Evaluation of Master's Programmes in Management

NOKUT is conducting a national evaluation of 90 ECTS Master's Programmes in Management. The evaluation will start in the autumn of 2025, with the final report to be published in November 2027. Evaluations of educational quality are part of NOKUT's activities to ensure and enhance quality in education.

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The aims of the evaluation

The evaluation aims to generate knowledge about the quality of education in 90 ECTS master's programmes in management and contribute to quality development by facilitating the exchange of experiences, identifying challenges, and providing advice on measures for further quality development.

Framework for the evaluation

NOKUT's evaluations of educational quality are grounded in the European Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the Higher Education Area (ESG 2015). These have been operationalised into our principles for external evaluation activities.

The following study programmes are included in the evaluation:

Institution Study programme
BI Executive MBA (Oslo)
University of Inland Norway Master of Public Administration
Nord University Master of Knowledge Management
NHH Executive MBA (specialisation: Management control)
NTNU Master of Management
OsloMet Executive Master of Public Management
University of Agder Master in Leadership
University of Stavanger Executive Master of Business Administration
UiT The Arctic University of Norway MBA
University of South-Eastern Norway Executive Master of Management
VID Master of value-based leadership

The evaluation process

The evaluation should be useful to those working with the study programmes, and the evaluation should therefore be designed in dialogue with stakeholders. This involvement takes place through input meetings and through the evaluation's consultation panel. NOKUT will ask institutions and other key stakeholders to nominate representatives to the consultation panel.

The evaluation terms of reference will be published towards the end of 2025. It will outline the evaluation's themes, data collection plan, and key milestones.

The assessments of quality in education will be carried out by an expert panel. NOKUT has the main responsibility for the evaluation methodology and administrative support. NOKUT will request input on the composition of the expert panel.

The evaluation data will include institutions' self-assessments with appendices, programme outlines, digital site visits, data from DBH and from national student survey, and potentially other quantitative and qualitative data.

Input meetings

In May and June 2025, NOKUT held digital input meetings with stakeholders. During the meetings, NOKUT provided information about the purpose of the evaluation and about the evaluation process, and we asked for input on which topics it would be useful to investigate through the evaluation, and what kind of experience, perspectives, and expertise we should include in the expert panel.

  • Date Representatives
    05.05.25 Representatives from NHH
    12.05.25 Representatives from University of Inland Norway
    13.05.25 Representatives from University of Stavanger
    20.05.25 Representatives from The Confederation of Norwegian Enterprise and Lederne – The Norwegian Union of Managers and Executives
    21.05.25 Representatives from UiT The Arctic University of Norway
    23.05.25 Representatives from Nord University
    26.05.25 Representatives from BI
    26.05.25 Representatives from University of South-Eastern Norway
    28.05.25 Representatives from The Norwegian Association of Local and Regional Authorities (KS) and Department of Public Employer Policy (DFD)
    03.06.25 Representatives from University of Agder
    04.06.25 Representatives from The Federation of Norwegian Professional Associations (Akademikerne), Econa and NTL
    16.06.25 Representatives from OsloMet
    16.06.25 Representatives from VID
    18.06.25 Representatives from NTNU

We also received written input during this time period, from Roger Klev and from several institutions after their input meetings.

Summary of input on possible evaluation themes

We here summarise the themes that received the most attention across the stakeholder groups:

  • This concerned the importance of connecting theory and students' own experiences from the workplace, for example through real cases, practice-oriented inquiry, experience sharing and reflection in class, and assignments related to the students' own workplaces. Contributions particularly focused on how institutions can facilitate balance and connections between research-based and experience-based knowledge through collaboration with the work sector and through various pedagogical approaches.

  • This concerned how students are prepared for their master’s thesis, thesis supervision and follow up of students during the process, and the need to combine academic quality and workplace relevance in the thesis itself. Some questioned how much emphasis should be placed on the teaching of research methods, and some raised the need for supporting students when the thesis work is stretched over a long period. Institutions also addressed challenges and advantages related to co-writing master’s theses.

