At Norwegian institutions of higher education, courses are measured in vekttall, the Norwegian term for credit units. The normal work load for 1 semester is 10 vekttall, which is equal to 30 ECTS credits. The cand.mag. degree denotes a broad general education and may be obtained in humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, or a combination of these. Graduate degrees include compulsory courses and papers, independent research and a thesis. Graduate degree studies may be followed by a doctoral study program.
Professional degrees have a more rigid structure.
These programs of study are normally composed of modules which must be taken in a given sequence. The University also offers a 5-year program of study in Fishery sciences. Most courses at the Faculty of Science are conducted in Norwegian but the course literature is frequently in English. English is easily understood, and it is possible to write examination papers in English. Some courses at the advanced level might be offered in English, although this is not mentioned in this catalogue.