Admission to master's program

All applicants must document that they meet the Higher Education Entrance Qualification requirements in Norway.

For Norwegian applicants, this requirement is met by the diploma from senior secondary education (Videregånde skole).

For applicants with education from other countries, the equivalent diploma/education is specified in the GSU-list. For some countries the equivalency is the senior secondary school leaving diploma of that country, but for some applicants it is also necessary to document 1 or 2 years of university-level education to meet this requirement.

All applicants to the Master in Media Practices must document their English language skills. However, in some cases, diplomas from prior education can be sufficient documentation (see list below).

Note: the English language requirements to the Master in Media Practices are stricter than the requirements for Bacehelor's level studies in Norway (the GSU-list).

List of accepted documentation for English language proficiency:

• IELTS – minimum overall score of 6.0 (Academic test).
• TOFEL – minimum score 80 (internet based), 550 (paper based), or 213 (computer based).
• Pearsons PTE Academic test – minimum score 59.
• Cambridge ESOL Examinations with one of the following results:
  • B2 First (previously First FCE) – grade B or better 
  • C1 Advanced (previously CAE) – grade C or better
  • C2 Proficiency (preivously CPE) – grade C or better
• 140 hours of English at a higher secondary school (videregående skole) in Norway, or the equivalent English subject from one of the other Nordic countries.
• Secondary school diploma from Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, UK or USA.
• Completed Bachelor’s degree from either Canada, USA, Ireland, New Zealand, Great Britain, or Australia. The degree must have been physically taught in one of these countries.
• Completed a Bachelor’s degree with English as the language of instruction in the Nordic countries.
• Completed a minimum of 1 year of Master’s level studies with English as the language of instruction in the Nordic countries.
• Completed the International Baccalaureate (IB) programme with English at Higher Level with grade 4 or better.
• Completed secondary school from one of the European countries listed in this table and which meets the course and grade requirement specified in the table.
  

The following does not meet the English language requirement:

• Applicants from English-speaking African countries, and/or applicants with a degree taught in English from India, Pakistan or the Middle East are not exempt from submitting an English language tests.
• Duolingo English test – VUC does not accept the test for admission to Master in Media Practices.
• Confirmation of English language signed by employer, previous teachers, professors or the like is not sufficient documentation of English language skills.

The admission requirements for Master in Media Practices is a completed unversity degree equivalent to a Norwegian Bachelor’s degree (180 ECTS), which normally means an undergraduate degree of 3-4 years duration.

Some applicants must document 1-2 years of university education to meet the GSU requirement (see above) and if so, these applicants must document 4-5 years of university level education in order to be considered equvialent to 3 years of university studies in Norway.

From the Bachelor's degree, a minimum of 90 ECTS credits (or 1 1/2 year of full-time studies) of course work must be from the field of media or journalism. Relevant work experience may compensate for this requirement. 

A practical master production (MMP313 Project based master thesis) requires documented practical skills at the bachelors’ level.

A good grade point average (GPA) from the Bachelor’s degree is required. For Norwegian applicants this amounts to an average grade of C or better. For international applicants, no set grade point average is required, but the admission committee will review the applicant’s grades in light of the grading system of the university/country in question.

A single PDF or an URL containing your whole portfolio/show reel to showcase your abilities. For example to youtube, news articles, dropbox/drive locations, drawings.

This PDF or URL must be uploaded with the rest of the supporting documents in your online application. In most case, we do not want you to upload your actual portfolio/show reel due to the possible size of such files and also the danger of file alterations resulting in inferior quality.

We need to be able to assess your work without any logins.

A one-page-long document stating your motivation for applying and why you consider yourself a good canidate for the programme.

VUC offers conditional admission to applicants who are in the process of completing their bachelor's degree after the application deadline. Conditional acceptance is only possible if:

1. the applicant does not need a study permit (visa) to start studying at VUC. That means applicants who are citizens of EU/EEA countries or Switzerland, or who already hold a valid residence permit in Norway.
2. the university degree must be completed before August so that the applicant meets all admission requirements before the start of the academic year.
3. the applicant must have an average grade of C or higher for the first part of the university degree, equivalent to 2.5 years of full-time studies. The requirement of an average grade C must also be met once the bachelor's degree is completed. The admission offer will be cancelled if the applicant fails to maintain the average grade.
4. this needs to be documented to meet the condition and start the course.

Successful applicants who accept the place of study may have to present original documents of their transcripts/diplomas and proof of sufficient language proficiency (TOEFL, IELTS etc.) upon arrival to Volda University College. That is, the student must provide the documents which are needed to prove that he/she meets the academic- and language requirement for admission to the study programme in question. If the original documents are issued in English or a Scandinavian language, no translation is necessary, but if the original is issued in a different language, an official translation of the document must be provided as well. The original documents will be kept by the VUC administration for app. 1 month for verification.

Students who have gained acceptance by uploading falsified or fraudulent documents will be reported to the Norwegian Police and risk legal prosecution. Moreover, admission through false documents may lead to annulment of exam results from VUC and expulsion from VUC and other universities/colleges in Norway for up to 1 year.

A fraudulent/false document is any document uploaded or submitted in support of the application which has been altered or modified to mislead the VUC Admissions Office. Also, documents from fake institutions (“diploma mills”) are considered fraudulent documents and will lead to the student being reported to the Police and a case for expulsion/annulment will be initiated at VUC.