This is a two-year study programme of 120 ECTS. The MA-programme in music composition provides the student with the means to establish and develop his/her area of speciality as a composer. The student can choose from different modules regarding musical theory, electro-acoustics, instrumentation and composition to support his/her field. In addition, with the aim of developing the student's professional skills, the student can choose from programmes in entrepreneurship, project management or artistic reflective research.

Practical information

120 ECTS two-year full-time study Interviews with applicants take place in May. Admissions will be announced in May The autumn semester begins August 25 Maximum number of students for MA Composition is 4 students per year Teaching is in English Tuition for the school-year 2016-17 is ISK 796.000 per academic year. ... [-]

Profile and objectives of the study program

The Master Program in Fine Arts at the Iceland Academy of the Arts offers a platform for students to deepen their knowledge and increase their skills in the field of fine arts, strengthen their personal vision and relate their artistic practice to the discipline’s theoretical criteria.

The course makes great demands for independent working methods. There is an emphasis on the art practice and research involving a systematic building up of knowledge, that the students develop a good command of both academic and practical parameters of fine art in preparation for work as independent artists in the contemporary art field.

One of the unique features of the Iceland Academy of the Arts Master Program is the students’ proximity to other disciplines in the arts at the Academy. Collaboration is offered in the field of fine arts, music, design, and theatre through students´ independent work and development of their works. Master level programs entail participation in the professional field of the arts. The Department of Fine Arts collaborates with all the main art institutions in this country, in addition to various collaborations with domestic and foreign academies, artists and curators and theorists in the international field of fine arts. Students are thereby exposed to countless opportunities for specialization in connection with various areas of specific interests as well as projects related to nature and the country’s local characteristics. The main emphasis of the course is the promotion of the student’s independent and progressive visual... [-]

Thinking Shapes the World

We now use the term “design” about thinking that reaches far beyond the traditional area of design, as design revolves first and foremost around shaping the space inside the human mind and spotting new possibilities. The design is research, transformative force and political action. Nothing is irrelevant to it, be it education, politics, business or society as a whole.

The idea of designing things to sell in shops is now rather outdated, as the stated aims of design have become to lead thinking, to change attitudes and to have a positive influence on how people live. The demand is made of contemporary designers that they are aware of their responsibility and power in a world that has reached the utmost limits of materialism. Designers are important advocates of sustainability and responsible conduct, inbuilt areas or in nature. They should be able to make out patterns as they appear in society, rearrange these and utilise for good work.... [-]

Coastal Communities and Regional Development is an international, multidisciplinary master’s program on the development of rural and remote areas in the past and in the future. It focuses on coastal communities along the North Atlantic and the Arctic, although theoretical foundations might be found in other regions.

The program is specially built on the principle and practice of sociology, macroeconomics and geography/planning. By the end of the program, students understand the changes and challenges of coastal communities' development and have versed themselves in methods and skills to predict their development and manage it. The language of teaching and general communication is English. The program is offered by the University Centre of the Westfjords in Ísafjörður in co-operation with the University of Akureyri. Teaching takes place in Ísafjörður.... [-]

Coastal and Marine Management is an international, interdisciplinary Master's degree in the field of resource management. 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.

Entry requirementsThe main condition for acceptance is that applicants have completed a Bachelor's degree; whether a BA, BSc or BEd. Emphasis is placed on the applicant justifying their reasons and explaining how they hope to link the programme to their previous education and experience. An application form is available, in both electronic and pdf format, on the University Centre website.... [-]