Photo: From BI's facilities in Frysjaveien.
1943: The establishment
Finn Øien establishes Institute for Business Economics “Bedriftsøkonomisk Institut” (BI) as a private corporation offering evening classes.
1946: Full-time programme
Launch of a two-year full-time programme in “Office Management”.
1954: Approval
BI students become eligible to receive student loans from the State Educational Loan Fund.
1959: New campus
The first BI campus outside Oslo is established in Drammen
1964: Academic staff
Appointment of the first five permanent lecturers
1967: First computer
1967: Expanding
BI moves to a bigger building in Oslo
1969: State funding
BI receives its first state funding for full-time studies and is converted from a private corporation to a not-for-profit foundation
1979: Expanding again
BI moves yet again to a bigger building
1983: Four professors
Appointment of the first four, full professors
1985: National network
Establishment of the network of campuses in Norway
1985: Siviløkonom
BI is awarded the right to offer the “Siviløkonom” degree (Master in Business and Economics)
1987: Three-year offer
All local campuses offer three-year Bachelor’s programmes
1988: Sandvika
BI opens a new building in Sandvika in addition to two other teaching venues in the Oslo area
1990: Master studies
Start of the international MBA and Master of Science programmes
1993: Doctoral programme
Establishment of a doctoral programme in cooperation with the University of Oslo and Copenhagen Business School
1996: China
Start of Master of Management (Change Management Programme) in China in cooperation with Fudan University, Shanghai
1998: Dr. Oecon
BI is awarded the right to confer its own doctoral degree
1999: Accreditation
EQUIS accreditation from the European Foundation for Management Development
2000: Lithuania
The International School of Management in Lithuania is established. BI is the majority shareholder
2003: BBA
Start of the international Bachelor in Business Administration programme
2003: Cooperation
Start of the international executive MBA programme in cooperation with ESCP-EAP, Paris
2003: Anniversary
BI celebrates its 60th anniversary in Oslo Town Hall
2004: Reaccreditation by EQUIS
2005: New campus
BI moves into its new campus in Oslo, Nydalen
2006: Founder passes away
BIs founder, Finn Øien, passed away 27th of January
2006: New President
Professor Tom Colbjørnsen has been appointed new President of BI Norwegian School of Management.
2008: NOKUT
NOKUT (The Norwegian Agency for Quality Assurance in Education) has decided that BI will obtain the status of a specialized university.
2010: Election of President
Professor Tom Colbjørnsen elected as president
2011: English name changed
The English name was changed from BI Norwegian School of Management to BI Norwegian Business School
