Nordic Social Policy and Global Sustainable Development

• Information about semester start for Nordic Social Policy and Global Sustainable Development students (student.oslomet.no).
• General information about semester start at OsloMet (student.oslomet.no).

To apply for this programme you need:

• a bachelor’s degree (or equivalent degree) in social work, childcare and welfare, education, political science, sociology, economics, anthropology or other social science degrees.
• an average grade of at least C (according to the ECTS grading scale) on your bachelor's degree
• proof of your English proficiency

Applicants will be ranked on the basis of grade average from their bachelor's degree.

Fifty percent of the places are reserved for applicants who are citizens of countries outside EU/EEA.

The master's programme aims for a diverse group of students from many countries. Given the limited number of places, normally no more than three students from each country will be assigned, with the exception of students from Norway.

More about admission to master's programmes.

You apply via Søknadsweb, where you fill in your details and upload all the required documents.

There are different application deadlines based on which country you apply from:

• 1 November: for applicants from countries outside of the European Union / the European Economic Area (EEA) / Switzerland
• 1 March: early admission for applicants from the European Union, the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland, and for non-EU/EEA citizens with a Norwegian national ID number residing in Norway
• 15 April: ordinary admission for applicants from the European Union, the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland, and for non-EU/EEA citizens with a Norwegian national ID number residing in Norway

For students from the EU/EEA/EFTA the only cost of this programme is the semester fee (student.oslomet.no) of approximately NOK 1,000, which you pay each semester of the programme. For these students there are no tuition fees.

For students from countries outside the EU/EEA/EFTA there are tuition fees in addition to the semester fee (student.oslomet.no).

This master's program provides you with an in-depth understanding of the Nordic welfare model(s) and global challenges that affect the model's sustainability.

You will learn to critically analyse and develop new welfare policy solutions aimed at promoting quality of life, trust and solidarity, at the individual, community, and state level.

In the program, we explore:

• Challenges in social policy in the Nordic countries, viewed in a global context.
• How the Nordic countries have tackled past crises and ongoing societal and environmental changes, with a focus on global challenges.
• Different strategies for critical evaluation of social policy interventions, and their sustainability.
• Various approaches and critical perspectives related to what is meant by "sustainability".

Programme description (student.oslomet.no)

You spend the two first semesters in Oslo. 

The third semester, you choose between elective courses at OsloMet or studies abroad at an affiliated university.

Elective courses allow you to pursue topics of special interest that may be relevant for both your master’s thesis, as well as for future career possibilities.

The workload for students in the programme amounts to 40 hours per week.

You can go on an exchange during your third semester or while you write your master’s thesis.

We encourage you to conduct your fieldwork abroad in the third semester. We have a number of partner organisations with projects that you can write your master's thesis on, and we help to facilitate your studies abroad.

The aim of the study is to qualify you for: 

• Positions that require knowledge and ability to develop and evaluate policy, services, and measures in the field of social policy.
• Positions in the public and private sector, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), or voluntary organizations engaged in welfare and social policy issues.
• Positions in management, research, and education.
• PhD-positions across social sciences