Sivilingeniør

Sivilingeniør used to be a Norwegian university degree protected by Norwegian law issued to graduates from technical universities. To qualify for the title, you had to follow a structured study programme in technology and natural sciences of 4,5 – 5 years duration at a Norwegian university or university college. The old Sivilingeniør degree was considered by the Norwegian Institute of Technology (NTH) to be equivalent to a Master of science degree.

Graduates with a Bachelor of Science from British or Canadian university could, if the course was approved by the Engineering Council UK or Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board, apply for the right to use the title sivilingeniør in Norway. A holder of an ABET-accredited Bachelor of Science degree from the United States required half a year more education at graduate level to get the right to use the title.^[1][2]

Education

Today sivilingeniør is a supplementory title to the Master of Science degree at some study programmes. It is awarded to students who either fulfill a structured five-year program in technology and natural sciences, without receiving an intermediate Bachelor's degree in the process, or who take a three-year Bachelor engineering program at a university college and then transfer to the Master's programs two last year at an applicable institution.

Most regional colleges offer engineering, though which programs are offered may vary. The Master's programs are primarily offered at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU) and the University of Tromsø (UiTø), though some regional colleges also offer Master's programs. The references to Bachelor and Master level degrees refer to the definition of the degrees given in the Bologna Framework.

History

The origin of the phrase Civil Engineer stems from the need to differentiate between a military engineer and a civilian engineer.

Traditionally only the Norwegian Institute of Technology (now part of NTNU) was allowed to educate sivilingeniørs in Norway. Until the 2002 Quality Reform that implemented the Bologna process, the education took 4.5 years, but was then changed to five years and the graduates are now awarded a master's degree according to the Bologna Framework.

References

1. Forskrift om godkjenning av utdanning som faglig jevngod med grad fastsatt etter universitetslovens §49, Fastsatt av kirke-,utdannings- og forskningdepartementet den 15. juni 1992.
2. Rett til bruk av tittelen sivilingeniør, NTH 1993