Norway Country Brief

Norwegian Centennial Chair

The mission of the Norwegian Centennial Chair is to promote cooperation in research and academic education between the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), University of Oslo (UiO) and University of Minnesota (UM) by strengthening and expanding existing, and by facilitating new transatlantic collaborations in cutting-edge research. Claudia Schmidt Dannert is the holder of the Centennial Chair since 2014. The Centennial Chair has supported research collaborations between UMN, UiO, and NMBU since 2006. A full list researchers supported can be found here. 

College of Science and Engineering

Ned Mohan, Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Ray Hozalski, Environmental Engineering, have a long-standing research relationship with the Norwegian University of Science and Technology.

Humphrey School of Public Affairs

In 2020, the Humphrey School launched a three-year collaboration with the Peace Research Institute of Oslo (PRIO), one of the world’s premier research institutes that explores the forces behind violent conflict and ways in which peace can be built, maintained and spread.  

University of Oslo (UiO)

The University of Oslo is the oldest and largest University in Norway.  Established in 1811, UiO is the highest ranked institute of education and research in Norway. UiO has 8 faculties: Medicine, Dentistry, Law, Theology, Humanities, Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Social Sciences and Education Sciences. Research between UMN and UiO has been promoted and funded through the Centennial Chair program and focused primarily on life sciences, mathematics, and engineering. 

•    A tri-partite agreement between the University of Minnesota, University of Oslo, and the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU) was signed in October 2010 with a goal to expand collaboration activities within research and education in all fields. 

Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU)

The Norwegian University of Life Sciences focuses its efforts on studies and research that meet the major global issues of environment, sustainable development, improve human and animal health, climate change, renewable energy, food production and land and resource management. There are three faculties at NMBU: Environmental Science and Technology, Social Sciences and Veterinary Medicine and Biosciences.     

Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)

The primary responsibility of the Norwegian University of Science and Technology is to provide higher education in science and engineering in Norway. They also provide instruction in a wide variety of disciplines including humanities, art, medicine, teacher education, and architecture. 

University of Agder (UiA)

The University of Agder was formed through a merger of six public regional colleges in 1994. UiA has five faculties: Social Sciences, Sport and Health Sciences, Fine Arts, Humanities and Education, Engineering and Science, Teacher Education, and the School of Business and Law. 

University of Bergen (UiB)

The University of Bergen is an internationally recognized research university. UiB is the most cited university in Norway. There are seven faculties at UiB and close to 18,500 students at the university. Around 2,000 of these are international students.

BI Norwegian Business School

BI Norwegian Business School is an independent, not-for-profit foundation and the main provider of research based knowledge on business and management disciplines in Norway.

UMN Units with Partnerships and Projects in Norway

• College of Biological Sciences
• College of Science and Engineering
• Humphrey School of Public Affairs

Related Units

• The Department of German, Nordic, Slavic and Dutch (GNSD) is a community engaged in transnational cultural studies focusing on the languages, literatures, and cultures of Central Europe, Scandinavia, and Russia. The program's geographic range includes Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Russia, the Low Countries, and the Nordic countries.
• With more than 225,000 printed publications relating to Scandinavia, the Scandinavian-studies collections at the University of Minnesota Libraries are one of the largest, and probably best known, in North America. The collections are strongest in art, folklore, history, language, literature, and the social sciences.
• GO Minnesota is the University's program for visiting international students. GO Minnesota manages the University's bilateral student exchanges, including with institutions in Norway.

Distinguished Leadership Award for Internationals recipients:

• Haakon Fossen, Norway — Ph.D., Geology and Geophysics (1992)
• Per-Harald Grue, Norway — Visiting Scholar (2002)
• Jostein Mykletun, Norway — M.A., International Relations (1972); Ph.D., Political Science (1975)
• Claus Solberg, Norway — Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Infectious Diseases (1969-70)

Norwegian Students at UMN

16 students (2019-20)*

UMN Students in Norway

66 students (2018-19)⁺

UMN students can choose from several learning abroad programs in Norway, including several exchange programs:

• Carlson School of Management exchange with BI Norwegian Business School
• College of Science and Engineering exchanges with Norwegian University of Science and Technology and University of Agder
• University-wide exchanges with University of Oslo, University of Bergen, and Norwegian University of Life Sciences (GO Minnesota manages the University's bilateral student exchanges.)

Student Groups

Den Norske Klubben is a registered student organization that provides an opportunity for students to celebrate Norwegian and Norwegian-American culture and to provide a forum for students to practice Norwegian regardless of ability.

*Source: ISSS Annual Report (Twin Cities only)
⁺Systemwide, source: Learning Abroad Center

Torskeklubben

Torskeklubben is a Minnesota non-profit club that gives scholarship aid to students wishing to study at the University of Minnesota Graduate School. The Torske Klubben Fellowship for Minnesota residents supports outstanding graduate students currently enrolled in any field in the University of Minnesota Graduate School to study in Norway. 

Norway House

Norway House is a forward-thinking, international business and culture organization in Minneapolis, Minnesota dedicated to establishing, renewing, and advancing connections between contemporary Norway and the United States through education and partnerships centered around the arts, business, and culture.

Norwegian Honorary Consulate General in Minneapolis 

The Norwegian Honorary Consulate General in Minneapolis covers the state of Minnesota. The Consulate collaborates with fellow Consuls in the Midwest, and facilitates development of commercial, economic, cultural, scientific, and educational relations between Norway and the upper Midwest region.