Call to abolish Norwegian bachelor degree

Bachelor degrees should be abolished, says respected Norwegian education researcher. The rector of the University of Oslo agrees with him

by Anders Fjeldberg, English version by Sebastian Zieler

A Norwegian education researcher, Per Olaf Aamodt, is now supported by the rector of the University of Oslo (UiO) in calling for an elimination of the bachelor degrees. Norwegian universities should focus exclusively on the five-year long master's, they say.

This is according to the Norwegian newspaper, Norges Teknisk Ukeblad.

Support from the rector

The University of Oslo hosted the seminar Yngrebølgen (‘The Younger Wave’) on Monday 1 December, and one of the topics of discussion was the three-year long bachelor degree.

Norwegian students tend to not only make do with a bachelor degree, said Per Olaf Aamodt, and Norwegian employers aren’t likely to hire job seekers who have nothing but a bachelor.

His suggestion is backed by the rector of UiO, Ole Petter Ottersen.

Danish minister does not agree

The Norwegian system of education has analogies to the Danish one, and any changes here will be looked on with interest among Danish education officials. So far, the suggestion has not garnered much official support.

Danish Minister of Science, Helge Sander, pointed out in a recent book that many job positions, for example in the field of IT, do not require a master's at all. He stressed that people with a bachelor degree do have the possibility of subsequently taking a master's, even after a few years of employment.

anfj@adm.ku.dk

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