About this programme
Master in Systems Modeling for Societal Challenges is a Master's Degree programme at University of Bergen 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. University of Bergen is a state university in Vestland.
What you will study
Systems Modeling for Societal Challenges is a two year master's at the University of Bergen, taught in English and worth 120 ECTS. The programme is built on system dynamics: the study of how complex systems change over time, and where the points for intervention sit. The department admits 25 students each autumn.
What you study
The first year is coursework. In semester one you take GEO-SD302 Fundamentals of System Dynamics, GEO-SD303 System Dynamics Modeling and Analysis and GEO-SD304 System Dynamics Modelling Process, 10 ECTS each. Semester two continues with GEO-SD308 Model-based Policy Design and Analysis, GEO-SD311 Analytical methods and advanced modelling and GEO-SD325 Client Based Modelling.
With permission from the department, one second semester course can be swapped for an elective: GEO-SD330 Natural Resource Management, GEO-SD322 Special Topics in System Dynamics, Policy, GEO-SD323 Special Topics in System Dynamics, Applications or GEO-SD324 Special Topics in System Dynamics, Methodology.
Semesters three and four are given to the master's thesis, GEO-SD350, 60 ECTS. You get a supervisor and join the activities of the System Dynamics research group. The thesis is where you specialise further in your own field.
The programme page states what you should be able to do afterwards: explain the root causes of unwanted change over time through closed loop thinking, understand the structural elements of dynamic complexity, build, simulate, validate and analyse computer models for policy design, involve clients and communities in defining problems and designing policy, and lead the building of interactive simulators used as learning and experimentation platforms.
How the programme is organised
This is a full time study and it asks for both quantitative and qualitative skills. A typical week has lectures, labs and assignments, with discussion inside and outside class. Teaching uses client based case studies and learning technology. You can study on campus in Bergen or online. Campus students spend most of their time at or near the Department of Geography in the city centre, which has reading rooms for master's students. Online students get collaboration forums, and the syllabus literature is available digitally through the library agreements.
In the second or third semester you can go on exchange to Palermo, Lisbon or Nijmegen.
Who it suits
It suits someone who wants to work on sustainability, resilience and security problems and is willing to learn modelling properly. You need a bachelor's degree of three to four years that includes 80 to 90 ECTS, about a year and a half of full time study, in relevant courses in the social sciences (management counts) or the natural sciences (engineering counts). The minimum average grade is Norwegian C, 2.5, or the equivalent. English proficiency must be documented.
Admission, language and next steps
Applications go through Søknadsweb. The deadlines differ by citizenship: 1 March for applicants from the EU, EEA and EFTA, 1 December for applicants from outside the EU, EEA and EFTA, and 15 April for Nordic citizens and applicants residing in Norway. Check the programme page for the procedure that applies to you before you start.
Students with citizenship from outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland pay tuition fees, though some applicants may be exempt. The programme also holds an information meeting on Zoom on 5 November, 16:00 to 17:00. Questions can go to advice.systdyn@uib.no or +47 55 58 98 50. The degree qualifies you for PhD studies.
Job opportunities after graduating
- Academia and research organisations
- International organisations and agencies
- NGOs
- Consulting companies
- Larger private enterprises
- Public enterprises
- PhD studies
Before you apply
Master’s applications go straight to University of Bergen, 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: Applicants from EU/EEA/EFTA: 1 March Applicants from outside of the EU/EEA/EFTA: 1 December. 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 Systems Modeling for Societal Challenges taught in English?
Yes. The Study in Norway register, run by HK-dir, lists it as an English-taught programme at University of Bergen. 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 University of Bergen.
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. University of Bergen 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 University of Bergen lists it: Applicants from EU/EEA/EFTA: 1 March Applicants from outside of the EU/EEA/EFTA: 1 December. 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 University of Bergen.
What does it cost?
University of Bergen gives this wording for the tuition: For non eu/eea citizens. Degree students from outside the EU, the EEA and Switzerland normally pay tuition at Norwegian institutions, and the fees vary by institution and programme. 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 University of Bergen is linked from this page so you can compare.