University of Tromsø facts for kids
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|
| Motto |
Drivkraft i nord
|
|---|---|
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Motto in English
|
Driving force in the North |
| Type | Public University |
| Established | 1968 |
| Chair | Marianne Elisabeth Johnsen |
| Rector | Dag Rune Olsen |
|
Total staff
|
3776 (2021) |
| Students | 17,808 (2021) |
| Location | , |
| Affiliations | EUA, UArctic |
| Website | www.uit.no |
The University of Tromsø – The Arctic University of Norway is a public university in Norway. It is the world's northernmost university! Located in the city of Tromsø, it started in 1972. It is one of ten universities in Norway.
This university is the biggest place for learning and research in Northern Norway. It is also the sixth-largest university in all of Norway. Because it is so far north, it is a great place to study the environment, culture, and people of the Arctic region.
The university focuses on many cool topics. These include Northern Lights research, space science, and studying fish (fishery science). They also look into biotechnology, languages (linguistics), and different cultures. Studying the Sami culture is important here. Other areas are telemedicine (healthcare from far away) and epidemiology (how diseases spread). Many projects focus on Arctic research. Nearby research centers, like the Norwegian Polar Institute, make Tromsø a key spot for Arctic studies. But the university also does research on many other subjects. Its researchers are known both in Norway and around the world.
Contents
History of UiT: How It Grew
The University of Tromsø has grown a lot over the years. It joined with other colleges to become bigger and offer more studies.
Joining Forces: UiT's Mergers
On January 1, 2009, the University of Tromsø joined with Tromsø University College. This meant the college's teacher training became part of the university. Then, on August 1, 2013, it merged with Finnmark University College. This added new campuses in Alta, Hammerfest, and Kirkenes. The university's name changed to The Arctic University of Norway. On January 1, 2016, Narvik University College and Harstad University College also joined. Now, the university has six campuses across northern Norway. The main campus is still in Tromsø.
What You Can Study: Faculties and Departments
The university is split into different main areas called faculties. Each faculty has many departments. These departments focus on specific subjects.
- Faculty of Biosciences, Fisheries and Economics
- Department of Arctic and Marine Biology
- The Norwegian College of Fishery Science
- School of Business and Economics
- Faculty of Engineering Science and Technology
- Department of Industrial Engineering
- Department of Building, Energy and Material Technology
- Department of Automation and Process Engineering
- Department of Computer Science and Computational Engineering
- Department of Electrical Engineering
- Faculty of Health Sciences
- Department of Medical Biology
- Department of Community Medicine
- Department of Clinical Medicine
- Department of Pharmacy
- Department of Clinical Dentistry
- Department of Psychology
- Department of Health and Care Sciences
- School of sport sciences
- Department of Social Education
- Faculty of Humanities, Social Sciences and Education
- The Barents Institute
- Centre for Women's and Gender Research
- Centre for Peace Studies, Tromsø (CPS)
- Department of Tourism and Northern Studies
- Centre for Sami Studies
- Department of Archaeology, History, Religious Studies and Theology
- Department of Philosophy
- Department of History and Religious Studies
- Department of Culture and Literature
- Department of Education
- Department of Language and Linguistics
- Center for Advanced Study in Theoretical Linguistics
- Department of Social Sciences
- Department of Language and Culture
- Department of Child Welfare and Social Work
- Faculty of Law
- Norwegian Centre for the Law of the Sea
- The Arctic University Museum of Norway and the Academy of Arts
- The Arctic University Museum of Norway
- Conservatory of Music
- Academy of Arts
- Faculty of Science and Technology
- Department of Chemistry
- Department of Computer Science
- Department of Geosciences
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics
- Department of Physics and Technology
- Department of Technology and Safety
- Tromsø School of Aviation
- Lie-Størmer Center for fundamental structures in computational and pure mathematics
- The University Library
How UiT Ranks: Reputation and Studies
| University rankings | |
|---|---|
| Global – Overall | |
| ARWU World | 601–700 (2023) |
| QS World | =577 (2024) |
| THE World | 501–600 (2024) |
| USNWR Global | =475 (2023) |
Universities are often ranked to show how good they are. These rankings look at things like research and teaching quality. The University of Tromsø is recognized globally. It is listed among the top universities in the world by different ranking systems.
