The VID Specialized University () is a Norwegian accredited, private, non-profit specialized university headquartered in Oslo. VID has 6,000 students and nearly 700 employees. It is one of three private specialized universities in Norway, alongside BI and MF. VID is a subsidiary of the foundation Diakonhjemmet, an independent and non-profit diaconal institution within the Lutheran state Church of Norway. VID was established in 2016 through a merger of Diakonhjemmet University College with several smaller colleges with a history dating back to 1843. Campus Diakonhjemmet, which is VID's headquarters and largest campus, is located in Frøen in Oslo next to Diakonhjemmet Hospital, also owned by Diakonhjemmet. The first rector of VID was Ingunn Moser. VID conducts research and offers studies from bachelor's to doctoral level in health and social sciences, theology and management. VID has around 50 study programmes, including three doctoral programmes. It is the largest private PhD-awarding institution in Norway. The traditional core activity is nurse education, which is still the largest study programme and carried out in cooperation with Diakonhjemmet Hospital and other hospitals. It also offers degrees at all levels in social work disciplines. The university also offers the professional six-year degree in theology (cand.theol.) that qualifies for the priesthood in the state Church of Norway. History VID Specialized University roots lie in 1843, making VID the oldest private institution of higher education in Norway. The current university was established on 1 January 2016 through a merger of the School of Mission and Theology in Stavanger, Haraldsplass Diaconal College in Bergen, Betanien University College in Bergen, and the Diakonhjemmet University College in Oslo and Sandnes. On 1 January 2018, Diakonova University College became part of VID. The constituting schools have traditionally been involved with missionary and diaconal activities both in Norway and abroad. VID continues with this tradition, offering health, social work, manangement and religious formation for a national and global public. Colleges The School of Mission and Theology or Misjonshøgskolen (MHS) was founded in 1843 in Stavanger, which makes it the third-oldest institution for higher education in Norway, after the War School (1750) and the University of Oslo (1811). Long associated with the Norwegian Mission Society, MHS was the first college to concentrate on the world outside Europe. It was also the first European college open for African students (since the 1860s), and over the 19th and the first part of the 20th century, gave the