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About the University of Tromsø
Description of the institution/organisation
The University of Tromsø, located on a small island in Northern Norway, is the northernmost university in the world. UiT, established in 1968, is one of the youngest of Norway’s six universities and has more than 6000 students and 1700 academic and administrative staff.
The university offers around 100 programmes of study within a variety of academic subjects ranging from medicine, law and science to economics, psychology, social science, fishery science and the humanities.
The programmes of study are administered by six faculties/units: - Faculty of Humanities
- Faculty of Social Science
- Faculty of Science
- Faculty of Law
- Faculty of Medicine
- Norwegian College of Fishery Science
In addition, UiT has a University Museum, a University Library and five centres of reseach, including a Centre of Excellence in the field of Theoretical Linguistics, (CASTL).
The strategy of the University of Tromsø gives priority to research in the fields of marine science, biomedicine, telemedicine, physics, linguistics, multiculturalism, and research related to Saami and indigenous people.
As an international institution of higher education and research, UiT has students and academic staff from all over the world. Foreign citizens comprise around 10 percent of the total number of students.
The University of Tromsø is organised in accordance with the rules laid down in the Norwegian Higher Education Act.
The highest governing body of UiT is the University Board. The board is responsible for maintaining a high standard of academic activity and for ensuring that the institution is run efficiently and in accordance with national and international regulations. The board draws up strategy for education and research and is also responsible for the university budget. The University board has the following composition:
- Rector
- Pro Rector
- Two members representing the university’s academic staff
- Two student representatives
- One member representing the university’s administrative/technical staff
- Four external members appointed by the Ministry of Education and Research
The Rector is chairman of the board and the legal representative of the university. The Rector and the Pro-rector are elected among the academic staff at UiT for periods of three years, and can be elected for maximum two periods.
The University Director is the board’s secretary and the head of the entire University administration. Each unit in the central administration is headed by a director.
Each faculty is governed by a Faculty Board headed by a Dean elected among the academic staff of the faculty. The Faculty Director the faculty board’s secretary and, as a representative of the University Director, head of the faculty administration. (At the Norwegian College of Fishery Science, the Head of the Board holds the title of College Rector).
The basic organisational units under the faculties are the departments. Each department is governed by a Departmental Board. The Head of Department is elected among the department’s academic staff.
The other organisational units at UiT are placed under the direct control of the University Board.
Academic authorities
| Rector | Jarle Aarbakke |
| Pro Rector | Gerd Bjørhovde |
| Dean, Faculty of Social Science | Petter Nafstad |
| Dean, Faculty of Science | Tore Vorren |
| Dean, Faculty of Humanities | Rolf Gaasland |
| Dean, Faculty of Medicine | Toralf Hasvold |
| Dean, Faculty of Law | Hege Brækhus |
| College Rector, Norwegian College of Fishery Science | Jan-Eirik Angell Killie
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International services
International affairs at the University of Tromsø are co-ordinated by the Department of Research and Academic Affairs. The department is responsible for international co-operation, strategy and teacher and student mobility. The department provides the following service for students and applicants:
Click here for contact information.
Academic system
Credit system
All courses and degrees at the University of Tromsø are measured in “studiepoeng” according to the ECTS standard (European Credit Transfer System credits). Each course unit has a workload of 3 – 30 “studiepoeng”/ECTS credits. The full-time workload for one academic year is 60 “studiepoeng”/ECTS credits.
The workload of each course is based on an estimate of the total time required for completing studies and exams (lectures, seminars, readings, individual preparation etc.). There is no exact national or institutional standard for measuring of workload. Workload estimates are based on custom and tradition within each academic field.
Degree structure
The Bachelor’s degree is obtained after three years of study and has a full time workload of 180 “studiepoeng”/ECTS credits.
The Master’s degree is obtained after 1 ½ -2 years of study following completion of a Bachelor’s degree or other qualifications recognized as being on par with a Bachelor’s degree. The full time workload of the Master’s Degree is 90–120 “studiepoeng”/ECTS credits. An important part of this degree is independent research work between 30-60 “studiepoeng”/ECTS credits.
The one-tier Master’s degree is obtained after 5 years of study and has a full time workload of 300 “studiepoeng”/ECTS credits. An important part of this degree is independent research work between 30-60 “studiepoeng”/ECTS credits.
Various professional qualifications are awarded. These programmes/degrees are of 4-6 years’ duration and cover both regulated and non-regulated professions.
The Doctoral degree Philosophiae Doctor (PhD) is awarded after three years of study following completion of a Master’s degree or a professional degree/programme.
