Why study with us?
The Norwegian Study Centre’s YorkCourse is a challenging and rewarding interdisciplinary programme that will immerse you in the language and culture of the UK whilst also helping you develop the kind of international outlook that is increasingly valuable in today’s complex and fast evolving world. We are a small and friendly department, boasting a proven record of excellence in delivering high quality teaching to students from Norway. Our YorkCourse in English features optional modules in Literature, Politics, Linguistics, and History - as well as an innovative interdisciplinary core module. The programme will immerse you in the language and culture of the UK whilst also emphasising global connections and contexts. It thus offers the perfect opportunity to further hone your academic and practical skills in an intellectually stimulating environment that lends equal weight to intercultural dialogue and analytical rigour.
Your experience will also be aided by access to the tremendous resources of the wider University of York, as well as by the cultural richness of York itself.
Our department
Our department
The Norwegian Study Centre has its own teaching rooms and offices in Quantum House, on the edge of the University of York’s main Heslington West campus. The department is home to four members of academic staff, two members of professional support staff, and a director (on secondment from a Norwegian university). All of our academic staff are research-active experts in their fields, and you can find out more about them on our staff pages.
You will have classes with all four members of academic staff during your studies, and will also be assigned one of them as an academic/pastoral supervisor. Our director will also be available for additional pastoral support, in Norwegian if preferred. Staff are readily available when needed, whether remotely or in person.
We are conscious that studying abroad can be challenging, especially if it is for the first time and is in the context of a wider degree programme in Norway. Aspects of the programme at York may be different to what you are used to (seminars play a larger role in teaching in the UK than in many Norwegian universities, for example), but staff are on hand to offer lots of help wherever it is needed. This includes one-on-one supervisions to support you with your assessments, alongside study skills sessions that are embedded into modules.
You will have access to a wide range of university facilities during your time at York, but the Norwegian Study Centre also has its own YorkCourse library and exclusive study spaces.
Our university
Our university
The University of York is widely recognised around the world for the quality of its teaching and research. It is consistently ranked in the top 20 universities in the UK and the top 200 in the world. The Norwegian Study Centre is a constituent department of the Faculty of Arts & Humanities, which is central to the university’s globally renowned offering. In 2026, York was ranked as the joint 50th best university in the world for Arts & Humanities by the QS World University Rankings. In the UK, York is one of only four universities (along with Cambridge, Imperial College London, and Oxford) to have been rated Gold for teaching and top ten for research in the latest national assessment exercises. The YorkCourse is thus an opportunity to study at a highly prestigious, and globally respected, institution that prioritises teaching and research in equal measure.
As students at the Norwegian Study Centre you will have full access to the wider academic facilities of the University of York - including study spaces, computer rooms, and the physical and digital resources held by the university’s libraries. You will have a university computer account and accompanying email address, and your YorkCourse studies will be supported through tailored sites on the university’s VLE (Virtual Learning Environment).
Student life at the University of York is aided by the use of a college system. As YorkCourse students you will be enrolled into Derwent College and, if you are an undergraduate student, you are likely to be offered campus accommodation in Derwent. The university is home to a thriving student union, an enormous range of student societies, a variety of social spaces (including canteens, bars, and cafes), sports and gym facilities, and cultural venues. Travel between campus and York city centre is aided by a regular university bus service. You can find out more about student life at York here.
The University of York exists for the public good, a sentiment that is reflected in commitment to equal opportunities, sustainability, impactful research and teaching, and community. You can find out more about the university’s ethos here.
Our city
Our city
With a population of around 200,000 people, York is a university city that’s big enough to feel cosmopolitan but small enough not to be overwhelming. It is regularly cited in the media as one of the best places to live in the UK. This includes being named as the friendliest city in the UK by Aviva in 2025 and as one of the five safest university towns in the country in the 2025 Complete University Guide. The city is renowned for its vibrant cultural scene, diverse food and drink offerings, green spaces, and unique historical character.
York has been an important political, cultural, religious and trading centre since its founding by the Romans in AD 71. Later, Viking rulers like King Erik Bloodaxe called the city Jorvik, and made it their capital in the North-East of England. In medieval times, York was England’s second city. It is still encircled today by white medieval stone walls and impressive gateways, while the beautiful York Minster (the largest Gothic cathedral north of the Alps) towers over narrow streets that include many buildings which have changed little in 500 years.
Today’s York retains its historical character, and boasts several notable museums reflecting this, but also boasts all the amenities of a major modern city. It is home to an extraordinary range of shops (ranging from outlet shopping malls to independent bookshops to street markets), an exceptional array of cultural venues (including numerous theatres, cinemas, concert halls, and nightclubs), a mixture of sports teams (including York City FC and the York Knights rugby league team), and an enormous variety of quality restaurants and bars (not least some of the UK’s most well-loved pubs). The university campus sits on the outskirts of the city, but students participate fully in what York has to offer, aided by regular bus services between campus and the city centre (which run throughout the night during semester time).
York is centrally located within the UK, midway between the major capitals of London and Edinburgh. Excellent train links mean London can be reached within two hours. Several other major cities - including Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle, and Sheffield - are also easily accessible by train. We are well served by Manchester and Leeds Bradford international airports. As part of the county of Yorkshire, the city is also well suited to nature lovers, with the famous Yorkshire Dales on our doorstep. York is thus ideally placed for exploring the UK more broadly.
