Vemund shows how an IR master’s can shape a fast‑paced career: it has sharpened his analytical skills, strengthened his writing, and is helping him make smarter decisions under pressure.
Name: Vemund Sveen Finstad
Job: Journalist at Aftenposten
Study Programme: International Relations
Completed studies at NMBU: 2019
Can you tell us a little about yourself?
At Aftenposten, I cover breaking news mixed with work on more independent stories on topics and leads that interest me. The main areas I focus on are international affairs, diplomacy, defence, technology, politics and war. Usually, I write, occasionally, I do podcasts.
I started at Aftenposten in 2020 after a normal application process. Back then, I got hired in a temporary position as a frontpage editor, before I got full employment about two years later, having also worked for Aftenposten's history magazine, before I got moved to the news desk. Before that, while I did my bachelor's and master’s degrees in IR, I had a part-time position as a front-page editor at an online news outlet and worked weekends and evenings after class. However, I quit that job in my final year of my master's. Even before that, I finished a bachelor’s degree in journalism and worked as a journalist with regional and national news outlets for some time before I got seriously interested in international relations and decided to specialize in that field.
What attracted you to your programme at NMBU?
During my bachelor’s degree in IR, I realized I was completely in love with the IR subject matter and curriculum, and the way it informed and deepened my understanding of international political events and trends. I considered several places to pursue my IR master's, but among the numerous books I had read over the years, I particularly enjoyed one called “Norsk forsvarspolitikk – territorialforsvar og internasjonal innsats 1990 – 2015” by Nina Græger. She’s now the director of PRIO, but when I applied back in 2016/2017, she worked at NMBU, and I really wanted her as a lecturer. However, she quit just before I started studying there. What also drew me to NMBU was how close it is to Oslo (where I lived and worked), how beautiful the campus is and how the M-IR programme portrayed itself as liberal with a high acceptance for differing schools of thought, as well as the very international student body. After reading about the other professors at the programme, I was convinced to apply.
What was the most rewarding part of your studies?
I just absolutely loved reading the curriculum, engaging with it, learning from it, thinking critically about it, searching outside it to find answers I didn’t think it addressed sufficiently. I was mesmerized by some of the lectures and professors. What they knew, how they presented it, how they allowed for discussion and how they engaged with me. I also did a 60-credit master’s thesis – a full two semesters of pure self-indulgence in my favourite subjects and theories, which took me to Japan (again) and on an academic journey of a lifetime, merging sociology, anthropology and psychology with IR. It was hard sometimes, but I learned so much and grew as a person.
How was the academic and social environment at NMBU?
I simply loved studying in a milieu of academic excellence, mainly thanks to the curriculum and lecturers at the IR programme. It was lovely being surrounded by knowledge-seeking people.
How do you use what you learned at NMBU in your current job?
What M-IR has brought me most at my current job, I think, is broad and somewhat deep knowledge about issues I now work with, ballast if you will, and perspectives that calm, inform and build confidence. Traditional IR theories are lenses through which some issues can be better understood. The knowledge I gained gives me more options and structures my thoughts in a fast-paced workday and leads to more informed decisions and articles.
What are your next career plans?
Right now, I want to be the best journalist and writer I can be. I really don’t think about my career anymore, although I am intrigued about the idea of teaching and leadership. I love analytical work, but I also thrive in a faster-paced environment, with responsibility, people and working with complex issues. I am also forever a sailor on the sea of life, ever exploring.
Any advice for future students?
As a student, be curious, think critically, be humble, but work towards confidence. Read a lot. Write a lot. Participate in discussions. Be nice to others, courageous and courteous – and never forget - be nice to yourself. Invest in your future health and prosperity.