The University of Oslo (Norwegian: Universitetet i Oslo, Latin: Universitas Osloensis) is the oldest, largest and most prestigious university in Norway, situated in the Norwegian capital of Oslo. It is considered the only Norwegian world-class research university.
It was founded in 1811 as The Royal Frederick University (in Norwegian Det Kongelige Frederiks Universitet and in Latin Universitas Regia Fredericiana). The university was modelled after the recently established University of Berlin, and originally named after King Frederick of Denmark and Norway. It received its current name in 1939.
The university has faculties of (Lutheran) Theology, Law, Medicine, Humanities, Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Dentistry, Social Sciences, and Education. The Faculty of Law is still located at the old campus on Karl Johans gate, near the National Theatre, the Royal Palace, and the Parliament, while most of the other faculties are located at a modern campus area called Blindern, erected from the 1930s. The Faculty of Medicine is split between several university hospitals in the Oslo area.
Currently the university has about 27,000 students and employs about 4,600 people. It is considered one of the leading universities of Scandinavia. In 2007 the University of Oslo was ranked as the best university in Norway, the 19th best in Europe and 69th best in the world in the Academic Ranking of World Universities. Also, in 2005 its faculty of humanities was ranked as the best in the Nordic countries, the 5th best in Europe and the 16th best in the world by the Times Higher Education Supplement. In 2008, the university was ranked as the 177th best by Times, with the Faculty of Social Sciences ranked the 104th best in the world.
Until the founding of the University in 1811, the University of Copenhagen was the only university of Denmark-Norway. After the dissolution of the Dano-Norwegian union in 1814, close academic ties between the countries have been maintained. The University of Oslo was the only university in Norway until 1946, and hence informally often known as simply "The University".
The University of Oslo is home to five Nobel Prize winners, with one of the Nobel Prizes (the Nobel Peace Prize) itself being awarded in the city of Oslo, close to the Faculty of Law.
History
As a satellite of the modest Danish kingdom until early in the 19th century, Norway was understandably not among the first places to found a university. The larger kingdoms of medieval Europe – Italy, France, England – established their first universities as early as the 12th century. The Scandinavian monarchies, Sweden and Denmark at the time, opened their first universities at Uppsala in 1477 and at Copenhagen in 1479, respectively.
In 1811, the Danish monarch King Frederick VI granted Norway the right to found its own university. Originally, the campus was to be located in Kongsberg – a regional city 55 kilometres south-west of Oslo. Det Kongelige Frederiks Universitet (The Royal Frederick University) opened in Oslo in 1813.
In 1923, university administrators and the Norwegian government agreed to develop a new campus just outside of the downtown area in a neighbourhood called Blindern. Because of an economic recession, however, the plans were shelved.
The student body increased rapidly during this period, approaching the 20,000-student watermark by the 1970s. This number remained stable for a while, but new growth in recent years has pushed the figure even higher.
Today there are approx. 30,000 students at the University of Oslo, down from almost 40,000 a couple of years ago.
Research
The University has contributed to international research through four Nobel prizes and participation in international networks and consortia within a wide range of scientific disciplines.
During the past few years, the UiO has established several highly prioritized institutional research areas; some of these have been developed further into national research programmes, demonstrating the University of Oslo's unique position as Norway's largest and leading university.
International Cooperation
Since its foundation in 1811, the University of Oslo has contributed to international research in networks and consortia within a wide range of scientific disciplines. The flow of researchers to and from the University of Oslo is substantial, and Oslo annually hosts a high number of international conferences and seminars. In combination with a high level of student mobility, this secures valuable contributions from the global research community and ensures that the UiO maintains its position as a truly international university.
International cooperation at the University of Oslo is based on a bottom-up approach, the basis for all international links being researcher-to-researcher cooperation. Such cooperation has been developed into some 100 bilateral agreements - a large portfolio of co-operation projects worldwide. The University of Oslo maintains extensive links with institutions in the Nordic countries and the European Union. In keeping with national priorities, the UiO's international policy also focuses strongly on solidarity and participation in global development, based on long-term co-operation with institutions in developing countries. It has also strong and viable links to a number of US and Chinese institutions.
Faculties
The University of Oslo consists of eight faculties. Among them, the Faculty of Theology is the oldest and the Faculty of Education is the youngest – established in 1996. A short presentation of the eight faculties follows below, in historical order from oldest to most recent.
The Faculty of Theology
The Faculty of Law
The Faculty of Medicine
The Faculty of Humanities
The Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences
The Faculty of Dentistry
The Faculty of Social Sciences
The Faculty of Education
University of Oslo was ranked 177th in the 2008 THES-QS World University Ranking.
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