Department of Planning and Local Community Research

A Fresh Bachelor’s Programme in Social Planning and Cultural Understanding.

An exciting study:
Students are (also) out for fieldwork, the study is internationally oriented, cross disciplinary and represent an innovation in relation to the traditional university disciplines.

Take a closer look at this link to education institutions in Norway that give some sort of planning education, which requirements there are to enter as well as the possibilities to combine different educations: http://www.planutdanning.no

Student social environment:
Institute for Planning and Local Community Research is known for having a good social student environment where people support each other and participate actively in meetings with the lecturers.

Good job opportunities:
Close to 200 candidates at master’s level have graduated from the institute. Most of these have gotten very interesting and demanding jobs in leadership within research, planning and administration. Many are today working in Northern Norway.

Academic environment:
All lecturers and scholarship holders participate in international research networks. The institute has a great production of candidates, books, reports and articles in international academic journals. The professional environment is stable and benefits from a well established cooperation, both in relation to research and teaching. Students can continue up to a doctorates at the institute.

More about the subject:
The study of social planning gives for the first an introduction to social science. The study is based on a cross disciplinary working method and is build up with theory from human geography, sociology, political science and social anthropology. The study is also practically oriented towards planning and development work, both in public and private sector. Our “brand” is to highlight the connection between daily life, trade, places and regions, democracy and public sector, gender and culture.

Central for the study is the interplay and conflict between the local level (the city, place, region) and global processes, between center and periphery, between understanding of place and single sectors. The teaching is linked to current research and students will get familiar with plan and development work in Northern Norway, in Europe, in the Northern regions and in South. “Globalization from below” (2004-2006) is the name of the biggest research project for which the institute is responsible.

The characteristics of the study is teamwork, an active student environment and close contacts with working life; trade, voluntary and public sector. We know it’s a need for planners that have knowledge on culture and that do not avoid those challenges found in the tense field between democracy, environmental protection, efficiency and distribution. Practically all of our candidates have gone straight into interesting and competence demanding jobs after the study.