Hello all, my name is James and I am currently a third year student of MEng Ship Science (renamed Maritime Engineering for those after 2023), and I have spent the last semester on exchange in Trondheim – in central Norway. I studied with at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), within their Department of Marine Technology. An exhaustive account of my five month exchange is not the preserve of this blog post, instead will aim to give an honest summary of my experiences (both academic and otherwise) and then close with some recommendations for Maritime Engineering students who might seek to embark on a similar exchange.
Academics
I studied four modules overall, three engineering and one cultural. The first was TMR4120 Underwater Technology focussing on subsea robotics, hydroacoustics and pipeline engineering – this gave some incredible lab experience aboard RV Gunnerus (NTNU’s research vessel) and a lot of exposure to various underwater autonomous systems. The next was TMR4220 Naval Hydrodynamics, the content of which is obvious from the title, and which afforded us access to NTNU’s/SINTEF’s amazing towing tank facility for model testing. The last engineering module was TMR4225 Marine Operations focussing on offshore engineering, planning and logistics.
The Tyholt Marine Technology Campus at NTNU is, like Boldrewood Innovation Campus, separate from all the other departments. The campus is brand new, opening only in April 2025 (halfway through my stay!) and an excellent place to study. I generally found the quality of teaching very acceptable, supported by first rate lab facilities and very good industrial contact, although the workload imposed on students was far higher than at Southampton.
Travel
Aside from Trondheim, I also took the opportunity to visit other places in Scandinavia. I spent five days in Finnish Lapland courtesy of the Erasmus Student Network – skiing, dog sledding and hiking in the tundra along with seeing the Northern Lights. Later on I also, with another shippy, visited Helsinki, Tallinn and Stockholm. The Vasa museum in Stockholm, and the Tallinn’s Old Town were particular highlights. I spent my short Easter break in Oslo, visiting various museums scattered around the Fjords.
Social & Cultural
Trondheim is a very student friendly city, there are around 40,000 students in all split evenly between Norwegians and international students. For whatever reason there were very few British students in Trondheim, in fact I did not meet, or hear of, any others in my five months there. This is not an issue however as there is a dizzying array of student organisations in Trondheim that you can join. There are perhaps two of these which bears mention. The first is Studenterdamfundet (a rough equivalent of SUSU) which is based in a famous red building in central Trondheim – they organise a range of events from clubbing to hikes. Secondly there is the previously mentioned Erasmus Student Network which is specifically for international students, they organise events to help international students make friends and travel during your exchange. Although UK students are not technically Erasmus students I was still able to buy a membership card and attend their events.
I spent the winter months skiing, and once the snows had melted I spent time hiking amidst the mountains which surround Trondheim and its fjord. I found it quite easy to make friends, with internationals and Norwegians alike, and there was always something to do in the city.
Some closing notes and recommendations
I look back very fondly on my time in Trondheim, I enjoyed the outdoors, the large number of people I met from all backgrounds and my studies. It has made me more interested in maritime engineering generally compared to pure naval architecture and given me a good Norwegian network for the future. It was an unforgettable experience.
For those shippys who want to use this post to plan or decide which university to study at, I would make the following remarks:
- Norwegians are very kind and accepting people, but have an inclination towards introversion, do not take it personally!
- The cost of living is, surprisingly, about the same in my experience compared to Southampton. The food and alcohol is much more expensive but accommodation and sports are cheaper so it evens out.
- There is a large range of weather you will experience. It was -17 degrees with metre deep snow when I landed in January, and 25 degree summer when I left in June!
- Cash is not used at all, I did not use or see cash for the entire semester. Take a Revolut, Monzo or similar travel card.
To any students vacillating as to whether to take a semester abroad, I absolutely would recommend to do it!