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The ENE (energy, natural resource and environmental economics) Master’s specialisation is one of eight specialisations in the two-year MSc in Economics and Business Administration programme at NHH. All courses are taught in English. The programme consists of 12 courses and a thesis, adding up to a total of 120 points. Normally, students will follow courses for three semesters and dedicate the final semester to the thesis. The general course plan for a major in the ENE specialisation comprises six core courses from the ENE specialisation and six elective courses from all the MSc specialisations at NHH.

Looking to Norway
This is an exciting field of study, according to Professor Leif K Sandal of the Institute of Corporate Finance. He has been a member of the task force that has been responsible for describing the contents of the programme. ‘If there is something that foreigners look to Norway for, it is to learn about how we utilise our natural resources. We are seen as highly competent at managing our oil resources in a way that benefits society as a whole. Norway also has an excellent reputation when it comes to the efficient use of resources in the marine environment. Nor are we seen as being an environmental laggard,’ says Professor Sandal.

A popular theme
The goal of the new specialisation is to offer a new international MSc that will lay the foundations for better decisionmaking in businesses and society in general in these fields. Many of NHH's academic departments focus on precisely these themes, and the specialisation contributes by bringing together these themes from all the departments. ‘The establishment of an international education programme of this kind fits in well in relation to the business school's professional strategy,’ wrote the task force in its conclusion to the Master Programme Board (PMU) at NHH. All the teaching will be in English and a lot of effort is being put into attracting and accommodating a large number of international students. A summer school in Natural Resource Management was held in English at NHH this year. It had a large turnout and the students were positive in their evaluations.

A great need for knowledge
It is not just NHH and its students who will benefit greatly from an MSc programme of this kind. According to Professor Sandal, there will be a great need for competent candidates in the entire oil sector. ‘It is nearly 40 years since Norway's oil age began, and a large transition in employment will take place in the years to come,’ he predicts. Professor Sandal and the rest of the task force hope to create a study programme that provides students with insight into long-term resource management. They aim to provide future decision makers with a broad insight and understanding of the market, he tells us. In order to achieve all of this, the people responsible for the course have attracted qualified people from industry. The students are given internships in different fields of work, and employees from the oil, energy and fishing industries will be used as lecturers. ‘Internships have two advantages. Firstly, department staff and students at NHH will both gain from contact with industry. Secondly, we will be in a position to receive excellent feedback on industry‘s concerns, which is very important to NHH,’ says Professor Sandal, who envisages this programme helping to establish closer connections between the business school and industry.

More information: http://www.nhh.no