Roving Scholar in American Studies
Norway
Number of recipients
In addition to being a prestigious academic exchange program, the Fulbright Program is designed to expand and strengthen relationships between the people of the United States and citizens of other nations and to promote international understanding and cooperation. To support this mission, Fulbright Scholars may be asked to give public talks, mentor students, and otherwise engage with the host community, in addition to their primary activities.
Serve as a traveling specialist in the study of the United States and/or pedagogy in English and humanities. Lower secondary, and upper secondary Roving Scholars will make one-time visits to lower secondary schools (student ages 14-16), upper secondary schools (ages 16-19), teacher training programs, and educator conferences to give up-to-date information on important issues related to American society and pedagogical methods. The Østfold Roving Scholar will make visits to lower and upper secondary schools in the region, contribute to the work of the Norwegian Centre for Foreign Languages in Education, and serve as a guest lecturer for the teacher education program at Østfold University College.
The aim is to give Norwegian teachers an opportunity to interact with an American colleague and to let students practice their English, confront an American with some of their ideas about the U.S., and experience an American educator's approach to teaching.
The scholar will travel to schools throughout Norway to teach in-service courses for practicing English teachers and to teach students in cooperation with their teachers in the classroom.
Lower secondary, and upper secondary Roving Scholars are based in Oslo, but travel throughout the country at the Fulbright Foundation's expense. The Østfold Roving Scholar is based in Halden, but travels throughout the region at the Fulbright Foundation's expense. Whether based in Oslo or Halden, all Roving Scholars have their primary Norwegian affiliation at the Norwegian Center for Foreign Languages in Education.
Awards are from August 15, 2025 - June 15, 2026.
This award affords experienced educators a chance to spend an entire school year holding workshops for secondary school students, their teachers, and higher education students aspiring to become teachers. Roving Scholars are tasked broadly with helping students improve their English by presenting on American history, culture, and society. They are also asked to offer workshops that both reflect their subject matter specialties and speak to the interests of Norwegian students and national curricular aims.
Classroom experience, pedagogical expertise, and demonstrated commitment to the practice and advancement of teaching are key for selection.
The Fulbright Foundation will help procure housing.
Roving Scholars are given an additional in-depth post-arrival orientation focused on the Norwegian education system before they start visiting schools.
All U.S. awardees to Norway have two opportunities to gather as a group. The first is an orientation program held in Oslo in August. The second is a seminar in February during which awardees present on their projects followed by a weekend at a ski resort near Lillehammer in February. Domestic travel and lodging expenses for these gatherings are covered by the Fulbright Foundation. In addition, these expenses are covered for dependent family members of awardees for the seminar/ski weekend, which is a highlight of the Fulbright year.
All applicants must meet the Program eligibility requirements (click to review the requirements).
All teaching will be in English; proficiency in another language is not required.
Applicants should be able to engage with students at their own level on social, political, historical and educational issues in the United States. The applicant should also have considerable teaching experience, particularly with students between 14-19 years old.
As the award entails significant travel, applicants should be flexible and have the requisite time management and planning skills.
Please note that dual U.S.-Norway citizens are not eligible for Fulbright grants to Norway. Applications will not be considered if the applicant is currently residing in Norway or will be residing in Norway during the year preceding the award period.
Annual Roving Scholar reports can be found on the U.S.-Norway Fulbright Foundation website.
30,000 Norwegian kroner (NOK) (approximately $3,300) per month for stays of 10 months.
Expenses incurred for school visits including transportation, lodging, and meals will be covered separately by the Fulbright Foundation. A cell phone, iPad, and other equipment and supplies needed for teaching will also be covered.
Please note, USD amounts are subject to change due to currency fluctuations.
International travel for scholar only. Small allowance for excess baggage.
Domestic travel and related Roving Scholar expenses are covered separately by the Fulbright Foundation. In addition, Roving Scholars are provided with a cell phone and iPad for use while they are in Norway.
