Places to study Kven?

• Kvensk årsstudium (Kven one-year course, taught in Norwegian)

This one-year course provides the most fundamental foundation of the Kven language, culture and literary traditions. By the end of the course, you will be able to engage in conversations in Kven. 

• Bachelor i kvensk og finsk (Bachelor of Kven and Finnish, taught in Norwegian, Kven and othe Scandinavian languages)

The Bachelor of Kven and Finnish offered by UiT is built on the theoretical foundation of the Kven and Finnish language. Students applying for this study get to learn more about language revitalization, minority status and societal challenges in the multicultural context. The curricula also dive deeper into the linguistic differences between Kven and Finnish, Kven as a literary language and regional varieties of the Finnish language. 

• Master i kvensk og finsk (Master of Kven and Finnish, taught in Norwegian, Kven and othe Scandinavian languages)

As a continuation of the Bachelor of Kven and Finnish, this Master's program offers students in-depth and comprehensive study on Kven literature and art in the social and historical context. Students will be able to analyze, produce and work with Kven literature. Students who complete the program will be able to work in fields that require Kven and Finnish at a professional level.

In addition to the above-mentioned programs, there are numerous universities outside of Finland that offer studies in the Finnish language. The Finnish National Agency for Education (EDUFI) links their network of universities that offer studies in Finnish from around the world, which can be viewed here.

We've mentioned at our FAQ page that starting off from Finnish is one of the more practical ways to dive into Kven. Despite the stark differences in the nature of the two languages, Finnish written language (kirjakieli) still closely resembles the structure of the Kven language.