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Courses for Exchange Students

The University of Bergen (UiB) offers a wide variety of courses taught in English.

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Courses offered 

In the course list you will find a detailed overview of all the courses available for international exchange students in 2024/2025. 

  • 100-level: BA level courses. 200-level: Both BA and MA level. 300-level: MA level courses
  • Exceptions: There are a few course options not listed in the UIB course list. More information is given below under Course options not listed in the course list.

Selecting courses

Not sure about which courses or how many credits you should apply for? We advise you to read the information given below and discuss your options with your home university.

      Open and restricted courses

      The University of Bergen (UiB) offers two different categories of courses to international exchange students:

      Open courses:
      • Faculty approval is not required.
      • Check the recommended previous knowledge in the course descriptions.
      • You can choose open courses across faculties and departments.
      • You register for open courses after admission has been granted (June/December).
      • Some courses have limited capacity.
      Restricted courses:
      • You choose restricted courses in your online application.
      • Faculty approval is required. Admission cannot be guaranteed.
      • Previous knowledge and relevant academic background is required (check the course descriptions).
      • Many courses have limited capacity.
      • Qualified students nominated on an exchange agreement in the relevant subject area will be prioritized.

      Please note: 

      • We expect that you take courses within the subject area of the agreement between your home university and UiB. 
      • You may in addition apply for courses at other departments or faculties, provided that you meet the required/recommended previous knowledge.
      • The relevant faculty/department will consider whether you can be accepted to restricted courses during the application process, or if you can be granted admission later.
      • If you have questions regarding course content you must contact the respective faculty/department. You will find the contact informaiton in the course descriptions.

      How to apply for courses

      You apply for restricted courses in Søknadsweb by the application deadline 25 April. We advise you to read carefully the required and recommended previous knowledge for each restricted course you wish to apply for. 

      If you do not get admitted to courses you have applied for, it will be possible to apply for new courses when you get access to UIB's online registration system (Studentweb) on 20 June.

        If you are planning to take open courses or Norwegian language courses you apply/register for these courses after we have given you access to UIB's online registration system (Studentweb) in June. You cannot choose these courses in your online application. 

        Changes in your study plan 

        You can add and remove courses (if necessary) during the following periods:

        • Autumn semester: 20 June to 1 September
        • Spring semester: mid-Desember to 1 February

        Please note that all courses in the following subject areas have very limited capacity, meaning that students nominated through an exchange agreement in the specific subject areas listed will be prioritised:

        • Earth Sciences (GEOV)
        • Biological Sciences (BIO)

        Only students nominated through an exchange agreement in the specific subject areas listed below, will be considered for admission in these study fields: 

        • Medicine
        • Dentistry
        • Music - Performance and Composition
        • Fine Art
        • Design

          Norwegian language courses

          The University of Bergen offers Norwegian Language courses at different levels to admitted international students. 

          NOR-INTRO (short introductory course in Norwegian Language):
          • No previous knowledge is required.
          • Especially suited for exchange students.
          • Completion of NOR-INTRO course is awarded with 7.5 ECTS credits.

          Beginner's level: NOR-U1 and NOR-U1/2

          • No previous knowledge is required.
          • NOR-U1: 15 ECTS
          • NOR-U1/2 intensive course: two levels in one semester (30 ECTS).
          Intermediate level: NOR-U2
          Higher intermediate level: NOR-U3
          Higher level: NOR-U4
          • Builds on NOR-U3 skills and knowledge or equivalent.
          • Limited capacity.
          • A mimimum grade of C from NOR-U3 or placement test is required.
          Higher level: NOR-NYN
          • Required a proficiency in Norwegian language equivalent to NOR-U2
          • NOR-NYN: 7,5 ECTS.

          When to sign up

          You can sign up for Norwegian language courses when you get access UIB's online registration system, Studentweb.

          You apply for admission to courses at beginner's level NOR-INTRONOR-U1and NOR-U1/2  in Studentweb between 24 June (8:00 AM) and 31 July (8:00 AM).   

          You apply for admission to NOR-NYN in Studentweb between 24 June and 1 September.