  • Several institutions raised concerns related to how AI challenges traditional assessment methods, and the need for staff to increase their competence in the use of AI in teaching, learning, and assessment. AI and digitalization were also highlighted as areas of development, for example in connection with formative assessment. Some also highlighted students' need for digital competence and the ability to critically reflect on the use of AI in the workplace.

  • This concerned how study programmes can meet the needs of a diverse group of part-time students who are fully employed, and how flexibility can impact completion and learning outcomes. It involved flexibility in programme design, teaching methods, progression, attendance, and accommodation.

Expert panel

Assessments of educational quality are to be carried out by the expert panel. The composition of the panel is based on input NOKUT received from the HEIs and other stakeholders, and on the Principles for NOKUT evaluations (pdf). The institutions were given the opportunity to comment on the proposal.

  • The following suggestions were mentioned by several actors:

    • The panel should include international researchers from relevant fields. The international researchers should understand Norwegian.
    • The panel should include expertise on Norwegian working life and the Nordic model.
    • It is desirable for the panel to include experts from institutions with international accreditations such as AMBA, EQUIS, and AACSB.
    • The panel should include experts with experience in continuing and further education in relevant fields of study.
    • The labour market representative should have either leadership experience or be from a national employer organization.
    • The panel should include expertise on the private sector, public sector, and the non-profit sector.


NOKUT has appointed the following members to the evaluation’s expert panel:

Panel Chair Anna Blombäck is Vice Dean for Education at Jönköping International Business School. Blombäck led JIBS’ Triple Crown initiative, has been a reviewer for EFMD since 2016, and was a member of the EFMD Programme Accreditation Board from 2018 to 2021. She has taught marketing, communication, ethics, and research methods at JIBS, and has held leadership roles there since 2008. She has also served on advisory boards for other international business schools, such as Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, JAMK University of Applied Sciences, and the University of Stavanger.

Deputy Chair Frank Meier is Associate Professor at Copenhagen Business School. Among other things, he has taught on their Master of Public Governance, Master of Business Development, and MBA programmes, and he works with pedagogical development across the CBS continuing education portfolio. Meier researches leadership development, executive leadership education, and digitization in the public sector, with a particular interest in the integration of leadership practice and theory. He also works as a consultant in management and organizational development for both public and private organizations.

Susanna Alexius is Associate Professor in Business Administration and Research director for SCORE (Stockholm Center for Organizational Research) at Stockholm University and Stockholm School of Economics. Alexius has many years of programme leadership experience from continuing education programmes such as the Public Sector Management Programme, Karolinska University Hospital’s management programme, Advanced Trade Union Leadership Programme for elected representatives, and the Fenix Programme, which is a research-based programme for strategic leadership in non-profit organizations. She leads a research project on trust and diversity in aid, and participates in research projects on aid bureaucrats and on customer-ownership in banks.

Øyvind Hilmarsen holds an engineering degree in aquaculture technology and a Cand. scient. in aquaculture, and is Director Aquaculture at the Norwegian Seafood Research Fund (FHF). He has previously held various leadership roles at, among others, the Centre for Remote Sensing at UiT The Arctic University of Norway, worked at SINTEF, and was City Council Leader in Tromsø Municipality, where he served on the municipal council from 1991 to 2019. Hilmarsen is currently pursuing a Master’s in Strategic Management and Economics at UiT and is the student expert on the panel.

Jon Lereim has previously been Vice Dean for the Energy Management Executive Master’s Programme at BI Norwegian Business School, and Professor II (BI) with an academic focus on project economics, risk management, contract management, and quality management. He has also been Visiting Professor at Nanyang Technological University (Singapore) and Lorange School of Business (Zurich), as well as a member of the steering committee for the MBA at Cranfield University (UK). Lereim has extensive management experience from organizations such as Aker BP, Saga Petroleum, and Ørsted / DONG Energy (Copenhagen). He participated in the commission of inquiry after the Alexander L. Kielland accident and led the international commission of inquiry for the Siri platform on the Danish shelf. Lereim was appointed Professor of Marine Structures at NTH (now NTNU) in 1987. He now leads R&D projects under the Prosjekt Norge initiative, focusing on collaboration, interaction, and new organizational models (so-called Coopetition – simultaneous combination of cooperation and competition among involved actors).

