Agder University College
Encyclopedia
Public university
A public university is a university that is predominantly funded by public means through a national or subnational government, as opposed to private universities. A national university may or may not be considered a public university, depending on regions...
located in both Kristiansand
Kristiansand
-History:As indicated by archeological findings in the city, the Kristiansand area has been settled at least since 400 AD. A royal farm is known to have been situated on Oddernes as early as 800, and the first church was built around 1040...
and Grimstad
Grimstad
is a town and municipality in Aust-Agder county, Norway. It belongs to the geographical region of Sørlandet. The administrative center of the municipality is the town of Grimstad. Other notable places in Grimstad include Eide, Fevik, Fjære, Landvik, Prestegårdskogen, Reddal, and Roresanden.It is...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. The institution was established as a University college
University college
The term "university college" is used in a number of countries to denote college institutions that provide tertiary education but do not have full or independent university status. A university college is often part of a larger university...
in 1994 with the merger of six colleges and was granted its current status as a University
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
in 2007, but its academic activity dates as far back as 1839. It is one of eight universities in Norway, with the other seven being the University of Oslo
University of Oslo
The University of Oslo , formerly The Royal Frederick University , is the oldest and largest university in Norway, situated in the Norwegian capital of Oslo. The university was founded in 1811 and was modelled after the recently established University of Berlin...
, the University of Tromsø
University of Tromsø
The University of Tromsø is the world's northernmost university. Located in the city of Tromsø, Norway, it was established in 1968, and opened in 1972. It is one of eight universities in Norway. The University of Tromsø is the largest research and educational institution in northern Norway...
, the University of Stavanger
University of Stavanger
The University of Stavanger is located in Stavanger, Norway and has about 8,500 students and 1200 administration, faculty and service staff. It is organised in three faculties, including two national centres of expertise. It includes 107 professors, and more than 150 of the academic staff hold...
, the University of Bergen
University of Bergen
The University of Bergen is located in Bergen, Norway. Although founded as late as 1946, academic activity had taken place at Bergen Museum as far back as 1825. The university today serves more than 14,500 students...
, the Norwegian University of Life Sciences
Norwegian University of Life Sciences
The Norwegian University of Life Sciences is a public university located in Ås, Norway.It is located at Ås in Akershus, near Oslo, and has around 3800 students...
in Ås
Ås
Ås is a municipality in Akershus county, Norway. It is part of the Follo traditional region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Ås...
, the Norwegian University of Science and Technology
Norwegian University of Science and Technology
The Norwegian University of Science and Technology , commonly known as NTNU, is located in Trondheim. NTNU is the second largest of the eight universities in Norway, and, as its name suggests, has the main national responsibility for higher education in engineering and technology...
in Trondheim
Trondheim
Trondheim , historically, Nidaros and Trondhjem, is a city and municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. With a population of 173,486, it is the third most populous municipality and city in the country, although the fourth largest metropolitan area. It is the administrative centre of...
and the University of Nordland in Bodø
Bodø
is a city and a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the Salten region.The city of Bodø was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 . Bodin was merged with Bodø on 1 January 1968. Skjerstad was merged with Bodø on 1 January 2005...
.
History
The idea of a university in the Agder region is not completely new. In his short period as ruler of the union of Denmark–NorwayDenmark–Norway
Denmark–Norway is the historiographical name for a former political entity consisting of the kingdoms of Denmark and Norway, including the originally Norwegian dependencies of Iceland, Greenland and the Faroe Islands...
, Johann Friedrich Struensee
Johann Friedrich Struensee
Count Johann Friedrich Struensee was a German doctor. He became royal physician to the mentally ill King Christian VII of Denmark and a minister in the Danish government. He rose in power to a position of “de facto” regent of the country, where he tried to carry out widespread reforms...
planned on reforming the University of Copenhagen
University of Copenhagen
The University of Copenhagen is the oldest and largest university and research institution in Denmark. Founded in 1479, it has more than 37,000 students, the majority of whom are female , and more than 7,000 employees. The university has several campuses located in and around Copenhagen, with the...
. He gave Bishop Johann Ernst Gunnerus of Trondheim
Trondheim
Trondheim , historically, Nidaros and Trondhjem, is a city and municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. With a population of 173,486, it is the third most populous municipality and city in the country, although the fourth largest metropolitan area. It is the administrative centre of...
the task of developing more detailed plans. Gunnerus presented a proposal in 1771 in which he suggested establishing a new university in Norway, and placing it in Kristiansand.
The motives for suggesting Kristiansand as a university town have been debated. Regardless, the idea was soon discarded as planning began for the first Norwegian university. In 1811, a resolution was passed to establish Norway's first university in Christiania (Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
).
Even without a university in the region, and as the need for better educated employees rose, several smaller colleges were established throughout the Agder region. The first, Kristiansand Teacher Training College
Kristiansand Teacher Training College
Kristiansand Teacher Training College was established as Holt Seminary in Holt, Aust-Agder, Norway in 1839. The first teachers' college was located at the parsonage at Holt Church...
was originally founded at Holt, Aust-Agder in 1839, making it one of the oldest institutions of higher education in Norway. It was followed by Arendal College of Nursing (1920), Agder Music Conservatory (1965), Agder Regional College of Technology (1967), Agder Regional College (1969) and Kristiansand College of Nursing (1976).
Agder University College was established by a merger in 1994, when the six public regional colleges in the Agder counties became one institution. The University College received full university accreditation and became the University of Agder on 1 September 2007. In 2009, the University of Agder has approximately 8,000 students, 1000 employees and an annual budget of about 800 million NOK (140 Million Us$).
