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Academic System
Admission requirements
The minimum requirement for admission is successful completion of Norwegian upper secondary education or other qualifications recognised as being on par with the general matriculation standard. Some fields of study have additional entrance requirements. The Upper Secondary School Leaving Certificate is based on 12 years of schooling, extended to 13 years from 1997.
Further information on admission.
Academic year
The academic year lasts for 10 months and is divided into autumn and spring semester.
The autumn semester runs from approx. 10th August to 20th December. The spring semester runs from approx. 10th January to 20th June. For the exact dates of this year, please see our Academic Calendar.
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.
Course levels
Each course unit has a course code (e.g. GEO – 3104). The letters of the code is an abbreviation for the (Norwegian) name of the academic subject (GEO = Geologi (Geology)). Courses fall into five general levels: 0000 - 1000 - 2000 - 3000 - 8000. The numbers of the code refer to the academic level of the course. 0000 courses are at an introductory level, 1000 courses at a basic level (Bachelor’s degree), 2000 courses at an intermediate level (Bachelor’s degree) and 3000 courses at an advanced level (Master’s degree). The courses on these four levels constitue the first and second cycle degree programmes. 5000 courses are the teacher's education courses, 6000 courses are continuing and further education courses and 8000 courses are at PhD level.
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. Shows a high degree of independence. |
B
| Very good | A very good performance, above average. Shows a certain degree of independence. |
C
| Good | An average performance, satisfactory in most areas. |
D
| Fair | A performance below average, and with some significant shortcomings |
E
| Sufficient | A performance that meets the minimum standard |
F
| Fail | A performance that does not meet the minimum standard |
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 study programme 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 UoT. 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.
Student exchange
All regular students accepted into degree programmes at UoT have the offer to go abroad on exchange in the course of their studies. An exchange period usually lasts between 3 and 12 months. The courses taken abroad are recognised as an integrated part of the studies at UoT.
University regulations
University of Tromsø's regulations (in Norwegian)
Act relating to Universities and University Colleges
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