Berit Sund is Senior Advisor at The Norwegian Association of Local and Regional Authorities (KS), responsible for developing training and competence measures for municipal employers, and for research and development projects in management and health/care. She recently led the national “Tørn” project, assisting municipalities in developing new ways of organizing work and working hours in health and care services. Previously, Sund worked in the private sector and at NHH Norwegian School of Economics. She holds a PhD in Organization and Management, has researched leadership in Norway, and has worked as a lecturer and supervisor at NHH Executive. Sund is the labour market representative on the expert panel.

Conflict of Interest Assessments
NOKUT must ensure that the experts are impartial in the relevant case. For example, experts cannot participate in the panel’s assessment of a programme if they are employed by or students at the same institution. Panel members should also not participate in their institution’s own work on the evaluation. The conflict of interest assessments entail the following:

  • Anna Blombäck will not participate in the panel’s assessment of the programme at the University of Stavanger.
  • Øyvind Hilmarsen will not participate in the panel’s assessment of this programme at UiT The Arctic University of Norway.
  • Jon Lereim will not participate in the panel’s assessment of the programmes at BI Norwegian Business School and the University of South-Eastern Norway (USN).
  • Frank Meier will not participate in the panel’s assessment of the programme at Nord University.
  • Berit Sund will not participate in the panel’s assessment of the programmes at BI Norwegian Business School and NHH Norwegian School of Economics.

Consultation panel

In addition to the expert panel, the evaluation also has a consultation panel. It consists of one representative from each of the eleven study programmes, as well as student representatives and employer / practitioner representatives. The consultation panel will contribute with input and feedback in the evaluation process.

These are the members of the consultation panel:
Institution/role Representative
BI Anders Dysvik
University of Inland Norway Mats Persson
Nord University Torill Moe / Robert Bye
NHH Trond Bjørnenak
NTNU Emil Røyrvik / Ann Charlott Pedersen
OsloMet Åge Johnsen
University of Agder Linda Hye
University of Stavanger Ingeborg Foldøy Solli
UiT The Arctic University of Norway Hanne Cathrin Gabrielsen
University of South-Eastern Norway Kåre Slåtten
VID Gry Espedal
Student representative Guro Brandshaug, Varanger kraft (student at UiT)
Student representative Cecilie Fosseidbråten, Fregn (student at VID)
Employers' representative Are Turmo, NHO
Employers' representative Stina Hansteen Solhøy, Dept. of Public Emplyer Policy in the Ministry of Digitalisation and Public Governance
Practitioners' representative Gry Skjellevik, Econa

On the Self-Assessment

A draft self-assessment form will be discussed with the evaluation's consultation panel. Each institution will submit one self-assessment. NOKUT encourages each institution to involve key groups and key individuals associated with the study programme in work on the self-assessment. This work will take place over a 10-week period in the spring of 2026. The self-assessment text can be up to 15 pages long.

On the site visit

The site visit will be digital. The visit will be led by representatives from the expert panel, and will include group interviews with, for example, management at the programme level and faculty or department level, lecturers, and students.

Tentative milestones

2025
May–June NOKUT has input meetings with key stakeholders
September The HEIs receive the proposal for the expert panel
October The consultation panel discusses the proposal for the evaluation themes
December NOKUT publishes the Terms of Reference and invites HEIs to a digital information meeting
2026
February The consultation panel discusses the proposal for the self-assessment form
March–May Each HEI writes one self-assessment
October–December The expert panel completes digital site visits
2027
September The HEIs receive relevant report chapters for fact checking
October The HEIs receive the final report and can submit a public statement to NOKUT
November Report launch

Contact NOKUT

Please contact project manager Inger-Lise Kalviknes Bore at inger-lise.kalviknes.bore@nokut.no.

HEIs wishing to submit a complaint about the evaluation process or an appeal in response to the final report, can email Inger-Lise Kalviknes Bore, copying in stein.erik.lid@nokut.no and postmottak@nokut.no