Universitetstudier på Svalbard (UNIS)

The University Courses on Svalbard (UNIS) is a private foundation established by the Norwegian government and owned by Norway's four universities in Oslo, Bergen, Trondheim and Tromsø.The objective of the foundation is to offer university-level courses and to perform research relevant to Svalbard's geographical location in the high arctic. This location makes the archipelago an ideal location for both laboratory work, and the collection and analysis of data.

The courses are intended to complement the teaching given by the mainland universities, and they form part of standard courses of study that lead to examinations and degrees at intermediate, advanced and doctoral level.

UNIS is located in Longyearbyen. It came into operation in autumn 1993, when its first 23 students started courses in Arctic Geology and Arctic Geophysics. In autumn 1994, the range of subjects offered were expanded to include Arctic Biology, and a total of 33 students were admitted. The Arctic Technology programme was initially introduced in the autumn of 1996. UNIS reached its intended size of some 100 students and about 35 different courses during 1996.

The study programmes will gradually be given an international profile, and up to half of our students will be recruited from abroad. The instruction will therefore be in English.

In August 1995, UNIS moved into a new building (3200m²) which provides students and staff with good working conditions.

In the longer term, UNIS will form the core of the Svalbard Science Centre (SSC), an international Arctic centre of expertise in research and education on Svalbard, which will also incorporate a large number of professional and scientific institutions on the archipelago.


Graduate level courses are generally series 300 courses, although some series 200 courses in Geophysics are also held at graduate level.

Prerequisites for studying at UNIS
1.Prerequisites for the one-year programmes at UNIS:

Arctic Biology:
15 vt/45 ECTS Biology (Corresponds to 3/4 year of university level Biology).

Arctic Geology:
10 vt/30 ECTS Geology/Physical Geography (Corresponds to 1/2 year of university level Geology).

Arctic Geophysics:
30 vt/90 ECTS Mathematics/Physics/Geophysics (Corresponds to 1 1/2 year of university level Mathematics/Physics/ Geophysics).

Arctic Technology:
20 vt/60 ECTS Mathematics/Physics/Mechanics/ Chemistry (Corresponds to 1 year of university level Mathematics/Physics/Mechanics/ Chemistry).