Examen philosophicum (

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

for ''philosophic exam''; abbreviated to ''Ex.phil.'') is, together with Examen facultatum, one of two

academic An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary education, secondary or tertiary education, tertiary higher education, higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membershi ...

exams An examination (exam or evaluation) or test is an educational assessment intended to measure a test-taker's knowledge, skill, aptitude, physical fitness, or classification in many other topics (e.g., beliefs). A test may be administered verba ...

in most undergraduate programmes at

Norwegian universities __NOTOC__ This list of universities in Norway presents the country's universities, giving their locations, abbreviated titles (in Norwegian), and years of establishment. Most universities in Norway are state universities. Denmark-Norway only had ...

. Whereas ''Examen facultatum'' aims at teaching students how to write academic texts, ''Examen philosophicum'' trains

student A student is a person enrolled in a school or other educational institution. In the United Kingdom and most commonwealth countries, a "student" attends a secondary school or higher (e.g., college or university); those in primary or elementar ...

s in

philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...

and structured thinking. Introduced at the

University of Copenhagen The University of Copenhagen ( da, Københavns Universitet, KU) is a prestigious public university, public research university in Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark. Founded in 1479, the University of Copenhagen is the second-oldest university in ...

Denmark–Norway Denmark–Norway (Danish and Norwegian: ) was an early modern multi-national and multi-lingual real unionFeldbæk 1998:11 consisting of the Kingdom of Denmark, the Kingdom of Norway (including the then Norwegian overseas possessions: the Faroe I ...

in 1675, ''Examen philosophicum'' was discontinued in

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...

in 1971 and exists in a reduced version in

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 ...

Denmark

Norway

''Examen philosophicum'' as a compulsory course is legally based in royal regulations for each university, for example ''Regulations of 20 December 2005 No. 1798 on Studies and Exams at the University of Oslo''. Both ''Examen philosophicum'' and ''Examen facultatum'' are compulsory parts of most

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

s in

: mainly

professional studies "Professional studies" is a term used to classify academic programs which are applied or interdisciplinary in focus. The term can also be used for non-academic training for a specific profession. Research on professionals can be seen as a multidisc ...

at university colleges and a few

natural science Natural science is one of the branches of science concerned with the description, understanding and prediction of natural phenomena, based on empirical evidence from observation and experimentation. Mechanisms such as peer review and repeatab ...

studies at

universities 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 ...

are exempt from either one or both. The content of ''Examen philosophicum'' varies between universities (and areas), normally being adapted to the scientific branch of each faculty and on the

field of study Field may refer to: Expanses of open ground * Field (agriculture), an area of land used for agricultural purposes * Airfield, an aerodrome that lacks the infrastructure of an airport * Battlefield * Lawn, an area of mowed grass * Meadow, a grass ...

of each undergraduate programme. For example, students of

foreign language A foreign language is a language that is not an official language of, nor typically spoken in, a given country, and that native speakers from that country must usually acquire through conscious learning - be this through language lessons at schoo ...

s will normally study a variety which is adapted to ditto. In general, ''Examen philosophicum'' includes

ethics Ethics or moral philosophy is a branch of philosophy that "involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong behavior".''Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy'' The field of ethics, along with aesthetics, concerns m ...

, and

rhetoric Rhetoric () is the art of persuasion, which along with grammar and logic (or dialectic), is one of the three ancient arts of discourse. Rhetoric aims to study the techniques writers or speakers utilize to inform, persuade, or motivate parti ...

. Introduced in 1675 at the

, ''Examen philosophicum'' was continued by 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 ...

in 1812, two years before the Dano-Norwegian union was dissolved. It was called ''andreeksamen'' (second exam) between 1812 and 1903, contrasting

Examen artium Examen artium was the name of the academic certification conferred in Denmark and Norway, qualifying the student for admission to university studies. Examen artium was originally introduced as the entrance exam of the University of Copenhagen in 1 ...

as ''førsteeksamen'' (first exam). It was then called ''forberedende prøve i filosofi'' (preparatory test in philosophy) between 1903 and 1967, before ultimately retaining its original name in 1967. ''Examen philosophicum'' originally had a duration of two or three semesters, including exams in

history History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the History of writing#Inventions of writing, invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbr ...

mathematics Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...

astronomy Astronomy () is a natural science that studies astronomical object, celestial objects and phenomena. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and chronology of the Universe, evolution. Objects of interest ...

Latin language Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...

Greek language Greek ( el, label=Modern Greek, Ελληνικά, Elliniká, ; grc, Ἑλληνική, Hellēnikḗ) is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages, native to Greece, Cyprus, southern Italy (Calabria and Salento), southern Al ...

, and—for

theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

students— Hebraic language. Latin, Greek, and history were dropped in 1845, whilst natural sciences were split into

physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which r ...

and

chemistry Chemistry is the science, scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the Chemical element, elements that make up matter to the chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions ...

. Philosophy became the sole field of study in 1875. Under the former

cand.mag. Candidatus magisterii (male), or candidata magisterii (female), abbreviated as cand.mag., is an academic degree currently awarded in Denmark. The degree is officially translated into English as Master of Arts and currently requires 5 years of studi ...

system, an ''Examen philosophicum'' course was worth 5.0 vekttall, corresponding to a half semester, and along with Examen facultatum, it made up an introductory semester at universities. Later reduced in scope, both ''Examen philosophicum'' and ''Examen facultatum'' are normally worth 10.0 ECTS each, corresponding to two thirds of a semester.

References

Literature

* Rørvik, Thor Inge (1999) ''Historien om examen philosophicum 1675-1983'' /nowiki>Oslo.html" ;"title="Oslo.html" ;"title="/nowiki>Oslo">/nowiki>Oslo">Oslo.html" ;"title="/nowiki>Oslo">/nowiki>Oslo/nowiki>: Forum for universitetshistorie. {{DEFAULTSORT:Examen philosophicum Education in Denmark Education in Norway

Denmark

Norway

See also

References

Literature