Last Updated on January 19, 2023
According to the QS World University Rankings 2021, there are three Norwegian universities that have impressed the international education world and are now part of the top business schools where you can study Business and Management:
- BI Norwegian Business School
- NHH – Norwegian School of Economics
- Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)
1. BI Norwegian Business School
The BI Norwegian Business School is a private university and the largest business school in Norway. It is also a Triple Crown School, having received accreditations from the European EQUIS, the American AACSB, and the British AMBA.
These accreditations highlight the high standards of courses and the quality of education students receive at this university. Being a private institution, all international students have to pay tuition for their courses. Tuition fees for Master’s degrees in Business range between 10,330 – 30,050 EUR/academic year. These fees apply to both EU/EEA and non-EU/EEA citizens.
Business degrees offered at the BI Norwegian Business School focus on preparing students for the work market, helping them develop skills and knowledge which have real-life applications.
2. NHH – Norwegian School of Economics
The NHH Norwegian School of Economics is a public university and one of the top business schools in Europe. Over 3,400 students enrol every year in undergraduate and graduate programmes offered by NHH.
Because it is a public university, there is no tuition fee for its study programmes, including Business courses. This applies to all international students, regardless of their nationality. You only need to cover your living costs in Norway, including accommodation, food, study materials, etc.
Over 50% of students at NHH go on exchange programmes, which is a great opportunity if you want to travel and study in other countries.
3. The Norwegian University of Science and Technology
The name of the university “The Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)” reveals its main profile or focus, which is Science and Technology. But that doesn’t mean the institution doesn’t offer study programmes in other disciplines. You can find degrees in Humanities, Social Sciences, Medicine, Architecture, and even Business & Management.
Like NHH, the previous university on our list, NTNU is a public university, which means that international students do not pay tuition fees for their studies. This applies to both EU/EEA and non-EU/EEA citizens.
Over 40,000 students enrol at NTNU every year, making it one of the largest universities in Norway.
Read the study experience of Gabriel, who pursued a Management degree in Norway.
Employment potential for Norwegian Business students
The three business universities on our list have been ranked also taking into consideration the employment potential. For example, representatives of NHH claim that around 76% of their students find employment even before graduation.
However, in reality, student placement rates are more about the actual students’ achievements rather than the number of information/career sessions held on campus. At this point, it is easy to see the benefits of a school recognised for its selectivity in a demand-driven labour market.
While universities and colleges provide ample engagement opportunities, when looking for a job abroad, (with a few exceptions) it is an entirely different competition, and on-campus recruitment often does little to assist with this, regardless of the institution.
Many graduates are drawn to global financial centres in highly demanding graduate roles at banking, trading, resources, or consulting companies. Picking a business school and choosing a study programme should reflect these ambitions, even if you are not yet clear on the specifics of what those ambitions are.
By studying subjects like Petroleum Economics, Energy Markets, and Commodities Trading, you would gain a much better employment starting position and differentiate yourself from thousands of other students who studied these subjects in a more non-applied theoretical manner.
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The benefits of studying Business in Scandinavia
Although these business schools carry a great significance in terms of reputation, it may be a mistake to stop looking beyond them, especially if you are considering the possibility of developing a career in the Americas or the Asia-Pacific region, where ‘what’ you studied will be much more important than ‘where’ you studied as a graduate from a likely unfamiliar university.
However, assuming that the incredible standard of living, the quality of life and graduate opportunities are all, to an extent, comparable across different regions, selecting a business school in Scandinavia can be surprisingly straightforward.
As an ambitious and/or socially conscious student looking for the opportunity to demonstrate this and learn from the best, the more appropriate questions to be asking are:
- Why not Norway?
- Why not go to the country that is world-renowned for its innovation in sustainability and economic policy?
- Why not go to the country with the world’s largest sovereign wealth fund, which serves as the most visible metric of these successful policies and management?
