is a Norwegian political scientist.
He was born in Bergen, a son of Jacob R. Kuhnle. He was appointed professor of comparative politics at the University of Bergen in 1982. Among his works is ''Velferdsstat ...
, sociology/political science
*
Johan Olsen, political science
*
Stein Rokkan
Stein Rokkan (July 4, 1921 – July 22, 1979) was a Norwegian political scientist and sociologist. He was the first professor of sociology at the University of Bergen and a principal founder of the discipline of comparative politics. He foun ...
, sociology/political science
*
Gunnar Skirbekk, philosophy
*
Harald Sverdrup, oceanographer and meteorologist
*
Sigve Tjøtta, mathematics
*
Frank Aarebrot
Frank Henrik Aarebrot (19 January 1947 – 9 September 2017) was a Norwegian political scientist, political commentator, and professor of comparative politics. Among the most quoted and popular academics in the Norwegian press, he became bette ...
, comparative politics
*
Michael Fellows
Michael Ralph Fellows AC HFRSNZ MAE (born June 15, 1952 in Upland, California) is a computer scientist and the Elite Professor of Computer Science in the Department of Informatics at the University of Bergen, Norway as of January 2016.
Biogra ...
, computer science
*
Pinar Heggernes
Pinar Heggernes (born 1969) is a Turkish-born Norwegian computer scientist known for her research on graph algorithms, sparse matrix computations, and parameterized complexity. She is the deputy rector of the University of Bergen, elected together ...
, computer science
Alumni
*
Knut Olav Åmås
Knut Olav Åmås (born 19 January 1968) is a Norwegian writer, editor and politician for the Conservative Party.
He hails from Odda. He holds a cand.philol. degree in philosophy, having taken his master's thesis on Ludwig Wittgenstein at the U ...
, journalist
*
Erna Solberg
Erna Solberg (; born 24 February 1961) is a Norwegian politician and the current Leader of the Opposition. She served as the 35th prime minister of Norway from 2013 to 2021, and has been Leader of the Conservative Party since May 2004.
Solberg w ...
, Prime Minister of Norway
*
Karl Ove Knausgård
Karl Ove Knausgård (; born 6 December 1968) is a Norwegian author. He became known worldwide for six autobiographical novels, titled ''My Struggle'' (''Min Kamp'').
Since the completion of the ''My Struggle'' series in 2011, he has also publis ...
, author
*
Torbjørn Mork, Director of the
Norwegian Board of Health Supervision
The Norwegian Board of Health Supervision ( no, Statens helsetilsyn, short name ''Helsetilsynet'') is a national government institution under the Norwegian Ministry of Health and Care Services The Royal Norwegian Ministry of Health and Care Service ...
*
Monica Mæland
Monica Mæland (born 6 February 1968) is a Norwegian politician for the Conservative Party who served as Minister of Justice from 2020 to 2021. Previously she served as Minister Local Government from 2018 to 2020, and Minister of Trade and Indus ...
, Norwegian Minister of Trade and Industry
*
Leif Ove Andsnes
Leif Ove Andsnes (; born 7 April 1970) is a Norwegian pianist and chamber musician. Andsnes has made several recordings for Virgin and EMI. In 2012, Leif Ove Andsnes has signed to Sony Classical, and recorded for the label the "Beethoven Journe ...
, Pianist and chamber musician
*
Jon Fosse
Jon Olav Fosse (born 29 September 1959) is a Norwegian author and dramatist.
Biography
Jon Fosse was born in Haugesund, Norway. A serious accident at age seven brought him close to death; the experience significantly influenced his adulthood wr ...
, Author and dramatist
*
Hans-Wilhelm Steinfeld, journalist and writer
*
Mukhisa Kituyi
Dr. Mukhisa Kituyi (born October 20, 1956) is a Kenyan politician who served as Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, UNCTAD from September 2013-February 2021 when he stepped down for his presidential ambitio ...
, Secretary-General
UNCTAD
The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) is an intergovernmental organization within the United Nations Secretariat that promotes the interests of developing countries in world trade. It was established in 1964 by the ...
*
Lars Gule
Lars Gule (born 24 June 1955) is a Norwegian philosopher. He has graduated with a doctorate in philosophy, and is an associate professor (at Oslo Metropolitan University). From 2000 to 2005 he was secretary general of the Norwegian Humanist Asso ...
, philosopher and social commentator
*
Sveinung Rotevatn, Norwegian Minister of Climate and the Environment
*
Iselin Nybø
Iselin Nybø (born 14 May 1981) is a Norwegian politician for the Liberal Party, who served as the Minister of Trade and Industry from 2020 to 2021.; She also served as Minister of Higher Education from 2018 to 2020. She was elected to the Parlia ...
, Norwegian Minister of Trade and Industry
*
Freda Nkirote, Director of the
British Institute in Eastern Africa (BIEA) and President of the
Pan-African Archaeological Association.
Other notes
The university also has an
Arboretum
An arboretum (plural: arboreta) in a general sense is a botanical collection composed exclusively of trees of a variety of species. Originally mostly created as a section in a larger garden or park for specimens of mostly non-local species, man ...
and
Botanical Garden
A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens, an ...
.
References
External links
*
All academic unitsList over research groupsHumanities IT centreWittgenstein Archives of Bergen-
Ludwig Wittgenstein
Ludwig Josef Johann Wittgenstein ( ; ; 26 April 1889 – 29 April 1951) was an Austrian-British philosopher who worked primarily in logic, the philosophy of mathematics, the philosophy of mind, and the philosophy of language. He is considere ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bergen, University Of
1946 establishments in Norway
University of Bergen
The University of Bergen ( no, Universitetet i Bergen, ) is a research-intensive state university located in Bergen, Norway. As of 2019, the university has over 4,000 employees and 18,000 students. It was established by an act of parliament in 194 ...
Educational institutions established in 1946
Members of the International Science Council
Public universities