Norway - first cycle programmes

The Høgskolekandidat (College candidate) degree is obtained after two years  of study. This degree may be built upon to obtain a Bachelor's degree. The degree is offered at state university colleges and a few private institutions.The Bachelor's degree is awarded by all institutions subject to the Universities and University Colleges Act. It is obtained after a minimum of three years' study. The national university colleges of the arts offer a Bachelor's degree of four years' duration.

OLD SYSTEM: The first degree, Candidatus/Candidata magisterii (Cand.mag.) was normally obtained after three-and-a-half years in Mathematics and Natural Sciences and four years in Arts and Social Sciences. The specialized Høgskolekandidat degree of two to three years' duration could be built upon to obtain a Cand.mag.degree. Some institutions offered a four-year Høgskolekandidat degree. The Cand.mag. degree was awarded by all universities, state university colleges, art colleges and a good number of other higher education institutions, both public and private, and could, in that sense, be described as a "national" degree. The pre-reform degree candidatus/candidata magisteri was phased out in 2005.