An additional monthly allowance of 2,000 NOK (approximately $250) per accompanying dependent per month is provided for up to three accompanying dependents. If two people in the same family receive Fulbright awards to Norway, no dependent allowance will be provided for additional family members.
The monthly stipend is sufficient to cover basic living costs in Norway for the awardee and up to three accompanying dependents.
Public primary and secondary schools are free in Norway for dependents. For more information, please click here.
Dependents must accompany the grantee for at least 80% of the period abroad and a minimum of one semester in order to qualify for additional dependent benefits. Dependent benefits are not provided to Flex grantees.
Housing costs can vary considerably depending on the type of place scholars rent. For other costs of living, please see Consumption Research Norway’s reference budget for ordinary consumer expenditures. (https://www.oslomet.no/en/about/sifo/reference-budget)
A special orientation for Roving Scholars and English Teaching Assistants to learn about the Norwegian educational system will be held at the Norwegian Center for Foreign Languages in August.
Roving Scholars who present at the American Studies Association of Norway annual conference will have their participation covered by the Fulbright Foundation.
Final grant amounts will be determined prior to the start of the academic year and are subject to the availability of funds. The United States Department of State and the Fulbright Commission in the host country reserve the right to alter, without notice, participating countries, number of awards and allowances.
Norway
Norway is an excellent place to live, teach, and conduct research. With a strong public emphasis on knowledge and learning, Norway's generously funded and publicly accessible system of higher education and research is the backbone of Norwegian intellectual development, creativity, and innovation. A good introduction to Norway can be found here. In addition, Statistics Norway has a wealth of information in English on many topics.
The vast majority of higher education institutions in Norway are public. There is a single national admissions process for undergraduate study at public colleges and universities as well as some private institutions. In accordance with European standards, the years of study for a bachelor’s, master’s and Ph.D. degree are three, two and three respectively. In-depth information about higher education in Norway can be found here.
Norwegian institutions of higher education and research offer many opportunities for international scholars to conduct research and teach. English is used almost as a second language in Norway, and the international environment in most research and higher education institutions means that competence in Norwegian is not a requirement for a successful short-term research or teaching visit.
In addition, The Research Council of Norway has designated a number of Centers of Excellence and Centers for Research-Based Innovation in various fields. The centers are affiliated with Norway's top universities and premier independent research institutes and may be of particular interest for Fulbright scholars. Scholars especially interested in efforts to strengthen quality in higher education may want to consider one of the Norwegian Centres for Excellence in Education.
The academic year runs from mid-August to mid-December and mid-January to mid-June.
Early career applicants who are currently working on a PhD must have a doctorate in hand by February 2025 to be eligible.
Please note that dual U.S.-Norway citizens are not eligible for Fulbright grants to Norway.
The US-Norway Fulbright Foundation is proud to have welcomed scholars in a variety of disciplines from the creative and performing arts to education to mathematics and natural sciences. Every scholar and every host situation is different, and we cannot guarantee an exact match, but we will be happy to try and connect potential applicants with relevant recent alumni. For a complete list of current and past scholars, please see the Fulbright Scholar Directory.
Visit our Scholar Directory to view and search all Fulbright alumni. You can also learn more about Fulbright Alumni Ambassadors.
Roving Scholar grants will be offered as follows: one lower secondary, two upper secondary, and one Østfold region.
The position requires extensive travel. The applicant should be interested in meeting with and teaching teenagers, be versatile and open-minded and be able to convey to young Norwegian students different aspects of American society. The applicant should have the ability to present and practice modern teaching methods, provide information of interest to young people about the U.S. and discuss political, historical, educational and social issues.
Please indicate a preference for lower secondary, upper secondary schools, or Østfold region in the application.
Applicants are encouraged to secure recommendation letters from individuals with different institutional affiliations.
In lieu of a traditional syllabus, applicants are requested to include possible workshop offerings for students and teachers (basic outline of topics is sufficient). The workshop offerings should be entered into in the syllabi portion of the grant application.
Contact IIE staff or the U.S.-Norway Fulbright Foundation at fulbright@fulbright.no.