University Centre of the Westfjords
Master in Coastal Communities and Regional Development
Ísafjörður, Iceland
Master degree
DURATION
24 months
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
EARLIEST START DATE
Aug 2026
TUITION FEES
EUR 1,000 / per year *
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* ISK 150000 for EEA / ISK 300.000 non EEA students.
Fast-track counseling
By contacting the school, you'll get access to free priority counselling for any study and application questions.
Key Summary
About: The Master in Coastal Communities and Regional Development focuses on sustainable development strategies in coastal areas.
This program caters to students interested in regional planning, community development, and environmental policy.
You'll explore vital concepts in sustainable economic growth while addressing the unique challenges faced by coastal communities.
Career Outcomes: Graduates can pursue various careers including urban planner, community development officer, environmental consultant, or policy analyst.
With emphasis on real-world applications, this degree prepares you for impactful roles that contribute to the resilience and sustainability of coastal regions.
As economically and strategically vital locations, northern coastal communities are at the forefront of global change. Iceland is a leader in renewable energy, gender-equality, quality of life and sustainable fisheries, offering a key case study in resource-based development. Situated directly in the center of this change, students of the CRD program can learn directly from the practitioners and researchers the opportunities and challenges that these communities face.
How will these communities navigate climate change, technological revolutions, and the global energy transition? These complex, interrelated challenges require the training of the next generation of experts with the tools and literacy to find the answers and lead sustainable solutions.
In the CRD program, you will master the tools that consider the complex intersection between politics, technology, geography and economics. This program moves from theory to practice, learning to design and implement effective strategies that connect local development in a globalized world.
The language of teaching and general communication is English. The program is offered by the University Centre of the Westfjords in Iceland in co-operation with the University of Akureyri. Teaching takes place in Ísafjörður.
The program consists of 120 ECTS at the master’s level; this includes 75 ECTS in the form of courses and 45 ECTS in the form of a thesis. All courses are taught in modules. The program starts in the autumn semester and the first year is made up of core courses and elective courses.
In order to complete 75 ECTS in one academic year, courses are taught in intensive modules from August through July of the next year. Courses are weighted from 1 ECTS to 8 ECTS and range from half a week to four weeks in length. Each ECTS is expected to involve approximately 25-30 hours of student work. On average students take 2 ECTS a week which corresponds to no less than a 50-hour workload per week.
After the courses finish, at the end of June/beginning of July, more of the students’ attention moves to the 45 ECTS thesis. According to the above work time calculation, the 45 ECTS should be equivalent to 1.5 semesters’ work. Students are free to choose whether or not they stay in the Westfjords to complete their theses.
These are submitted for marking and defense at the beginning of the spring semester the next year. In this manner, it is possible to complete the whole program in 18 months. No provision for a summer holiday is made, however, if this pace of study is chosen. It is also possible to submit theses in April and the program then takes 21 months.
While the program covers a wide arc of geographical and development-related areas students can specialize 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 program committee's approval.