In an age where English is emerging as the common, global language for science, society and cultural exchange, English language skills are essential for participation in cultural and scientific debates.
The campus-based English One-Year Programme in Bodø (3EN) provides a comprehensive disciplinary introduction to the study of English, with a focus on its practical, scientific and artistic aspects. Through engaging the field’s dynamic intellectual tradition, students develop their capacity for critical reflection within a broader cultural perspective.
| Location | Bodø campus |
| Code | 3EN |
| Credits | 60 ECTS |
| Form | Full-time studies |
The Programme includes a rich re-introduction to the English language in the context of American and British literature and culture from the early modern period until today, and makes it possible to understand and participate in international cultural developments and debates in which Norway plays a part. Students cultivate skills in language construction and critical thinking, and also develop insight into the teaching profession.
A popular feature of the programme is the annual study trip to the Norwegian Study Centre in York, UK.
Our excellent lecturers have long educational and work experience from the UK and North America, and offer students a programme with an internationally high standard, in both the linguistic and cultural components.
The campus-based English One-Year Programme opens the doors to careers and further education for diverse range of occupations, both in Norway and abroad. It can form the basis of continuing into the three-year Bachelor of English degree, or serve as the beginning of many other educational and career pathways. It is therefore an ideal “starter programme” for recent high school graduates looking to experience university life, but who don’t know where to begin.
For more information and for application details about this campus-based programme, visit the 3EN Programme page and 3EN Study Plan page on the main Nord University website.
The Campus-based One-Year Programme (3EN) consists of four in-person courses of 15 ECTS credits each. The courses are English Language and Linguistics, British Studies (which includes the study trip to England), American Studies, and English Didactics.
You will find below a list of all the classes that currently comprise the 3EN Programme, as of Fall 2024 (you can click to expand each course to read a full description).
Autumn Semester
What do you know when you know a language? English Language and Linguistics studies this question by looking closely at English: how it is pronounced, how words, phrases, and sentences are formed, how it is acquired by children, how it is used in social context, how English varies in different parts of the English-speaking world, and how it has changed, and continues to change, over time.
British Studies is designed to make the student conversant with the literary tradition of Great Britain, as well as provide them with the variegated social, cultural, and historical contexts for each work. The course articulates four overarching themes – War, Death, and Heroism; Sex, Relationships, and Gender Roles; Dream, Prophecy, and Vision; Monarchy, Democracy, and Empire – to unify course content, encourage development of an historical consciousness, and provide specific critical entries into each work. In addition, the student will be introduced to a selection of current British young-adult fiction placed in a critical and didactic context. A one-week stay at the Norwegian Study Centre in York, England, is a feature of this course.
Spring Semester
This course will give you competence in English subject pedagogy – which is how to teach English as a school subject. We will be concentrating on understanding language acquisition, language learning and language teaching, and how these elements influence each other. We also focus on how to work with the different parts of English as a school subject to facilitate language acquisition and language learning in students, and how to work with literature, culture and creation of texts in lower and upper secondary school.
American Studies is designed to make the student conversant with the canonical literary tradition of the United States, as well as provide them with the variegated social, cultural, and historical contexts for each work. The course articulates four overarching themes – Frontier, Space and Wilderness; Hope, Struggle, and Transformation; Race, Rights, and Inequalities; and Markets, Materialism, and Money. In addition, the student will be introduced to a wide selection of American young-adult fiction placed in a critical and didactic context.
My experiences with 3EN gave me the opportunity to apply my love of fiction to non-fiction, and this taught me essential skills for both my future studies and prospective jobs, as the programme helped me learn how to apply and integrate theoretical & practical knowledge. I grew immensely as a person over just a year. I was allowed to freely exchange ideas, both congruent and incongruent with my own. I was challenged in my own interpretations, requiring me to reflect on my processes and my foundational ideas, and, I was able to befriend several wonderful people. I’d recommend the one-year programme to anyone with an appreciation of either fiction or the English language – especially if you appreciate both – as I believe it can help anyone to grow into a more mature, opinionated, and learned person.
