Nordic Master in Friluftsliv Studies (Outdoor Studies)

Bø and Other locations - Full time

Why Nordic Master in Friluftsliv Studies?

We offer you two years of high quality, cross-border and cross-disciplinary studies in the cultures and practices of Nordic Friluftsliv. The study leads to a joint master’s degree and a joint master’s diploma. You get to live and experience the diversity and similarities in the outdoors in three Scandinavian countries.

The programme is designed to start in the fall of 2020, with the first of (at least) three cohorts of international students.

What kind of job do you get?

With a Master in Friluftsliv Studies, students can:

• take employment in the private, civic or public sectors
• work as a manager or administrator in (eco-)tourism, health promotion, recreation, management
• teach in nature and green areas
• take jobs in the education sector, such as in kindergartens, primary schools, secondary schools, folk high schools or boarding schools, if combined with at bachelor's degree from a teachers’ education or another formal teacher certificate
• take jobs in higher education, if combined with the further studies for PhD degrees

Working with local business communities

Within the study you will have a self-selected practicum at an external cooperation within Sweden, Norway or Iceland. Students are encouraged to write their master's thesis in cooperation with or on behalf of external actors in one of the collaborating countries or in the North Atlantic Region. 

What will you learn

Through the programme you will examine the problems and potentials related to the changes relevant to friluftsliv studies past, present and future.

You will also gain the skills in dealing with current and impending research of sustainable and healthy learning and development.

You will learn to work systematically and critically with research-based knowledge, methods and concepts in order to understand and develop new knowledge about how humans relate to, conceptualize and make sense of nature and friluftsliv (outdoor studies).

Further study opportunities

Students who graduate from this programme can apply on available PhD programmes in culture studies or similar fields of research.

Studying in three countries: Norway, Sweden and Iceland

The Nordic Master in Friluftsliv Studies is run collaboratively by a consortium of three Nordic universities, each of which is recognized as a nationally leading university in the field of Friluftsliv/Outdoor studies. 

You will spend the first semester at The Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences (GIH), Stockholm. Second semester at the University of South-Eastern Norway (USN) at campus Bø in Vestfold and Telemark county. Third semester at Hólar University (HU), Department of rural tourism. 

The Nordic council of Ministers have supported the programme.

Useful links

Click the elements below for a list of links concerning the different countries and institutions.

Tuition fees

The Consortium has decided on a joint policy that the students must follow at this moment.

National students, EU, EEA and Swiss students do not pay tuition fees in public higher education institutions in the Nordic countries.

• In Sweden, third-country students pay tuition fees. The fee is at present SEK 100000 per semester at GIH.
• At Hólar University, students do not pay tuition fees, but an annual registration fee of ISK 75000 (about 550 Euros or 5570NOK).
• Studies are still tuition-free in Norway, but all students pay a semester fee (approximately NOK 1000 per semester) for services provided by the “Studentsamskipnaden” (student welfare organisation). There is also a rather large deposit for the student permit application.

These costs will be covered by the individual students admitted.

Course plan

keyboard_backspace Download cours plan (.pdf).

Attention, this course plan contains two subject from NIH. These subjects will be run by USN in the future – minor changes will be publised in early january 2023.