Campus Buildings: Places to Learn
The university has many buildings where students learn and researchers work. The main campus in Tromsø is called Breivika. It has many different buildings for various subjects.
Tromsø Campus: A Look Around
The Breivika campus in Tromsø has 34 buildings. Each building is designed for different activities.
- Administration building
- Arctic Biology building
- Ardna
- Breivang building
- Breivika III
- Exact Sciences (Realfag) building
- Lower and Upper Gazebo buildings
- Medical and Health Faculty building
- Museum Botanical Unit
- Natural Sciences (Naturfag) building
- Norwegian College of Fishery Science
- Northern Lights Observatory
- Northern Lights Planetarium / Science Centre of Northern Norway
- Operations Centre
- Pharmacy Building
- Polar Museum
- Theoretical Subjects (Teorifag) building, Houses 1-6
- Tromsø University Museum
- University Library
Special Honors: Honorary Doctors
An "honorary doctor" is a special title given to people. These people have done amazing things in their field. The university gives them this honor to recognize their achievements.
- Mari Boine, Norway (2018)
- Olav Holt, Norway (2018)
- Richard Horton, UK (2018)
- Arieh Warshel, US (2018)
- Laila Stien, Norway (2015)
- Trond Mohn, Norway (2015)
- Oran R. Young, US (2015)
- Jonas Gahr Støre, Norway (2011)
- Narve Bjørgo, Norway (2008)
- Ole Henrik Magga, Norway (2008)
- Barbara Neis, Canada (2008)
- Steven Pinker, US (2008)
- Johan P. Olsen, Norway (2006)
- Jan Raa, Norway (2006)
- Rodolfo Stavenhagen, Mexico (2006)
- Ottar Brox, Norway (2003)
- Erica I.A. Daes, Greece (2003)
- Tor Hagfors, Norway (2003)
- Nawal el-Saadawi, Egypt (2003)
- Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, Tibet (2001)
- Mordechai Vanunu, Israel (2001)
- William Nygaard, Norway (1998)
- Salman Rushdie, UK (1998)
- Mikhail Gorbachev, Russia (1998)
- Robert Paine, Canada (1998)
- Susanne Romaine, UK (1998)
- Rigoberta Menchú Tum, Guatemala (1996)
- Carsten Smith, Norway (1995)
- Desmond Mpilo Tutu, South Africa (1994)
- Jørn Dyerberg, Denmark (1993)
- Torstein Bertelsen, Norway (1993)
- Georg Henrik von Wright, Finland (1993)
- Ragnhild Sundby, Norway (1993)
- Helga Marie Hernes, Norway (1993)
- Parzival Copes, Canada (1993)
- Amy van Marken, Netherlands (1987)
- Kjell Bondevik, Norway (1982)
- Peter F. Hjort, Norway (1982)
Important People: Faculty and Alumni
Many talented people have worked or studied at the University of Tromsø. They have gone on to do great things in various fields.
Notable Faculty: Teachers and Researchers
These are some of the well-known teachers and researchers who have worked at the university.
- Nils Jernsletten (born 1934), a professor of Sámi languages. He was also an editor for the Sámi newspaper Ságat.
- Jelena Porsanger (born 1967), a Russian Sami ethnographer and university leader.
Notable Alumni: Successful Graduates
These are some famous people who studied at the University of Tromsø.
- Monica Kristensen Solås (born 1950), a scientist who studies glaciers and weather. She is also an explorer and a writer of crime novels.
- Svein-Erik Hamran (born 1960), he helped create the RIMFAX tool for the Mars rover Perseverance.
- Sandra Márjá West (born 1990), a politician and manager of the Riddu Riđđu festival.
- Marianne Haukland (born 1989), a politician and a member of a special committee in Norway.
University Logo: Ravens of Wisdom
The university's logo features two ravens. Their names are Huginn and Muninn. In old Norse mythology, these ravens fly around the world for the god Odin. They bring him news and information. Huginn means "thought," and Muninn means "memory." Ravens were an important symbol for the Norse people long ago.
See also
In Spanish: Universidad de Tromsø para niños
- Open access in Norway
