Higher Education
Topic
As a knowledge nation, Norway has a great need for people with high level professional skills across a broad spectrum of fields. It is a goal that everyone should be able to get an education regardless of their social background. Welfare schemes for students are an instrument that can be used to achieve this. The government wants to change the structure of higher education to achieve solid specialist research communities and high quality education.
Quality in higher education
Universities and university colleges are to provide higher education of a high international standard on the basis of the foremost within research, academic and artistic development work and empirical knowledge.
Structure of higher education
The university and university college sector is faced by major challenges. The government wishes to increase the quality of the sector and has notified that there will changes to both its structure and content.
Students
The Ministry of Education and Research establishes the rules for admission to educational programmes, and has the overall responsibility for state educational institutions, student welfare and student financing.
Current
From 33 to 21 state universities and university colleges
2016-11-15: The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters has decided to award the Abel Prize for 2014 to Yakov G. Sinai (78) of Princeton University, USA, and the Landau Institute for Theoretical Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences.
Education, quality and economic transition
2015-10-07: Investment in education is a prerequisite for a successful transition of the Norwegian economy. In the central government budget for 2016, the Government proposes a science initiative in primary schools, a continuation of the Promotion of Vocational Education and Training Initiative in upper secondary school and increased allocations for higher education and research, among other things.
Better cooperation with important countries
2015-10-13: Traditionally Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa and Japan are not countries that Norway have cooperated extensively with in higher education and research. This is something the Government would like to change.
Documents
MOOCs for Norway — New digital learning methods in higher education
NOU 2014: 5
Act relating to universities and university colleges
The purpose of this Act is to make provisions for universities and university colleges.
The most important documents are bills (propositions), white papers, hearing documents and Official Norwegian Reports (NOUs). (These documents are primarily available in Norwegian.)
Resources
Contact
Department of Higher Education
E-mail: postmottak@kd.dep.no
Phone: + 47 22 24 77 01
Address: Postboks 8119 Dep, 0032 Oslo
Visitor address: Kirkegata 18, Oslo