The University of South-Eastern Norway (USN) is an integral part of an exciting and dynamic region that contains hi-tech industries at the forefront of the green transition, a rich maritime tradition dating back to the Viking age, and UNESCO World Heritage sites. USN is located in two counties with eight campuses (Bø, Drammen, Horten, Kongsberg, Notodden, Porsgrunn, Ringerike and Rauland), 1 900 staff and 18, 000 students. USN is integrated in society and the labour market, cooperating closely with regional businesses and the public sector to ensure the best possible education for future employees.
This relevance to working life is further emphasised, through endowed professorships sponsored by regional actors and a multitude of externally funded projects based in the regional innovation ecosystem. Environmental, economic and social sustainability are embedded in teaching and research activities at USN as to promote sustainability and support the UN Sustainable Development Goals. USNs commitment to sustainability is furthered in the Centre for Environmental Transitions which has been established to coordinate and maximise on the sustainability efforts between faculties.
A broad range of study programmes are offered at Bachelor, Master and Ph.D. level in health and social sciences, engineering and technology, education, sports, humanities, business studies and more. To facilitate internationalisation a wide range of courses are available in English for incoming exchange students. USN has a proven record for delivering innovative and relevant study programmes, winning the national prize for quality in education five times since 2008. Most recently for the innovative Industry Master programmes, where students are employed 50% in a relevant company. Our research explores a wide range of regional and global challenges in, for example, health, society, the environment, technology and education. Our key research areas span from micro and nano systems, health services development, culture studies, ecology, management, maritime logistics and training, vision science, health technology, systems engineering, process industry, energy systems, to pedagogical resources and learning processes. With a number of our research groups participating in national centres of excellence in research, education, innovation and environmentally friendly energy.
Harnessing the research expertise at USN to contribute to expanding the forefronts of knowledge and solving global challenges at a European and international level is high on our agenda. As such, active participation in the EUs research, innovation and education programmes are a priority and provide an exciting opportunity to build strong and long-lasting collaborations.
