University of Bergen

The University of Bergen ( no, Universitetet i Bergen, ) is a research-intensive state university located in Bergen, Norway. As of 2019, the university has over 4,000 employees and 18,000 students. It was established by an act of parliament in 1946 based on several older scientific institutions dating back to 1825, and is Norway's second oldest university. It is considered one of Norway's four "established universities" and has faculties and programmes in all the fields of a classical university including fields that are traditionally reserved by law for established universities, including medicine and law. It is also one of Norway's leading universities in many natural sciences, including marine research and climate research. It is consistently ranked in the top one percentage among the world's universities, usually among the best 200 universities and among the best 10 or 50 universities worldwide in some fields such as earth and marine sciences. It is part of the Coimbra Group and of the U5 group of Norway's oldest and highest ranked universities.

History

The university traces its roots to several earlier scientific and scholarly institutions founded in Bergen. Academic activity had taken place in Bergen since the founding of Bergen Cathedral School in 1153, the Seminarium Fredericianum in 1750 and the establishment of the Royal Norwegian Naval Academy in 1817. Academia and higher education would also be significantly advanced in the city with the establishment of Bergen Museum, later renamed ''University Museum of Bergen'', in 1825. Founded by Wilhelm Frimann Christie and Jacob Neumann, the museum became a venue for both research and education specialized on natural science, and featured prominent researcher like Michael Sars, Daniel Cornelius Danielssen and Fridtjof Nansen.

Bergen would eventually become a city with several arenas for higher education and research with the Geophysical Institute being established in 1917, the Chr. Michelsen Institute in 1930, the Norwegian School of Economics in 1936 and finally the university in 1946. The University of Bergen was established by an act of parliament in 1946, as Norway's second university.

Priority areas

The University of Bergen has three strategic areas

* Marine research
* Climate and energy transition
* Global challenges

Within these areas, UiB will contribute to society with excellent research, education, interdisciplinary cooperation and dissemination of knowledge and innovation.

Organization

The University of Bergen has an elected rector. The current rector is Margareth Hagen, who was elected rector for a four-year term starting August 1, 2021 after serving as interim rector from January 7, 2021. The university has 7 faculties, the newest being ''The Faculty of Fine Art, Music and Design'' which was established in 2017. The University of Bergen Library and the University Museum of Bergen have a faculty-like status. Most of the university campus and administration is located in the Nygård neighbourhood, which has resulted in the campus area often being referred to as ''Nygårdshøyden'' or simply H''øyden'', meaning "the hill".

Ranking

In 2010 the university was ranked as number 135 worldwide by the Times Higher Education World University Rankings, and 181st worldwide by the 2015/16 QS World University Rankings. UiB was also ranked number 148 worldwide in the July 2010 Webometrics Ranking of World Universities. The URAP (University Ranking by Academic Performance) has ranked UiB for 2014/2015 as the 219th worldwide.

Tuition

The University of Bergen, in common with other Norwegian universities, does not charge tuition fees, which also applies to international students. Students are however required to be members of the student welfare organisation. As of 2022, this fee (''semesteravgift'') is NOK 590 (approx. 70 USD) per semester, and provides access to several services, including cultural activities, childcare, refunds for many medical expenses and subsidized accommodation. 40kr of the fee is a donation to the SAIH, a student charity, but this is optional. However most of the students give the donation.

Faculties and academia at the University of Bergen

Faculty of Fine Art, Music and Design

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 the Bergen Academy of Art and Design.

* The Art Academy – Department of Contemporary Art
* The Grieg Academy - Department of Music
* Department of Design

Faculty of Humanities

* 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)
* Department of Linguistics, Literary and Aesthetical studies (LLE) (Nordic, Comparative Literature, Theatre Studies, Digital Culture, Linguistics, Art History, Classics)
* Department of Philosophy and First Semester Studies (see Examen philosophicum and Examen facultatum) (FOF)
* The Grieg Academy – Department of Music

The faculty revised its structure and names in August 2007.

Faculty of Law

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 the University of Oslo and the University of Tromsø. The faculty offers a five-year programme leading to a Master's degree in law and a three-year PhD programme, and currently has approximately 1900 students.

Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences

As of January 1, 2018, the faculty is organised into the following seven departments:

* Department of Biological Sciences
* Department of Chemistry
* Department of Earth Science
* Department of Informatics
* Department of Mathematics
* Department of Physics and Technology
* Geophysical Institute

The Faculty is tied to a number of centres:

Centres of Excellence in Research:

* Birkeland Centre for Space Science
* Centre for Geobiology

Centres of Research-based Innovation:

* Sea Lice Research Centre

Centres of Excellence in Education:

* BioCEED

Other important units and centres:

* Sars International Centre for Marine Molecular Biology
* K.G. Jebsen Centre for Deep Sea Research
* Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research
* CBU - Computational Biology Unit
* Norwegian Ocean Observation Laboratory
* Centre for Sustainable Aquaculture Innovations (CSAI)
* Bergen Offshore Wind Centre (BOW)

Faculty of Medicine

Since January 2013 the faculty is organised in the following departments and units:

* Department of Biomedicine
* Department of Clinical Medicine
* Department of Clinical Science
* Department of Clinical Dentistry
* Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care
* Centre for International Health
* Laboratory Animal Facility

Faculty of Psychology

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 for the university's pedagogic education.

Faculty of Social Sciences

* Department of Administration and Organization Theory
* Department of Comparative Politics
* Department of Economics
* Department of Geography
* Department of Information Science and Media Studies
* Department of Social Anthropology
* Department of Sociology
* Centre for Development Studies
* Centre for Gender Studies
* Centre for Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies

Notable people

Faculty

*Fredrik Barth, social anthropology
* Jan Fridthjof Bernt, law
* Margunn Bjørnholt, sociology
* Julia Brannen, sociology
* Tom Colbjørnsen, sociology
* Per Fugelli, medicine
* Knut Fægri, botany
* Gabriel Gustafson, archeology
* Gudmund Hernes, sociology
* Helga Hernes, sociology/political science
* Georg Johannesen, rhetoric
*Stein Kuhnle, sociology/political science
* Johan Olsen, political science
*Stein Rokkan, sociology/political science
* Gunnar Skirbekk, philosophy
* Harald Sverdrup, oceanographer and meteorologist
* Sigve Tjøtta, mathematics
* Frank Aarebrot, comparative politics
*Michael Fellows, computer science
* Pinar Heggernes, computer science

Alumni

* Knut Olav Åmås, journalist
*Erna Solberg, Prime Minister of Norway
* Karl Ove Knausgård, author
* Torbjørn Mork, Director of the Norwegian Board of Health Supervision
*Monica Mæland, Norwegian Minister of Trade and Industry
*Leif Ove Andsnes, Pianist and chamber musician
* Jon Fosse, Author and dramatist
* Hans-Wilhelm Steinfeld, journalist and writer
* Mukhisa Kituyi, Secretary-General UNCTAD
*Lars Gule, philosopher and social commentator
* Sveinung Rotevatn, Norwegian Minister of Climate and the Environment
* Iselin Nybø, Norwegian Minister of Trade and Industry
* Freda Nkirote, Director of the British Institute in Eastern Africa (BIEA) and President of the Pan-African Archaeological Association.

Other notes

The university also has an Arboretum and Botanical Garden.

References

External links

*

All academic units

List over research groups

Humanities IT centre

Wittgenstein Archives of Bergen
- Ludwig Wittgenstein

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bergen, University Of

1946 establishments in Norway
University of Bergen
Educational institutions established in 1946
Members of the International Science Council
Public universities