The Oslo School of Architecture and Design, AHO, is an autonomous institution within the Norwegian university system. The School offers a unique research-based education with a strong international standing within the fields of architecture, urbanism, design and landscape architecture

AHO offers three full time masters's programmes: Master of Architecture, Master of Design and Master of Landscape Arcitecture - the last programme is offered in Oslo and at the Arctic University in Tromsø.The school also offers post-professional Master’s courses in Urbanism and Architectural Conservation. AHO offers a single type of doctoral degree, the Doctor of Philosophy.

The school was established directly after World War II as a «crisis course» for students of architecture who were unable to finish their degree due to the outbreak of the war. Prior to this, the only Norwegian option for obtaining an architectural degree was at Norwegian Institute of Technology (NTH) in Trondheim.

All through the first half of the twentieth century, a group of architects had worked hard towards the establishment of an architectural school that was more aesthetically and academically oriented than a polytechnic education. The school was finally located in Oslo, since it was generally felt that the capital had access to many of the nation’s best practicing architects.

In the beginning, the architectural course was part of the Norwegian National Academy of Craft and Art Industry. In 1961 The Oslo School of Architecture was established as an independent school, and, from 1968, located in St. Olavs gate.

In 1979, the first formal education in industrial design in Norway was offered as a two-year postgraduate study. A full degree program was established in 1983, and in 1989 this was placed under the direction of The Norwegian Arts and Crafts School. Then, in 1996, the Institute of Industrial Design became part of the Oslo School of Architecture.

Master of Landscape Architecture became part of AHO’s master’s programmes in 2004. In 2005, The Oslo School of Architecture changed name to The Oslo School of Architecture and Design. In 2009, the Institute of Industrial Design changed its name to the Institute of Design.

In 2001 the school moved to new facilities at Vulkan, a revitalised industrial area near the Aker River. In an central, innovative, creative and cultural part of the city. The school lays adjacent to the Oslo National Academy of the Arts and the recently opened Food Hall. In 2005 the school changed its name to The Oslo School of Architecture and Design.

The Student Council

SAHO, the student council at the Oslo School of Architecture and Design, is an organ for and by students. For many of us the school becomes a home. Through SAHO you can influence how the school runs.

It is important that all students are aware of what SAHO is, what we do and what we can contribute with. You have to choose yourself how your studies will be. SAHO is based on student involvement and all members are elected by the rest of the student mass.

As an international student, you can represent all foreign students at AHO, both exchange students and those who wish to do their MA and Diploma here.

Contact us for more information either on our e-mail adress or facebook page.

Institute of Architecture

The Institute of Architecture aims to educate reflective practitioners in architecture of international standing. Its educational attitude acknowledges the fundamental diversity of the discipline of architecture by seeking to develop in its students both a broad range of methods and the strength of individual conviction.

By overlaying its traditional architectural heritage with an experimental and forward-facing focus on process, the Institute seeks to provide its students with the competence and individuality necessary to realize buildings of the highest quality. Programs in material tectonics and performance-oriented design provide a basis for research-based studios and studio-based research, in line with our belief that the best architecture is both concrete and conceptual.

The Institute has an international staff of approximately 20 full-time and 20 parttime instructors and researchers. Each semester, the Institute is host to an internationally distinguished guest professor. We maintain close ties to a select group of schools in Europe, Asia, and the Americas.

Institute of Design

The Institute of Design teaches, researches, and develops knowledge in the fields of industrial design, interaction design, service design and systems oriented design.

The Institute provides design education at a Foundation level and at the Master's and PhD levels, partially in collaboration with the other Institutes at The Oslo School of Architecture and Design.

The Institute’s research centre, The Centre for Design Research, contributes to international research in the fields of design within which the Institute works, through practice-based inquiry, critical, and informed reflection. The Institute advocates for research-based education and education-based research. This means that students, courses, and ongoing research projects are closely linked, thus mutually benefiting one another.The Institute has an established international network of partner institutions within teaching and research.The Institute has approximately 45 dedicated faculty and part-time teachers with a broad range of academic and professional backgrounds, both nationally and internationally. Part-time teachers and visiting lecturers are recruited for their renowned professional practise to inspire the studies with ‘real world’ perspectives.

At the Institute of Design, we are passionate about shaping futures through design.