Assessment methods
A number of assessment methods are in use at the University of Tromsø. The most common ones are: Written exams, oral exams, portfolio assessment, written assignments to take home and joint project papers written together with fellow students.
The written and oral exams set at the university last from one to eight hours. The different assignments and papers to take home vary from a work period of a couple of days to a whole semester. The course lecturer will provide supervision during the work period.
Grading system
Grades for undergraduate and postgraduate examinations at the University of Tromsø are awarded according to a graded scale from A (highest) to F (lowest), with E as the minimum pass grade. In contrast to the ECTS grading scale, which is a convertion table, the Norwegian scale is qualitative rather than quantitative. However, it is expected that the distribution of grades along qualitative criteria will vary only slightly from the quantitative ECTS grades, given a large number of exams and in a time span of 3-5 years. The qualitative grades are awarded according to the following criteria:
| Grade | Description | Evaluation criteria |
A
| Excellent | An excellent performance, clearly outstanding. The candidate demonstrates excellent judgement and a high degree of independent thinking. |
B
| Very good | A very good performance. The candidate demonstrates sound judgement and a very good degree of independent thinking. |
C
| Good | A good performance in most areas. The candidate demonstrates a reasonable degree of judgement and independent thinking in the most important areas. |
D
| Satisfactory | A satisfactory performance, but with significant shortcomings. The candidate demonstrates a limited degree of judgement and independent thinking. |
E
| Sufficient | A performance that meets the minimum criteria, but no more. The candidate demonstrates a very limited degree of judgement and independent thinking. |
F
| Fail | A performance that does not meet the minimum academic criteria. The candidate demonstrates an absence of both judgement and independent thinking. |
For some examinations a pass/fail grade is given. There is no transfer of grades from the first scale to the second.
Diploma supplement
All graduates from the University of Tromsø receive automatically and free of charge a Diploma, a Transcript and a Diploma Supplement. The Diploma Supplement is issued in English and is valid only when presented together with the Diploma. The purpose of the Diploma Supplement is to give information about the degree and the programme of study and thus provide greater transparency for international purposes.
For further information on the history, goals and implementation of the Diploma Supplement in Norway, please see NOKUT.
Transcript supplement
Exchange students and their home institutions will automatically and free of charge receive an ECTS Transcript and a Transcript supplement in English for the credits earned during their exchange period at UiT. The Transcript will be issued within two months after the end of the exchange period.
Students of all other categories receive on request Transcripts and Transcript supplements in Norwegian or English.
Academic calendar
| AUTUMN SEMESTER 2007 |
August 7-12 :
| Introductory programme for new international students |
| August 13: | Autumn semester starts |
September 1:
| Deadline for registration and sign-up for exams |
November 1:
| Deadline for withdrawal from exams (for exams held before November 15, the deadline is 14 days before the actual dates of the exams) |
| December 21: | Autumn semester ends |
Application deadlines for studies commencing
Autumn semester: |
| NORAD students: | December 1 |
| Quota students: | December 1 |
| Regular programme students with education from non-Nordic countries: |
March 1 |
| Self financing Master's degree students: |
March 1 |
| Regular programme students with education from the Nordic countries: |
April 15 |
| Free movers: | May 1 |
| Exchange students: | May 15 |
| Regular non-degree students: | July 20 |
| SPRING SEMESTER 2008 |
January 8-10:
| Introductory programme for new international students |
| January 7 | Spring semester starts |
February 1
| Deadline for registration and sign-up for exams |
April 15
| Deadline for withdrawal from exams (for exams held before April 29, the deadline is 14 days before the actual dates of the exams) |
| June 13 | Spring semester ends |
Application deadlines for studies commencing
Spring semester: |
| NORAD students: | No students admitted |
| Quota students: | No students admitted |
| Free movers: | October 1 | Exchange students: | October 15 | Regular non-degree students: | December 1 |
International strategy
The overall objective of the University of Tromsø is to develop, maintain and disseminate relevant knowledge through education and research of high international standard. The Strategy on Internationalisation is one of the tools in the efforts to reach the University’s overall objective. The internationalisation work shall be based on the notion of academic quality and seek to strengthen all aspects of the University’s activities.
With the present strategy 2002-06 coming to and end, a new plan will be developed based on the new Strategy Document for the University of Tromsø 2006-2010 called "Universitetet i nord" (The University in the North).
Though many of the objectives were fulfilled in the last action plan, some of them will continue into the new plan, the most important objective being to increase the number of incoming and outgoing exchange students.
The new plan for internationalisation is expected to be finished and posted on this site in early spring.
Contact Address
University of Tromsø
9037 Tromsø
Norway
Tel: +47 776 44000
Fax: +47 776 44900 |
Contact information for students and staff
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