# University of Akureyri

The University of Akureyri (Icelandic: Háskólinn á Akureyri, regionally also) was founded in 1987 in the town of Akureyri in the northeastern part of Iceland. It is today a school of Humanities and Social science, and a school of Health, Business and Natural science. Over 2800 students attended the university in the autumn semester of 2024, around half of them through flexible learning, making the university the largest provider of distance education in the country. The University of Akureyri coordinates with other Icelandic Universities to operate the University Centre of the Westfjords (Háskólasetur Vestfjarða) located in Ísafjörður, which operates two master's degrees, one in Coastal and Marine Management and the other in Marine Innovation. Additionally, The University of Akureyri coordinates with other Nordic Universities for the West Nordic Studies and Polar Law Masters programs.

## History

The University was established in 1987 when the health sciences and industrial management studies began. The first rector was Haraldur Bessason. Staff were four people in total and the number of students 31. Two classrooms in the local sports center were used as classrooms. In 1988, the library was officially added to the school. Two months after the library was added, the Student Center opened. The first class to graduate was in 1989, and consisted of 10 industrial management students. On January 4, 1990, the Faculty of Fisheries was established. The first master's degree students graduated February 26, 2000. These students pursued a master's degree in nursing. A new chancellor took over from Þorsteinn Gunnarsson on July 1, 2009 after 15 years in office, Stefán B. Sigurðsson. In autumn 2017, HA became a fully-fledged university offering education at all levels of university studies when it received authorization to offer doctoral studies. The first doctoral students enrolled at the school at the end of 2018, and the first doctoral defense at the school took place in autumn 2022.

## Campus

The main building, called Sólborg is a series of interconnected sections built in numerous phases since 1967. The University received its current residence in 1995. A new research and development building called Borgir was opened in 2004.
Teaching is conducted in two buildings at the University of Akureyri campus (Norðurslóð) called Sólborg and Borgir. The university campus area is centrally located in Akureyri.
Other facilities include a cafeteria, and a wellness and exercise centre.

### Library

The university library is located at Sólborg, where there are facilities for reading and computer use. It is a research library and it tailors its purchases of material mostly according to the requirements of the University faculties and the research conducted at the University. Students have access to the reading rooms at all hours.

## Schools and Faculties

School of Humanities and Social Sciences (Hug- og félagsvísindasvið)
Faculty of Social Science:
* BA Media Studies
* BA Modern Studies
* BA Social Sciences
* BA Police Science
* Diploma in Police Science for active police officers
* Diploma in Police Science for prospective police officers
* Masters of Art by Research
* Masters of Art Communication studies
Faculty of Psychology
* BS Psychology
* Masters of Science in Psychology
Faculty of Education:
* B.Ed. Preschool and Primary School Studies
* Diploma - Preschool Education
* M.Ed. Preschool, Primary School and Secondary Studies
* Postgraduate Diploma Educational Studies
* MA Educational Science
* Postgraduate Diploma Educational Science
Faculty of Law:
* BA Law
* Graduate Diploma-Law
* M.L. Law
* Master's degree Program leading to MA degree
* Master's degree Program in Polar Law (MA and LL.M.
School of Health, Business and Science (Heilbrigðis, viðskipta- og raunvísindasvið)
Faculty of Occupational Therapy:
* BS Occupational Therapy
* Postgraduate Diploma Occupational Therapy
Faculty of Nursing:
* BS Nursing Studies
Faculty of Natural Resource Sciences:
* BS Biotechnology
* BS Fisheries Science
* MS Natural Resource Sciences
* MRM in Coastal & Marine Management (Program located in Ísafjörður through the University Centre of the Westfjords)
Faculty of Business Administration:
* BS Business Administration

## Polar Law

Polar Law studies are offered every other year at the University of Akureyri (UNAK), Iceland. They are unique and have been the first of their kind since they were launched in 2008, alongside the annual Polar Law Symposia, hosted in the past by UNAK and other partner universities in the Arctic and worldwide (https://www.polarlaw.is/en/polar-law-symposium), and the Yearbook of Polar Law that follows the symposia and publishes highly topical and peer-reviewed articles related to Polar Law (https://brill.com/display/serial/POLA).
Within the Polar Law Programme, the following paths can be taken: a 120 ECTS programme leading to an MA degree; a 90 ECTS programme leading to an LL.M. degree; a 60 ECTS study at master level leading to a Graduate diploma; and individual courses in Polar law leading to a certificate. All courses in Polar Law are taught in English.
Course topics include Arctic and Antarctic law and policy, Indigenous Peoples rights and cultures, economies, industries and natural resource governance in the Polar regions, law of the sea, and international environmental law at the Poles. They are taught by experienced scholars and practitioners from UNAK and other national and international partner universities and research institutions, all of them specialized in the field of Polar Law.

## Research

Most research is done by academic members of the staff in the university's Research and Development Center. In addition, there are other research institutes:
* Research and Development Centre of UNAK
* Research Centre on Children's Literature
* Research Centre for Health Science at UNAK
* The Icelandic Tourism Research Centre
* Centre of School Development at UNAK
* Research Centre Against Violence
* Fisheries Science Centre
Arctic Issues
UNAK's policy emphasizes on being progressive in teaching and research that meets international standards. Emphasis is placed on teaching and research related to Icelandic society and economy, as well as fields related to Arctic issues.
UNAK is an international university where standards of research and teaching are international. UNAK emphasizes greatly on the importance to cooperate with universities in the North and is one of the founding members of the University of the Arctic, collaborative network of universities in the North. The University of the Arctic links together universities and organizes student exchange program (North2North), thematic networks, joint degree etc. UNAK's policy with the emphasis on Arctic issues has created uniqueness for the university which is now both domestically and abroad recognized for teaching and research in disciplines related to the North.
The University of Akureyri is also a founding partner of the Icelandic Arctic Cooperation Network. The main purpose of The Icelandic Arctic Cooperation Network is to increase the visibility and understanding of the Arctic and activities working towards the northern Iceland. The CEO of the network, Embla Eir Oddsdóttir, has for many years worked on projects and studies relating to the Arctic.
Conferences
The University of Akureyri Research and Development Centre (RHA) offers services for organizing conferences, meetings or conventions in partnership with professionals. RHA has good experience in organizing such events both domestically and abroad.

