The study program entitled: “From Mountain to Fjord” (August to December) has been offered for more than 20 years for Bachelor and Master students at the “Western Norway University of Applied Sciences” in Sogndal (Norway). The program is divided into three modules and accounts for a total of 30 LP. The schedule is prescribed, so that students do not have to choose their own modules and little self-organization is required. All modules consist of lectures, tutorials, field trips (field work) and laboratory work. In addition, a scientific project is carried out in smaller working groups throughout the semester. The science project is dedicated to a regional and current environmental topic. In 2019 we have focused on sediment processes in the Sogndalsfjord. The results are publicly defended at the end. In the first part of the semester, after an introduction and various social events, basic geological aspects of Western Norway are taught. The highlight of this block was a one-week excursion to Atløy with independent geological mapping of the island. The second part is dedicated to glacier ecology. Again, field trips to various glaciers support the lecture material and exercises. In October there is a free week in which we travelled along Norway’s west coast. The last topic “Fjord processes” concludes the semester. At the end of each block there was a well doable MC exam.
Sogndal is located directly at a foothill of the Sognefjord not far from the Jostedalsbreen National Park in the middle of typical Norwegian landscapes. Sogndal is a small student town with a sports and climbing hall, cafés, student clubs, sports clubs, all shopping facilities and a ferry connection to Bergen. I found the university, teaching and life in Sogndal very familiar. Together with the breathtaking Norwegian landscape, this makes Sogndal a special place.
For more information: https://www.hvl.no/en/studies-at-hvl/study-programmes/from-mountain-to-fjord/
Léonard El-Hokayem (Erasmus 2019)