TheUniversity of Bergen (Norwegian:Universitetet i Bergen) is apublicresearch university inBergen,Norway. As of 2021, the university had over 4,000 employees and 19,000 students.[3] It was established by an act of parliament in 1946 consolidating several scientific institutions that dated as far back as 1825. It is Norway's second-oldest university, and is considered to be one of the nation’s four so-called "established universities." It has faculties and programmes in all the academic fields typical of a classical university, as well as such degree programmes as medicine and law that, traditionally, only the “established universities” are authorized by law to offer.[4] It is also one of Norway's leading universities in many of the natural sciences, includingmarine research andclimate research. It has consistently been ranked in the top 200 or top one percent of universities in the world,[5] and as one of the best 10 or best 50 universities worldwide in some fields, such asearth and marine sciences.[6][7] It is part of theCoimbra Group and of the U5 group of Norway's oldest and highest-ranked universities.
Bergen eventually became a city with several arenas for higher education and research with theGeophysical Institute being established in 1917, the Chr. Michelsen Institute in 1930, theNorwegian School of Economics in 1936 and finally the university in 1946.[9] The University of Bergen was established by an act of parliament in 1946, as Norway's second university.
The University of Bergen has an electedrector. The current rector isMargareth Hagen, who was elected for a four-year term starting 1 August 2021 after serving as interim rector.[11]
The university has 7 faculties, the newest beingThe Faculty of Fine Art, Music and Design which was established in 2017.[12] The University of Bergen Library and theUniversity Museum of Bergen have a faculty-like status. Most of the university campus and administration is located in theNygård neighbourhood, which has resulted in the campus area often being referred to asNygårdshøyden or simply Høyden, meaning "the hill".[citation needed]
The university is an active member of theUniversity of the Arctic.[13] UArctic is an international cooperative network based in the Circumpolar Arctic region, consisting of more than 200 universities, colleges, and other organizations with an interest in promoting education and research in the Arctic region.[14]
The university also participates in UArctic's mobility program north2north. The aim of that program is to enable students of member institutions to study in different parts of the North.[15]
The University of Bergen, in common with other Norwegian universities, does not charge tuition fees,[24] except for students coming from outside theEU.[25] Students are however required to be members of the student welfare organisation. As of 2024, this fee (semesteravgift) is NOK 690 (approx. US$65) per semester, and provides access to several services, including cultural activities, childcare, refunds for many medical expenses and subsidized accommodation. NOK 40 of the fee is a donation to the SAIH, a student charity, but this is optional.[26]
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 theBergen Academy of Art and Design.
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, English, French, Italian, Japanese, Russian, Spanish, German and single courses in Chinese (IF))[27]
Department of Linguistics, Literary and Aesthetical studies (LLE) (Nordic, Comparative Literature, Theatre Studies, Digital Culture, Linguistics, Art History, Classics)
The Faculty of Law at the University of Bergen, seen fromMagnus Lagabøtes plass.
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 theUniversity of Oslo and theUniversity of Tromsø. The faculty offers a five-year programme leading to aMaster's degree in law and a three-yearPhD programme, and currently has approximately 1900 students.
The University of Bergen is the only institution in the Nordic countries where the study of psychology has been assigned to its own faculty. Established in 1980, it educates psychologists and is responsible[citation needed] for the university'spedagogic education.
Department of Psychosocial Science
Department of Health Promotion and Development
Department of Education
Department of Clinical Psychology
Department of Biological and Medical Psychology
Centre for Crisis Psychology
SLATE: Centre for the Science of Learning & Technology
Norwegian Competence Center for Gambling and Gaming Research
See also:University colleges with accredited study programs There are also several institutions with approved studies at college level, but without institutional accreditation as a college. These still have the right to call themselves a university college.