Department of Political Science and International Relations
Welcome to the Department of Political Science and International Relations. We offer a variety of individual courses, one-year programs, and bachelor's programs in political science and international relations, including Norway's first and only bachelor's degree in peace and conflict studies.
Exciting Opportunities with Dedicated Faculty
With our strong and dedicated team of academics, we can guarantee an interesting and thought-provoking academic experience. Our staff have extensive international experience and come from a variety of academic disciplines. Their enthusiasm to share this with our students in the classroom makes for a one-of-a-kind semester.
Our college also draws on the longstanding Norwegian diplomatic tradition of promoting conflict resolution through mediation, and benefits from the extensive NGO and peace research sector in Oslo. Guest lectures are regularly given by prominent academics, diplomats, politicians, military and practitioners.
Our cutting edge courses in Peace and Conflict Studies and International Relations are offered in English during the autumn semester (August-December) in an international teaching environment where you will take classes together with Norwegian students.
The programme draws on expertise from Norway’s renowned peace research community. Students will be challenged to discuss and analyse both historical and current international issues and receive advanced academic training. As the first educational institution in Norway offering Peace and Conflict Studies at an undergraduate level, we are confident that you will not regret spending a semester with us.
The semester represents a highly attractive opportunity for students looking for a unique study abroad experience.
We have more than 300 students across the various study programs at our department. About half are online students, while the other half study on the Lovisenberg campus in Oslo.
International Focus and Institutional Links
Oslo New University College (ONUC) has a broad international focus and network. In addition to collaborating with a number of international institutions, we facilitate study trips and exchange programmes to the United States, Tanzania, the Middle East, South Africa, Ethiopia, Australia and Svalbard. Each autumn we invite international students to spend an exciting semester with us in Oslo.
Over the years, we have established strong institutional links with NGOs and academic and research institutions, such as the world famous Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO), the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), Fridtjof Nansen Institute (FNI) and the Nobel Institute. These are some of the institutions you will be familiar with during your time in Oslo.
It is very important to us that the college's core values – closeness, quality, and reliability – are also reflected at the department. We are committed to keeping the distance between students and academic staff as short as possible, both for students on campus and online. Our offices are therefore open, and you have every opportunity to receive close follow-up from our academic staff, as well as study and career advisors when you need it. This helps make your study experience as good, safe, and inspiring as possible.
As a student at Political science and International Relations, you will also experience many different teaching and assessment methods. In the classroom, we focus on interaction and student participation, while varied work requirements and exam formats give you the opportunity to acquire different skills that will be highly beneficial in the working world.
The Department of Political Science and International Relations is one of four departments at Oslo New College. We are the first and currently the only institution in Norway to offer a bachelor's degree in peace and conflict studies. The program started as a one-year study in 2009. The following year, Nokut approved the establishment of a full bachelor's degree. This program was an immediate success and has been a central part of the department's operations since.
In 2016, we expanded our study offerings with a one-year program and a bachelor's degree in international studies, while also applying to Nokut for permission to offer all our studies as online programs. This was approved, and we welcomed our first online students that autumn. We further expanded our study offerings with a one-year program in security studies and international relations in 2019, available exclusively as an online program. In the autumn of 2020, we received Nokut accreditation for another study program, this time a bachelor's and one-year program in political science. This is also offered as both an on-site and online study.
The first students started in political science in the autumn of 2021. With this, we became the first and only educational institution in Norway to offer a full bachelor's degree in political science as an online program.
Over the years, Oslo Nye University College has established strong institutional links with other academic and research institutions, such as:
- The renowned Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO)
- The Nobel Institute
- Fridtjof Nansen Institute (FNI)
- Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC)
We have institutional partnerships with several international universities, such as Mekelle University (Ethiopia), Egerton University (Kenya), Stellenbosch University (South Africa), Pacific Luteran University (US), University of Florida (US), Edith Cowan Unviersity (Australia) to mention a few.
With our strong and dedicated team of academics, we can guarantee an interesting and thought-provoking academic experience. Our staff have extensive international experience and come from a variety of academic disciplines. Their enthusiasm to share this with our students in the classroom makes for a one-of-a-kind semester.
Our Teaching Staff Includes
- Professor Henrik Syse (member of the Norwegian Nobel Committee and research professor at PRIO)
- Professor Bernt Hagtvet (one of Norway’s most renowned political scientists and former professor at Yale University)
- Associate Professor Hilde Restad (US foreign policy expert, PhD from the University of Virginia)
- Associate Professor Christopher White (specialist in political theory and British politics, PhD from London School of Economics, LSE)
- Associate Professor Jonas Dræge (specialist in democracy and the Middle East, PhD from European University Institute and postdoc from Harvard University)
- Professor Kjetil Tronvoll (Africa expert and formerly professor of human rights at the University of Oslo).
For more information about our staff, see our staff presentation.
Each semester we welcome international guest lecturers. Lectures have been given by amongst others
- Roger Griffin (Emeritus Professor, Oxford Brooks University)
- Jan Egeland (Director of NRC and former UN Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs)
- Kjell Magne Bondevik (former Prime Minister of Norway)
- Shamil Idriss (CEO of Search for Common Ground)
- Kai Eide (Ambassador and former UN Special Envoy to Afghanistan)
- Erik Møse (Supreme Court Justice of Norway and former President of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda)
- Antony Beevor (Author and historian)
- various Ambassadors to Norway
Our college also draws on human resources from various sectors, such as the NGO community, the peace research sector, from the military as well as politics.