American University, Washington D.C.
About study place
The American University was founded in 1893 and is located in Washington DC, the capital of the US. NMBU has an agreement with the School of International Management (SIS), offering a varied cross-disciplinary range of courses within areas such as international relations, international economics and international environmental politics.
About the agreement
The agreement applies to master’s level studies at the School of International Management (SIS) at American University. Noragric students are prioritised, but students from other departments can also apply.
Tuition fees
Selected students do not pay tuition fees. However, other minor fees must be paid by the student. Among these a discounted travel card for the metropolitan DC area.
Who can apply
Applicants are chosen according to the average grades achieved at the time of applying. An approximate average grade of B is the minimum requirement.
All exchanges require a completion of 60ECTS prior to a stay abroad.
Semester
Autumn semester: late August – early December.
Spring semester: end January – early May.
Language requirements
If the student is not a native English speaker, then language skills can be documented as follows:
- TOEFL-test: 100 (IBT), 250 (computer-based test), or 600 (paper-based test), or
- IELTS: score 7.0, or
- Confirmation of admission to an NMBU master program, or
- Confirmation that all coursework (30 study points) prior to the exchange period has/had English as the medium of instruction.
Recognition of study credits
Master students are to take 9 credits (3 courses of 3 credits each).
Tuition fees
Selected students do not pay tuition fees. However, other minor fees must be paid by the student. Among these a discounted travel card for the metropolitan DC area.
Housing
Graduate students are not offered student accommodation on campus. SIS recommends Wesley Theological Seminary and students can also get help finding off-campus housing.
Health Insurance in the US
American universities have strict requirements for students’ health insurance. All students are studying in the USA should expect to purchase private health insurance recommended by the host university. This health insurance might be in addition to other (travel) insurances purchases by the student in Norway or abroad. University health insurance plans range from USD$ 500-1200 but can cost more. Read more about what health benefits you might be entitled to while studying in the USA on exchange from a Norwegian institution on HelseNorge.
Visa
Anyone who is going to USA must have student visa.
It is the student’s own responsibility to apply for a visa. A first step would therefore be to acquire information from the relevant country’s embassy.
Study visa: A student visa is necessary in order to study in the USA. You have to first receive a letter of acceptance from the host university (here: MSU) before you can apply. The visum processing fee is currently USD $160, and the SEVIS registration fee is USD $350 for F-1 applicants and $220 for J-1 applicants. The universities in the USA will issue a document for students to obtain either the F1 or the J1 visa.
NOTE J1 visa: Be aware that this carries a clause whereby the applicant faces a two-year ‘quarantine’ period after the initial residence period, in which the applicant cannot apply for a permanent work or residence permit in the USA. However, this does only apply if the student received public funding, such as from Lånekassen.More information: The US Embassy’s website
Other information
The US universities with which NMBU has agreements with, require evidence which shows that you can finance your studies there. If you use Lånekassen, then they can issue a guarantee for you. Information about what you probably can get in support can be found here (in Norwegian).
Courses taken by previous NMBU students
M-AE
COMM-639 Political Communication
SIS-620 Studies in Global Environmental Politics; Political Ecology of Food and Agriculture
SIS-649 Environment and DevelopmentM-DS
SIS-606 Culture, PCR: Alternatives to Violence
SIS-620 Studies in Global Environmental Politics
SOCY-653 Intersectionality: Theory and PracticeM-IES
SIS-635 NGO/Social Enterprise Management
SIS-730 Introduction to Data Visualization
SIS-638 Business-NGO Partnership Building
SIS-730 Monitoring and Evaluation
SIS-620 Water Governance
SIS-613 Reconciliation and Justice
SIS-633 Creative Arts/Intercultural Conflict Resolution
SIS-639 Advocacy for NGOs
M-IR
AWST-310 Media On & Of the Arab World
SIS-619 Special Studies in International Politics: Rights and Political Change in the Middle East
SIS-681 Intelligence & Foreign PolicyM-ØA
ACCT-550 Accounting Information Systems
ACCT-607 Financial Accounting
ACCT-611 Cost Accounting for Strategic Management