Coastal Communities and Regional Development University Centre of the Westfjords

Overview

The  Coastal Communities and Regional Development  programme from  University Centre of the Westfjords  is especially built on the principles and practices of social sciences and humanities, including geography, planning, sociology and economics. Local actions and global impacts as well as tools and policies for just and sustainable futures of coastal areas will be analyzed, both in theory and practice.   

By the end of the programme students will have acquired necessary competences and skills for handling current and future changes, challenges and transformation processes in coastal communities and regions.

Key Facts

The first year is made up of mandatory and elective courses from the teaching schedule. After the courses finish, the students’ attention moves to the 45 ECTS thesis. Students are free to choose their thesis topic and location. Theses are submitted for marking and defense in the spring semester the next year.

While the programme covers a wide arc of geographical and development related areas, students can specialise within this sphere through elective courses and with their choice of a topic for their thesis. Students are welcome to take elective courses at other universities, with the Master’s programme committee's approval.

Students at the University Centre of the Westfjords are formally enrolled at the University of Akureyri and graduate with an MA (Master of Arts) degree from the University of Akureyri. Studies however are entirely conducted at the University Centre of the Westfjords in Ísafjörður and are wholly supervised by the University Centre of the Westfjords