‘Degree regulation’ may sound like a terribly dull topic, but it has become a struggle between old and new. That is, between the old universities of Bergen, Oslo, Trondheim and Tromsø, and the new universities in the rest of the country. The particular degrees a university can offer are governed by regulations, and for medicine, theology, law, veterinary medicine and psychology this is limited to some of the old universities. But the government has proposed a change.
Margareth Hagen (pictured), newly elected rector of the University of Bergen, fears complete deregulation. ‘I think the government and the new universities believe we must facilitate division of labour and diversity. Anything to serve that end and restrict government control is wise. It has become a battle between the new and the old with all our privileges, and one expects the market to solve it. … I would welcome a major survey and analysis of the consequences, so we could have a less contentious debate between the old and the new.’
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