## External Relations
### International Students

Each year the school receives many exchange students. These students come through one of four exchange programs:
* Nordplus
* Erasmus
* North2North
* Bilateral agreement between universities
Through these programs, students can come as guest students. This occurs when a student attends the university for a short period of time, but there is no formal co-operation between universities. Not only do students travel, but so do teachers. Through the Erasmus program, teachers have travelled to co-operating universities and given lectures. This exchange of teachers has taken place in many countries including: the United Kingdom, Denmark, Latvia, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Austria, Belgium, and France.
Agreement with Western Kentucky University
Western Kentucky University (WKU), the University of Akureyri (UNAK) and the Icelandic Arctic Cooperation Network (IACN) signed an academic and research agreement that solidifies the North Atlantic Climate Change Collaboration (NAC3) project.
The innovative agreement signed by the academic and research partners will center on academic exchanges and joint course offerings, research initiatives, capacity building, economic development activities, and service-learning. The NAC3 project aims to focus on academic exchange, course development and collaborative research in the areas of climate change, climate literacy, health and wellness, ocean dynamics, sustainability, informal public education, economic development, technology exchange, and water resources, among others. (Additional information about the project is available at www.wku.edu/iceland)

## University Centre of the Westfjords

The University Centre, also known as Háskólasetur Vestfjarða in Icelandic was founded at the University level in 2005 in Ísafjörður. The Centre employees 10 full-time permanent staff members as well as hosting 50 members of staff for research and teaching. The University Centre operates distance learning for 100 students in the Westfjords region of Iceland as well as two master's degrees programs, them being Coastal and Marine Management and Marine Innovation. In addition to these programs, the Centre hosts a variety of summer Icelandic courses. Programs at the University Centre, particularly the Coastal & Marine Management program have been increasingly attracting a diverse group of international students. In 2010, 120 applicants applied, 45 were accepted and 20 enrolled. 14 percent of these students were Icelandic and the others from a variety of other countries. The number of applicants for the program has been rising since.
Coastal and Marine Management
Coastal and Marine Management is a demanding and ambitious master's program in environmental and resource management. T he program is cross-disciplinary and prepares students for diverse positions in both the public and private sectors. The program emphasizes management and each course involves an interdisciplinary approach. Emphasis is placed on solving real life problems. The programme emphasises ideas and methods from ecology, sociology, economics and business studies. Students completing the programme have knowledge of the diverse and valuable resources of the coast and the sea, understand their current condition, and have gathered tools and expertise to drive the sustainable use of marine resources. The course language, including all teaching, is English. The University Centre of the Westfjords offers this programme in co-operation with the University of Akureyri. Teaching takes place in Ísafjörður. Students graduate from the University of Akureyri with an MRM degree (Master of Resource Management), with coastal and marine management as a specialty.
Students complete 8 core courses and up to 12 electives. The core course are :
* Scientific Methods and Research Practices
* Principles of Planning
* Integrated Coastal Zone Management: Introduction and Theory
* Understanding the Ocean
* Applied Methodology
* Physical Processes of Coastal and
Marine Environment
* Economics and Policy
* Integrated Coastal Zone Management: Practical Applications and
Challenges
Students can choose from a number of electives to fulfill the taught part of the program, including but not limited to:
* Leadership and Management in Changing Times
* Marine Protected Area Management
* Coastal and Underwater Heritage
* Coastal and Marine Spatial Planning
* Managing Coastal and Offshore Emergencies
* Pollution in the Coastal Arctic
* Evaluating Sustainable Fisheries
* Environmental Certification and Eco-labeling Schemes
* Law of the Sea
* Geographical Information Systems
* Innovation and Sustainability in Aquaculture
* Fishing Technology
* Communicating Climate Change
* Adaption Planning
* Conflict Resolution in Ocean Management
* Marine Renewable Energy
Among the fields which the master's program in Coastal and Marine Management prepares students to work in are resource and land use planning, environmental impact assessment, consulting work, teaching and research. The program is internationally oriented and taught in English, and both students and instructors come from a diverse range of countries. The master's program in Coastal and Marine Management brings together people of different backgrounds who share their experience, knowledge, and ideas in a small-scale, creative and fertile intellectual environment, with the goal of finding ways of using natural resources in a sustainable way.
Marine Innovation
The professional master's program in Marine Innovation is an unconventional program offered in cooperation with the University of Akureyri and the Innovation Centre Iceland, where students learn to make a job instead of taking one. We define marine innovation in a wide sense, covering everything from fisheries, aquaculture, and food production, to technical solutions and energy production, as well as tourism and culture.
The program gives students insight into coastal and marine issues and the nature and conditions of starting and running an innovative micro-business. Each student designs an individually-tailored plan of study, combining courses in their professional field and business management courses with the respective innovative project. Students work closely with the Innovation Centre Iceland and the Westfjords economy. Because the program is individually structured the number of students is limited.
By completing the program students will be well-prepared to execute their own ideas; whether it is by founding a new business or within an established business. These skills are also valuable in the labor market in general, in fields such as project managing, strategic planning and decision making for example. In this sense the program provides students with excellent skills that are useful in the ever-changing modern labor market that demands independent work methods, innovative spirit and self-discipline.