Systems Education at Bergen

At the University of Bergen in Norway, educating students to use computer models and to think systemically about social and economic problems began in the 1970s. The International Masters Program in System Dynamics was established in 1995, and a Ph.D. program began a few years later. Student enrolme...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Systems (Basel) 2014-06, Vol.2 (2), p.159-167
Main Authors: Davidsen, Pal I, Kopainsky, Birgit, Moxnes, Erling, Pedercini, Matteo, Wheat, I David
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Construction
Dynamical systems
Dynamics
Economics
Education
Mathematical models
policy design
simulation
Students
System dynamics
systems thinking
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Summary:At the University of Bergen in Norway, educating students to use computer models and to think systemically about social and economic problems began in the 1970s. The International Masters Program in System Dynamics was established in 1995, and a Ph.D. program began a few years later. Student enrolment doubled in 2010 with the establishment of the European Master Program in System Dynamics. International diversity has been a hallmark of the Bergen program; each year, students come from about 30 different countries and more than 95% of the degrees have been awarded to students from outside of Norway. However, a Bergen systems education is not confined to a classroom in Norway. Projects in developing countries, emerging economies, and developed countries have taken the systems perspective and modeling tools on the road and, increasingly, online. Whatever the delivery mode, the goal is the same: capacity building among international students, planners and managers, and local stakeholders. This paper describes the Bergen program and its impact on systems thinking and modeling throughout the world.
ISSN:2079-8954
2079-8954
DOI:10.3390/systems2020159