NARIC guide on Higher Education Systems in the European Union

The majority of the shorter, non-university courses consist of an integral study period. Common to all these training courses is
that they qualify students for a particular occupation and last for three years. (Teacher training comprises four years of study.)
Students who take an additional year (grunnfag) or 20 vekttall in one subject may obtain the regional cand.mag. degree (see
below).
Within the college sector, some programmes correspond to university programmes (i.e. arts, social sciences, mathematics and
natural sciences), while the majority are not offered at universities. They give the right to the title Høgskolekandidat (college
graduate). The college courses are fully recognised, i.e. programmes completed at a college will be recognised with the same
number of vekttall within a university degree.
The candidatus/candidata magisterii degree (cand.mag) (see below) may be conferred on students who, according to certain
regulations, have successfully completed four years of study. Within the college system, one can also obtain a higher degree in
economics and business administration (siviløkonom) and in engineering (sivilingeniør).
II.2.2. Undergraduate university degrees
A preparatory course in philosophy, logic and the theory of science, examen philosophicum, is normally required of degree
candidates at all the universities and is usually taken before or at the beginning of regular faculty studies. Preparation for the
examination takes one semester. At the University of Oslo the examen facultatum was introduced in 1996. This examination,
together with a revised examen philosophicum, correspond to 10 vekttall.
Students who can fully document that they have already passed examinations in these subjects at university level, may apply
for exemption. The university colleges do not require examen philosophicum.
The universities offer study programmes on two major levels. At the intermediate/undergraduate level, the degree cand.mag.
is normally obtained after four years of study (three and a half years at the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences).
This includes the examen philosophicum. The minimum requirement is that one subject should have
a study duration of at least three semesters (mellomfag/30 vekttall),
and one other subject must involve study over at least two semesters (grunnfag/20 vekttall).
The degree may be obtained at all universities, in fields within the arts, natural sciences or social sciences, or through a
combination of these.
Equivalent education from other institutions of higher education in Norway or abroad can also form part of a cand.mag.
degree.
Grades are awarded according to a numerical system normally ranging from 1.0 (highest) to 6.0 (lowest), with 4.0 as the
minimum passing grade. Some programmes/institutions have other numerical grading scales. In addition, there is the pass/fail
(bestått/ikke bestått) mark. It should be noted that the Faculty of Arts and the Faculty of Social Sciences only give grades
better than 2.0 in exceptional cases.
II.3. Graduate degrees in higher education
The cand.mag. degree may be expanded towards graduate studies. It normally presupposes a mellomfag/30 vekttall in the
same field at the undergraduate level. In addition to a thesis, based on independent research, graduate studies require
specialised courses and seminars. The study period for a graduate degree is normally four semesters (two years) and leads to
the title candidatus/candidata philologiae (cand.philol.) in the arts, candidatus/candidata politicarum (cand.polit.) in social
sciences or candidatus/candidata scientarium (cand.scient.) in the field of mathematics and natural sciences.