I chose to take the One Year Program in Bodø in 2023-2024 because I was unsure what I wanted to study, and all I knew was that English was a subject I really enjoyed in high school. I also figured it was the One Year Program that would be most useful no matter what I wished to study in the future, which I was very right about. The program has taught me a lot about the language and its literature, and it has improved my analyzing and writing abilities. These are skills I believe will come to be useful no matter what I plan to do afterwards. On top of that, the study trip to York in the first semester was a really fun and enriching experience, with great lectures and a cool city to explore afterwards. I still haven’t completely figured out what I want to study next, but continuing with English is definitely on the list thanks to this program.
I chose to take the One Year Program in Bodø in 2023-2024 because I was unsure what I wanted to study, and all I knew was that English was a subject I really enjoyed in high school. I also figured it was the One Year Program that would be most useful no matter what I wished to study in the future, which I was very right about. The program has taught me a lot about the language and its literature, and it has improved my analyzing and writing abilities. These are skills I believe will come to be useful no matter what I plan to do afterwards. On top of that, the study trip to York in the first semester was a really fun and enriching experience, with great lectures and a cool city to explore afterwards. I still haven’t completely figured out what I want to study next, but continuing with English is definitely on the list thanks to this program.
I studied English for one year as part of my bachelor degree in History at Nord University. The year was fulfilling in so many unexpected and amazing ways. We were introduced to some of the most influential works in both British and American literature, and also given the tools and methods for analyzing their true nature. These research methods have stayed with me ever since. Discovering the importance of nuances in words, languages, and sentences truly changed my perspective on everyday truths. I haven’t even mentioned the amazing study trip to York! The English one-year programme also played a major part in my future education, as I afterwards took a one-year exchange at Cambridge University in the UK as part of my masters degree in History, and I wrote my masters thesis in English.
The one-year program, and the 'Research and Writing' course in particular, has been very helpful for my further studies. There are so many other courses that say they will “train us” in academic writing, but I find that most of them give us little feedback and little to go on. Having completed this particular course I definitely feel more prepared than many of my fellow students who have had a hard time cracking the code.
As citizens of the world, we need good English skills and intercultural awareness. English is a world language and has a central role in education, work, communication, leisure, and for personal growth. The Web-based One Year Programme (20EN) provides a high degree of English proficiency as well as insights into how language works, is used, is acquired, changes, and how we process language cognitively. In addition, the web-based One Year Programme introduces different cultural aspects of the English-speaking world. The programme emphasises active student participation with ample opportunities to practice and improve a wide range of English skills.
| Location | Online |
| Code | 20EN |
| Credits | 60 ECTS |
| Form | Full-time studies |
All course instruction, except the trip to York, will be delivered online only. There will be live online instruction Mondays and Fridays from 14.00-16.00. Additional instruction and coursework takes place asynchronously. Participation in live teaching is compulsory, with a requirement of 80% attendance. There is no recording of the teaching.
For more information about the web-based programme and for application details, visit the 20EN Programme page and 20EN Study Plan page on the main Nord University website.
The Web-based One-Year Programme (20EN) consists of two courses of 30 ECTS credits each.
You will find below a list of all the classes that currently comprise the 20EN Online Programme, as of Fall 2024 (you can click to expand each course to read a full description).
Autumn Semester
This course covers topics in English language and linguistics, literature and culture, and academic research and writing. The course treats central topics in English language and emphasizes the development of the student’s language skills and usage. The literature component introduces a wide selection of literature in different genres, all placed in a critical, cultural, and didactic context. Students will learn appropriate techniques for academic research and writing within the field.
A one-week stay at the Norwegian Study Centre in York, England, is an obligatory part of this course. This presents an opportunity for in-person engagement with other Nord University English students and instructors, and for hands-on exploration of English society and culture. Students who cannot attend the trip to York will get an obligatory written assignment they have to do while the other students are in York.
Spring Semester
The course deals with topics related to language, text, criticality, and culture in the English-speaking world. The course offers students language knowledge as well as discourse and literacy skills. Students will become familiar with a diverse selection of children’s and young adult texts and cultural expressions placed in cultural and social contexts. The text selection and activities allow for students’ personal and professional growth as well the development of their intercultural awareness and critical literacy skills.
