About this programme
Master in Healthy Ageing and Rehabilitation is a Master's Degree programme at Western Norway University of Applied Sciences in Bergen, taught in English. It runs for 2 years and carries 120 ECTS credits. The register gives Bergen as the campus town. It lists the degree as Master. Western Norway University of Applied Sciences is a university college in Vestland.
How it compares
Master in Healthy Ageing and Rehabilitation is one of 3 English-taught Public Health programmes at Master's Degree level in the register, offered by 3 institutions. 1 of them lists an annual fee for students from outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland; this programme lists NOK 180,000 a year. 3 are recorded as free for EU, EEA and Swiss students.
What you will study
This master's programme at Western Norway University of Applied Sciences (HVL) is for health and social professionals who want to work with older people. The world's population is ageing, and the programme page says the number of people aged 60 and over will double by 2050. That puts pressure on health systems and raises demand for rehabilitation professionals. The programme is fully online, international and interprofessional, and it leads to a Master's degree after 120 ECTS over two years of full-time study.
What you study
The programme covers healthy ageing and rehabilitation from a global and interprofessional angle. According to the page, you learn about:
- Globally relevant theories, practices and research in healthy ageing and rehabilitation
- Critical approaches to challenges of healthy ageing and rehabilitation locally, nationally and globally, with reference to socio-cultural, economic and political contexts
- How to collaborate in interprofessional and intersectoral teams and with various stakeholders
- How to use innovation, technology and leadership in rehabilitation to shape services and policies for the capabilities and well-being of ageing populations
- How to conduct research and use evidence in policy and service development
- Health promoting and reabling measures, from older adults' functioning and living conditions to environmental contexts
To earn the degree you take six courses (80 ECTS in total) and complete a master's thesis (40 ECTS).
How the programme is organised
The programme is a cohort-based, two-year, full-time programme taught in English. It is fully online, with one two-week hybrid session in the second year. Most of the time you work on your own, but there are regular online, synchronous sessions where you meet your fellow students.
You can apply for exchange in the third semester. The page lists three partner universities: the University of Dhaka in Bangladesh (through the Bangladesh Health Professions Institute, an academic branch of the Centre for the Rehabilitation of the Paralysed), KU Leuven in Belgium, and Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre in Tanzania. You do not pay tuition fees at the exchange institution, but there can be other costs such as visas and vaccines. Teaching on exchange is in English, and visa rules vary by country.
Who it suits
The programme is relevant for students from many disciplines. The page names physiotherapy, community-based rehabilitation (CBR), occupational therapy, nursing, dentistry, medicine, psychology, social work, public health, social education, and prosthetics and orthotics. It suits people who want to work with older adults in management, policy, advocacy or practice, or take leadership roles in education, rehabilitation or the health and social sector. It also prepares you for international, governmental and non-governmental organisations that work on ageing and rehabilitation.
Admission, language and next steps
You need a relevant bachelor's degree equivalent to 180 ECTS in a health or social profession. The page lists physiotherapists, occupational therapists, nurses, orthotic and prosthetics engineers, medical doctors, social workers, social educators and speech therapists, and also accepts a bachelor's in public health or community-based rehabilitation from a recognised institution. Your grade point average must be C or better. Applicants from outside the Nordic countries must document their academic achievements and English proficiency.
Application deadlines are set by HVL. The page gives non-EU/EEA applicants a deadline of 1 December and EU/EEA applicants a deadline of 1 March. Check the programme page for the exact dates and the application form. Students from the EU/EEA and Switzerland are normally exempt from tuition fees at state institutions. Other degree students normally pay a fee set by the institution. HVL is a university college.
Job opportunities after graduating
- International, governmental and non-governmental organisations working on ageing and rehabilitation
- Management and policy work with older adults
- Advocacy for older adults
- Practice roles in rehabilitation with older adults
- Leadership positions in education
- Leadership positions in the rehabilitation sector
- Leadership positions in the health and social sector
- PhD studies and a research career
Before you apply
Master’s applications go straight to Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, not through the national admission service (NUCAS). Study in Norway states that you need a bachelor’s degree comparable to a Norwegian bachelor’s degree (180 ECTS), including courses equal to at least one and a half years of full-time study relevant to the programme. The institution lists its deadline as: Non-EU/EEA: Dec 1st 2023 for the 2024 program. EU/EEA: March 1st 2024. The register shows 1 December 2026 as a deadline date for this programme. Deadlines are set by each institution for each programme, so confirm yours. Entry requirements and language tests are also set by the institution, so start from the official programme page. Our guides cover tuition fees, study permits and housing.
Facts on this page come from the Study in Norway register, the official English-programme list run by HK-dir, the Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills. Fees are in NOK as the institution lists them. "Not listed" means the register has no figure, not that the programme is free. Always confirm requirements, fees and deadlines with the institution.
Quick answers
Is Master in Healthy Ageing and Rehabilitation taught in English?
Yes. The Study in Norway register, run by HK-dir, lists it as an English-taught programme at Western Norway University of Applied Sciences. Only English-taught degree programmes are included here.
How long does it take?
The register records 2 years of study and 120 ECTS credits. Sixty ECTS credits are one academic year of full-time study.
Where is it taught?
The register lists Bergen as the campus town for this programme at Western Norway University of Applied Sciences.
How do I apply?
Master’s applications go straight to the institution, not through the national admission service (NUCAS). Study in Norway states that you need a bachelor’s degree comparable to a Norwegian bachelor’s degree (180 ECTS), including courses equal to at least one and a half years of full-time study relevant to the programme, and some programmes require a minimum grade average. Western Norway University of Applied Sciences publishes its requirements on the programme page.
When is the application deadline?
Each institution sets and publishes its own deadline for each programme, and the dates can differ between applicants from outside the EU/EEA, EU/EEA applicants and Nordic applicants. As Western Norway University of Applied Sciences lists it: Non-EU/EEA: Dec 1st 2023 for the 2024 program. EU/EEA: March 1st 2024. The register shows 1 December 2026 as a deadline date for this programme. Confirm the date for your own situation on the programme page at Western Norway University of Applied Sciences.
What does it cost?
Students from outside the EU, the EEA and Switzerland pay NOK 180,000 a year, as Western Norway University of Applied Sciences lists it. For students from the EU, the EEA and Switzerland the record shows no tuition fee. Fees are in NOK as the institution lists them. Every student also pays a semester fee of about NOK 1,000 to the student welfare organisation linked to the institution.
Do I need a permit to study there?
Students from outside the EU, the EEA and Switzerland need a study permit from the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI). UDI asks for proof of admission, housing and funds of NOK 15,488 a month or NOK 170,368 a year (2026/27), on top of any tuition fee. A study permit allows work of up to 20 hours a week during term and full time in the holidays. Students from the EU, the EEA and Switzerland register with the police within three months of arrival instead.
Is this programme officially listed?
It comes from the Study in Norway register at studyinnorway.no, the English-programme list run by HK-dir, the Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills. The programme page at Western Norway University of Applied Sciences is linked from this page so you can compare.
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