2025 – MP Peter Frølich labels certain university programmes “tullestudier” (nonsense studies), igniting a political debate over the value of humanities and social sciences and providing the backdrop for NMBU’s later advertising controversy [1].

Feb 1, 2026 – NMBU launches the “Bachelor i irrelevans” recruitment campaign, placing the slogan “Don’t take a bachelor in irrelevance. Apply to NMBU” on Oslo metro stations and planning bus ads with a budget of about 500,000 kr to highlight natural sciences, biology, technology and economics as future‑relevant fields [2].

Feb 2026 (through February) – The metro ads run on weekends across Oslo’s T‑ban network, reaching commuters with the message that NMBU degrees lead to relevant jobs while the university stresses the campaign does not denigrate other disciplines [2].

Feb 24, 2026 – NMBU rector Solve Sæbø stresses that the campaign aims to reassure prospective students rather than judge any field, asserting the university simply wants to show the relevance of its programmes in a changing labour market [2].

Feb 24, 2026 – University of Bergen professor Frode Helmich Pedersen calls the ads “immature” and argues universities should promote programmes without denigrating others, warning the stunt drags higher education into a culture war [2].

Feb 24, 2026 – Oslo master student Anna Luna Wester says the ads create a false relevance divide, expressing shock that fields outside STEM are portrayed as irrelevant and publishing an op‑ed urging respect for all study options [2].

Feb 25, 2026 – Elin Ørjasæter describes the commercial as “just funny,” viewing it as a sign of tougher student recruitment amid a declining economy rather than an attack on non‑STEM disciplines [3].

Feb 25, 2026 – Sociologist Trond Blindheim praises the focus on engineering and natural‑science competence, arguing society needs more “real‑science” graduates and commending the ad for confronting higher‑education’s lack of market direction [3].

Feb 25, 2026 – Professor Morten William Knudsen warns that relevance is fluid, citing Steve Jobs’s dropout and AI’s unpredictable impact, and urges respect for all disciplines despite the campaign’s narrow framing [3].

Feb 25, 2026 – Professor Tom Karp frames the ad as a market‑driven move, questioning the moral limits of using business‑style marketing in academia and doubting the long‑term relevance of the promoted fields amid AI advances [3].

Feb 26, 2026 – University of Bergen rector Margareth Hagen calls the ad “anti‑intellectual,” saying it “tastes of trumpism” and presents a banal view of knowledge, urging focus on quality as the true measure of relevance [1].

Feb 26, 2026 – University of Innlandet rector Peer Jacob Svenkerud calls the campaign “unnecessary, not fruitful, and too simple,” noting that their interdisciplinary bachelor programme in philosophy, politics and economics ranks among the highest in student satisfaction, illustrating the relevance of broad‑based education [1].

Feb 26, 2026 – University of South‑East Norway rector Pia Bing‑Jonsson treats the ads as a short, memorable recruitment tool, arguing that in a competitive market such bold messaging can attract prospective students without constituting criticism [1].

Mar 15‑30, 2026 (planned) – NMBU rolls out the second phase of the campaign on 50 Oslo‑area buses during the latter half of March, extending the “don’t take a bachelor in irrelevance” message to a wider public audience and completing the half‑million‑kroner advertising budget [2].