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

. 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". University of Bergen, Rector s Office, Museplass 1

University of Bergen, Rector s Office, Museplass 1

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 units

List over research groups

Humanities IT centre

Wittgenstein 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