Norwegian Exchange Program

The UND SMHS/Norway International Student and Faculty Exchange Program is coordinated through the Department of Community Medicine.

Definition/Purpose

The UND School of Medicine & Health Sciences has established an agreement with Norges teknisk-naturvitenskapelige universited (NTNU) in Trohndheim and Tromso, Norway, and their medical agencies and research associations in order to enhance international goodwill and understanding through the exchange of students and faculty.

The UND SMHS / Norway International Student and Faculty Exchange Program refers to the development and administration of continuing, long-range, institution-to-institution agreements with UND and specific Norwegian Universities for exchange of students and faculty.

The program offers students training in two areas:

• Norwegian General Medicine Experience
• Norwegian Rural Internal Medicine

Nonresident Tuition

Most of the costs for the exchange are borne by students. For all Norwegian students who participate in the international student exchange program at UND, nonresident tuition fees have been waived.

To participate in the exchange students from either university must display exceptional scholastic ability and prior scholastic achievement and the following sets of requirements must be met:

1. Any student receiving tuition waiver under such an agreement is a citizen of Norway or the United States;
2. The student is enrolled as a full-time medical student at his/her home university and participates in full-time study at the host university;
3. The student remains in good academic and professional standing at the host university.

Housing and Comparable Student Expenses

The host university should provide or arrange for suitable housing for the duration of the students' exchange visits.

Transfer Credit

To receive credit toward a degree for acceptable graduate work taken at any participating university, students must have official transcripts forwarded to their home university, and must also file records with their host university. UND will allow credit for work taken at another university only when it appears on the student's official transcript, is acceptable for a post-baccalaureate degree credit at the offering institution, and is deemed appropriate to the student's program of study by the UND School of Medicine & Health Sciences.

UND Senior Elective Credit for Experiential Learning

1. A maximum of 4 senior elective credits may be granted for individual 4-week Norwegian learning experiences consistent with the academic standards of the respective medical schools. These experiences may be in Epidemiology or related research activity such as with the HUNT study in Verdahl, or in a modern discipline such as OB/GYN Ultrasound in Trondheim at the National Center for Fetal Medicine, diagnostic radiology, or a 2-week rotation in a rural hospital. Students must be active participants in the clinical experience and/or research.
2. Although 3 months total in the experiential learning exchange should be sufficient time to have fulfilling experience, there should be amble time allowed for independent research so students can observe the extreme differences in the Norwegian and American health care systems.
3. To qualify, students must enroll in electives that assist them in preparing portfolios that articulate the learning in relation to their degree objectives and educational plans.
4. Norwegian electives may be arranged during the UND student's 4th year of medical education, but it is recommended to begin the experience in August completing research at a non-University setting such as Verdahl and/or Tana, Norway. Students typically arrange for their exchange experience in their fourth year of study.
5. Students and faculty are advised to consult the Director of the Exchange program for detailed information about the electives.

Faculty Exchange Programs

1. Any medical school department, or individual faculty member may initiate exploration on an informal basis of a possible exchange program with a particular medical school or clinical institution. In the interest of coordination, however, copies of all communications shall be submitted to the UND Department of Community Medicine.
2. Formal proposals shall in all cases be submitted to the Department of Community Medicine.
3. Any formal exchange agreement that is concluded between the University of North Dakota and a Norwegian medical school only establishes a relationship within which exchanges may take place. Correspondence relative to the possible openings or available faculty at either institution is conducted by the Department of Community Medicine. All decisions regarding the acceptance of foreign faculty members or the possibility of releasing any members of UNDSMHS faculty from their teaching assignments so they may teach at the foreign university shall be made by the academic department or clinical division concerned.
4. Establishment of an exchange relationship shall not imply a need for complete reciprocity. Any department at either institution may indicate its needs and consider available candidates from the other institution independently, without regard to the numbers or disciplines of faculty who have been or are scheduled to be exchanged in either direction.
5. Priority will be given to the establishment of exchange agreements with Norwegian institutions that have a broad range of high-quality programs.

Future Plans

A growing number of students from both universities have inquired about participating in the exchange. The enthusiasm and interest is spurred by having students become acquainted with one another and as personal connections build into friendships.