Today , the process of consolidating the University continues. In 2010 the University's activities in Aust Agder (Grimstad and Arendal) will merge onto UiA's new campus in Televeien in Grimstad, and activities in Kristiansand will be concentrated on the campus at Gimlemoen.
Gimlemoen (Kristiansand)
The university's central administration and Faculty of Humanities and Education are located on the Gimlemoen campus. In addition, the Faculties of Economics and Social Sciences, Fine Arts and Health and Sport, and the departments of natural sciences and mathematical sciences (Faculty of Engineering and Science), have most of their programmes and activities here.Grimstad
The campus of Grimstad is brand new and was opened the fall of 2010 and serves 2500 engineering, nursing and teacher education students.Organisation and administration
UiA has a shared leadership. The dean is elected by the students and members of staff and faculty, who becomes the head of the university board, and is responsible for the academic programmes and activities. The university director is the head of administration, and is responsible for all economic and administrative affairs.Faculties and Academia
The University of Agder has five faculties and offers over 175 study programmes including 20 Master programmes and 7 PhD programmes.Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences
- Department of Economics and Business Administration (Gimlemoen)http://www.uia.no/en/portals/about_the_university/economics_and_social_sciences/economics_and_business_administration
- Department of Development Studies (Gimlemoen)http://www.uia.no/en/portals/about_the_university/economics_and_social_sciences/development_studies
- Department of Information Systems http://www.uia.no/en/portals/about_the_university/economics_and_social_sciences/information_systems
- Department of Political Science and Management (Gimlemoen)http://www.uia.no/en/portals/about_the_university/economics_and_social_sciences/political_science_and_management
- Department of Sociology, Social Work and Welfare Studies (Gimlemoen)http://www.uia.no/en/portals/about_the_university/economics_and_social_sciences/sociology_social_work_and_welfare_studies
- Department of Working Life and Innovation (Gimlemoen)http://www.uia.no/en/portals/about_the_university/economics_and_social_sciences/working_life_and_innovation
Faculty of Fine Arts
- Department of Music (Gimlemoen)http://www.uia.no/en/portals/about_the_university/fine_arts/departments_and_fields_of_study
- Department of Visual and Dramatic Arts (Gimlemoen)http://www.uia.no/en/portals/about_the_university/fine_arts/departments_and_fields_of_study
Faculty of Health and Sport Sciences
- Department of Public Health, Sport and Nutrition (Gimlemoen/Grimstad)http://www.uia.no/en/portals/about_the_university/health_and_sport
- Department of Health and Nursing Science (Gimlemoen/Grimstad)http://www.uia.no/en/portals/about_the_university/health_and_sport
- Department of Psychososial Health (Gimlemoen/Grimstad)http://www.uia.no/en/portals/about_the_university/health_and_sport
Faculty of Humanities and Education
- Department of Foreign Languages and Translation (Gimlemoen/Grimstad)http://www.uia.no/en/portals/about_the_university/humanities_and_education/department_of_foreign_languages_and_translation
- Department of Nordic and Media Studies (Gimlemoen)http://www.uia.no/en/portals/about_the_university/humanities_and_education/department_of_nordic_and_media_studies
- Department of Education (Gimlemoen)http://www.uia.no/en/portals/about_the_university/humanities_and_education/department_of_education
- Department of Religion, Philosophy and History (Gimlemoen)http://www.uia.no/en/portals/about_the_university/humanities_and_education/department_of_religion_philosophy_and_history
Faculty of Engineering and Science
- Department of Mathematical Sciences (Gimlemoen)http://www.uia.no/en/portals/about_the_university/engineering_and_science/-_mathematical_sciences
- Department of Natural Sciences (Gimlemoen)http://www.uia.no/en/portals/about_the_university/engineering_and_science/-_natural_sciences
- Department of Engineering (Grimstad)http://www.uia.no/en/portals/about_the_university/engineering_and_science/-_engineering
- Department of ICT (Grimstad) http://www.uia.no/en/portals/about_the_university/engineering_and_science/-_ict
Teacher Education
The teacher training programmes are organized in a interdisciplinary fashion.http://www.uia.no/en/portals/about_the_university/teacher_educationResearch Centres
- Achieving Accountability in School Practice http://www.uia.no/en/portals/about_the_university/humanities_and_education/research/projects/achieving_accountability_in_school_practice
- Centre for Business Systems
- Centre for Care Research
- Centre for Cultural Studies
- Centre for Development Studies http://www.uia.no/en/portals/about_the_university/economics_and_social_sciences/development_studies
- Centre for Didactics
- Centre for Entrepreneurship
- Centre for European Studies http://www.uia.no/en/content/view/full/8246
- Centre for Gender Equality
- Centre for Innovation and Work Life Studies
- Centre for International Economics and Shipping http://www.uia.no/en/portals/about_the_university/economics_and_social_sciences/centres/international_economics_and_shipping
- Centre for Multicultural Activities http://www.uia.no/en/portals/about_the_university/humanities_and_education/networks_and_centres/centre_for_multicultural_activities
- Centre for Norwegian Studies Abroad http://www.uia.no/en/portals/about_the_university/humanities_and_education/networks_and_centres/centre_for_norwegian_studies_abroad
- Centre for Real Estate
- Center for Sustainable Energy Solutions http://www.cense.no/
- Norwegian Centre for Offshore Wind Energy (NORCOWE) http://www.norcowe.no/index.cfm?id=230968