Sivilingeniør (shortened siv.ing), is a legally protected engineering title awarded by technical universities in

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

. To qualify for the title, a student must follow a structured study programme in technology and natural sciences of 5 years duration (4.5 years before 2002) at a Norwegian university or university college. Previously it was also a degree in and of itself, though today it is the equivalent of a

Master of Science A Master of Science (; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree. In contrast to the Master of Arts degree, the Master of Science degree is typically granted for studies in sciences, engineering and medici ...

or Master of Technology degree. Before 1992, it was considered by the

Norwegian Institute of Technology The Norwegian Institute of Technology ( Norwegian: ''Norges tekniske høgskole'', NTH) was a science institute in Trondheim, Norway. It was established in 1910, and existed as an independent technical university for 58 years, after which it was ...

(NTH) to be equivalent to a

degree. Although the name is

cognate In historical linguistics, cognates or lexical cognates are sets of words that have been inherited in direct descent from an etymological ancestor in a common parent language. Because language change can have radical effects on both the s ...

with the English term ''

civil engineer A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering – the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructure while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing i ...

'', the meanings do not correspond in modern usage. The degree was not awarded in 2002, when the study program's length was expanded by six months, instead the title Master of Technology was used. This changed in 2003 after criticism from Norwegian universities. Since 2003 the title ''Sivilingeniør'' has been used in addition to the title Master of Technology. In 2016 regulations were clarified and today specify that any Norwegian educational institution awarding master in technological subjects may use the title sivilingeniør as well as Master of Science or Master of Technology.

Education

Today the title ''sivilingeniør'' is awarded to students who either fulfill a structured five-year program in technology and natural sciences, or who take a three-year Bachelor engineering program at a

university college In a number of countries, a university college is a college institution that provides tertiary education but does not have full or independent university status. A university college is often part of a larger university. The precise usage varies f ...

and then transfer to the Master's programs two last year at an applicable institution. The degree is equivalent to a

, if the degree is awarded from the

Norwegian University of Science and Technology The Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU; ) is a public university, public research university in Norway and the largest in terms of enrollment. The university's headquarters is located in Trondheim (city), Trondheim, with region ...

(NTNU). Other institutions typically award the title Master of Technology. Most regional colleges offer engineering, though which programs are offered may vary. The Master's programs are primarily offered at the

(NTNU), the

Norwegian University of Life Sciences The Norwegian University of Life Sciences (, NMBU) is a public university located in Ås, Akershus, Ås, Norway. It is located in Akershus (county), Akershus county and has around 7,700 students. History The institution was established in 185 ...

(NMBU), the University of Stavanger (UiS), 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 a ...

(UiT), and the

University of Agder The University of Agder (), formerly known as Agder College and Agder University College, is a public university with campuses in Kristiansand and Grimstad, Norway. The institution was established as a university college (Scandinavia), univer ...

(UiA), though some regional colleges also offer Master's programs. The references to Bachelor and Master level degrees refer to the definition of the degrees given in the Bologna Framework.

History

The origin of the phrase Civil Engineer stems from the need to differentiate between a military engineer and a civilian engineer. Traditionally only the

(now part of NTNU) was allowed to educate sivilingeniørs in Norway. Until the 2002 Quality Reform that implemented the

Bologna process file:Bologna-Prozess-Logo.svg, 96px, alt=Logo with stylized stars, Logo file:Bologna zone.svg, alt=Map of Europe, encompassing the entire Bologna zone, 256px, Bologna zone The Bologna Process is a series of ministerial meetings and agreements b ...

, the education took 4.5 years, but was then changed to five years and the graduates are now awarded a master's degree according to the Bologna Framework, in addition to the title Sivilingeniør.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sivilingenior Master's degrees Academic degrees of Norway no:Sivilingeniør