16 - Norway - Educational/vocational guidance, education/employment links
All institutions offering courses in higher education have a study service responsible for counselling
individual students on their choice of subjects and combination of courses, on which courses are
required for specific occupations, on specific requirements during study periods and examinations and
on study techniques.
At universities, counselling is integrated into the general study administration of each faculty. Most
faculties have a counselling centre with the primary task of giving students advice on further studies,
related to their choice of future work. The universities publish guides with detailed information on the
main branches of study and requirements for further study. Responsibility for advising on combinations
of courses lies with the departments and teaching staff, and with supervisors in the case of higher
degrees and doctoral studies.
At university colleges, there is generally a separate study counselling service in each faculty, dealing
with groups of students following courses in that faculty.
In many areas, universities and university colleges have close relations to business and to society at
large.
Many study programmes at universities and university colleges include supervised practice and
placements in institutions and enterprises for students. At university college level, professional studies
in teaching, social work and health care have traditions for including several practice periods. This has
not been the case for studies in engineering, but now some university colleges experiment with oneday-
a-week placements in local industry. At university level, one or more practice periods in the last
part of professional studies are obligatory in e.g. architecture, dentistry, engineering, journalism, law
(at one university), psychology, veterinary medicine. Some professional bachelor studies in business
administration and tourism have introduced a one-semester practice period as an option, with study
abroad or an optional subject as alternatives. Employers’ and employees’ associations presently take
part in experiments to introduce supervised practice periods in more study programmes.
Universities have set up special offices responsible for establishing contact between the university and
industry. The contact between higher education institutions and industry is also assured through
externally financed research projects at the institutions.
Universities and university colleges have established Centres for Continuing Education and Distance
Education during the 1990s. These centres may assist when departments develop tailor-made
courses commissioned by an employer in the private or public sector.
Eurydice - the information network on education in Europe
Date: 2009
EN 
CS
DE
ES
FR
HU
IT
PL
PT
РУ
SK
TR
УК
AR
中文
