NHH students are very pleased with their studies

NATIONAL SURVEY: NHH stands out by facilitating meetings between students and future employers, according to Studiebarometeret. ‘What makes NHH unique is the opportunity to combine schooling with so many fun and rewarding experiences in the student association,’ says student Martine Fornes. Vice rector for academic affairs, Linda Nøstbakken (right). Photo: Daniel Hoelzl (NHHS) / Eivind Senneset
NHH By Ingrid Aarseth Johannessen

29 January 2020 12:24

NHH students are very pleased with their studies

Students at NHH are among the country’s most satisfied students, according to the national survey Studiebarometeret.

NHH stands out by facilitating meetings between students and future employers and in the teaching's relevance to working life, according to figures from Studiebarometeret published on Wednesday this week.

The master’s degree students rate their overall satisfaction with their study programme 4.5 out of a possible five points. That means 0.4 points above the national average and a small increase from last year. The bachelor’s degree students’ rating is 4.4.

Master’s degree student Martine Fornes (24) from Oslo is very pleased with her studies at NHH. She is not surprised by the results.

‘What makes NHH unique is the opportunity to combine schooling with so many fun and rewarding experiences in the student association. In my opinion, the subjects are adequately geared towards the students and most are active in the student association,’ says Fornes. She is a first-year master's student, and is currently leading UKEN, which is among Norway’s largest student-run festivals with almost 1,000 volunteers.

Stands out in working life relevance

NHH stands out on several questions related to working life. The bachelor's students report that they to a large extent (4.8 points) get the opportunity to meet potential employers through career fairs, company visits, supervised professional training and so on. This is 1.4 above the national average. For the master’s degree students, the rating is 4.7.

‘The student association is also a golden opportunity to make contacts. By being part of the board of the student festival UKEN, you get the opportunity, for instance, to get to know members of previous boards going back to the 1980s, and they are happy to share their experiences,’ she says.

‘Students create their own meeting places’

NHH students are seeing increasingly that representatives from the business sector contribute to the teaching. Bachelor’s students gave 4.4 points on this question, which is 1.3 above the national average. Vice Rector for Academic Affairs, Linda Nøstbakken, is very pleased with the fact that students see the study programmes as being relevant to working life.

‘It’s important to NHH that the students come into contact with the business sector at an early stage, in order for them to make the right career choices. We therefore welcome representatives from the business community as guest lecturers and use topical case studies. At the same time, I must emphasise that the students themselves create many of the meeting places. They organise for instance Northern Europe’s largest business conference and they are also responsible for the Career Fair,’ says Nøstbakken.

Will strengthen the teaching environment

The survey shows that NHH students to a large extent feel that their study programme is academically challenging. The master’s degree students gave 4.6 points, while the bachelor’s students gave 4.5 points. This is something that Martine Fornes can relate to:

‘As an NHH student, you have to make an effort to do well in your programme. For me, it’s important that the courses are demanding, but also that I have the flexibility to structure my time as I see fit. I find NHH to be great in this regard,’ says the 24-year-old.

Studiebarometeret also shows that NHH students have a positive attitude to the social aspects of the student community. The bachelor’s degree students have the most positive attitude with 4.2 points, which is a small increase from last year. The master's degree students gave 3.9 points, which is the same as last year. For the institution as a whole, the average is 4 points.

‘It's great to get a confirmation that most of the students are happy and enjoy their study programmes, but the survey also shows that there are areas in which there is room for improvement. We will continue working towards an inclusive student environment and strengthen our teaching,’ says Nøstbakken.