He holds a master's degree in international relations from the United States International University in Nairobi, Kenya, and a Ph.D. in media science from the University of Oslo. He is currently study program manager for the bachelor program in media management. Dr. Barland has more than 20 years of experience in the media industry as a journalist and manager, among others at Dagbladet and Aftenposten, and has been editor-in-chief and CEO at Stavanger Aftenblad.