I didn’t know very much about Indonesia when I applied for the programme. I wanted to study abroad, and felt it was safer to do so through a Norwegian university. It was a great way to combine a sense of adventure with academic learning,” says Birger Kydland.
He is from Varhaug in Rogaland and already held a bachelor’s degree in business administration. The master’s programme in sustainability leadership is open to students from a wide range of academic backgrounds, such as agronomy, politics, law or engineering. The programme is intensive and is completed over a period of 18 months.
Read more and apply for admission by following this link.
Double degree
“It didn’t feel as intense as it might sound. In many ways, you’re in a bubble, with both Norwegian and Asian students working together, so I didn’t think too much about the workload,” says Kydland.
The master’s programme is a double degree, meaning that students receive a master’s degree from both UiA and Gadjah Mada University. Ten of the students come from Norway, while twenty students come from countries in Southeast Asia.
“This is a unique programme based on long-term international collaboration. Our students experience first-hand what it means to work with sustainability in a part of the world that faces major challenges related to emissions and the environment,” says programme director Bjørn-Tore Flåten.
Kydland learned a great deal about local environmental challenges from his fellow students. They also had a different approach to addressing these challenges.
“For those of us from Norway, it’s easy to think that we should simply start cleaning up rivers and implementing other physical measures. But students from the region were clear that we need to start with education and knowledge,” says Kydland.
Industry placements
A key focus of the programme is how to work towards making businesses and public authorities more sustainable. This can be done in many different ways and is one of the reasons the programme is interdisciplinary.
“Our students also complete six months of practical training, including placements with Norwegian companies in Asia. We collaborate with companies such as Yara, Tomra, DNV and Jotun,” says Flåten.
Birger Kydland completed his work placement in Kenya, where he supported entrepreneurship centres through training, advisory services and financial expertise.
“I travelled quite a bit around the country to visit different entrepreneurial communities, and it was, naturally, very different from Indonesia. I’m left with fond memories of both places, and my time as a master’s student gave me a new interest in politics and economics,” says Kydland.
He has continued to pursue his sense of adventure and went on to take up an internship at the Norwegian Consulate General in San Francisco.
“It is incredibly rewarding to immerse yourself in new perspectives and to learn how politics and economics shape society. Above all, it is useful to understand what is required to bring about change. I hope many students will have the opportunity to experience this in the years to come,” says Kydland.