          You register for the intermediate and higher level courses NOR-U2NOR-U3 and NOR-U4 in Studentweb between 24 June and 1 September. Applicants who have acquired knowledge of Norwegian outside of UiB, have to sign up for a placement test in advance. 

          For more information check information about Norwegian Language courses. or contact studynorwegian@uib.no.

          Course options not listed in the course list

          Fine Art, Music and Design:

          The majority of the courses in Fine Art, Music and Design are not included in the course list as these courses have restricted access and limited capacity. Admission to these courses is limited to students nominated on an exchange agreement within these areas.

          For more information about the Faculty of Fine Art, Music and Design check here or contact the exchange coordinator at exchange-kmd@uib.no

          Courses taught in Norwegian:

          Applicants that are proficient in one of the Scandinavian languages (Norwegian, Swedish or Danish) can apply for courses taught in Norwegian. To document your proficiency, please upload one of the following documents to Søknadsweb:

          • Transcript of records (from high school or university level) which shows that you fulfill the language requirements.
          • Your passport (Norway, Sweden, Denmark)
          • To add the course to your application, send us an email to incoming@uib.no with the course name and code.

          Other alternative study options:

          If you are not planning to register for regular courses at UiB, you can indicate this by selecting one of the following alternatives from the course list at Søknadsweb:

          • Clinical rotation: Choose this option if you are applying for clinical training through an agreement with the Faculty of Medicine.
          • UNIS Svalbard: Choose this option if you are applying to UNIS next semester.  Apply to both UiB and UNIS by 15 April/15 October.
          • Project/ study plans: Choose this option if you have organised to take part in other academic activities which will not be awarded with ECTS from UiB (thesis research or lab work). Email the name of your contact person at UiB to incoming@uib.no when you have completed your online application.

          Course descriptions and workload

          Key content in the course descriptions:

          • ECTS credits: Tells you how many ECTS credits you are awarded for each course. A full work load for one semester is 30 ECTS credits in total.
          • Teaching semester: Tells you whether the course is taught in autumn and/or spring.
          • Course code:
            • 100-level: Bachelor's level courses.
            • 200-level: Can be included at both bachelor's and master's level.
            • 300-level: Master's level courses.
          • Number of semesters: Tells you if a course runs over 1 or 2 semesters.
          • Language: Tells you which language the course is taught in.
          • Resources:
            • Schedule: Tells you when there are lectures and seminars/workshops. The schedules are released on 1 June for the autumn semester, and 1 December for the spring semester.
            • Reading list: Lists the course literature for the current semester.
          • Select semester: To make sure you get the most recent information, you can choose autumn 2024/ spring 2025 in the menu on the right.

          Workload per semester:

          You should discuss with their home university, the number of credits to be completed at UIB in order to get them approved as part of their degree in home institution.

          A full semester workload in Norway is equivalent to 30 ECTS credits. We recommend that you plan for approximately this number of credits per semester, unless you have agreed on another number with your home university. You do not have to ask UIB for permission if you wish take more than 30 ECTS.

          Grading scale

          The official grading system in Norway is based on the ECTS grading scale. "A-E are passing grades" and "F is Fail". 

          Some courses will also be graded in the "Pass/Fail" scale  with only two results. The scale is not connected to the letter grades, and the exam result (pass/fail), will not be converted in connection with recognition.

          Detailed information about the the Norwegian Education system and grading scale is available here. 

          The University of Bergen will not convert students credits and grades in connection with recognition in home institution.

          All transcripts will include a full description of the criteria for each grade.

          UIB campus locations

          City Campus

           

          These faculties are all located in the city centre, within walking distance from each other.

          Møllendal Campus

          Located in Møllendal, outside the city centre

          Health Campus

          Located at UiB's health campus at Årstadvollen, outside the city centre and close to Haukeland University Hospital.

          For more information about how to get around the diffent campus see Arrival and directions page.

          Students at third cycle (PhD students)

          Third cycle students may take courses at master level or have individual research or training components if you have found a supervisor at UiB before our application deadline.

          To indicate that you have arranged an individual study plan with UiB staff in your application, choose Other study plans instead of courses. Please email us the name of your UiB supervisor when you have completed your application.