Coastal and Marine Management is a cross-disciplinary resource management program that focuses on coastal and marine issues and mainly draws on three different fields: ecology, politics and economics. The program is internationally oriented, and all instruction and correspondence is in English. It is structured into intensive units and all instruction will take place at the University Centre of the Westfjords in Ísafjörður.

Degrees / numbers of credits
Students will graduate with a M.R.M. degree (Master of Resource Management) with specialization in coastal and marine management. The program will comprise 120 ECTS units at the master's level; students will complete 90 ECTS in the form of coursework and 30 ECTS in the form of a final project (it is also possible to do a larger final project). Courses will be taught in three terms, 30 ECTS per term in the form of five courses each of which will correspond to 6 ECTS. The first seven courses in the program form a core which all students must complete. The second part of the program, the final eight courses, are electives.

Prerequisites for admission / evaluation of applications
The prerequisite for admission to the program is completion of an undergraduate university degree; it is irrelevant whether this is a BA, BS or BEd. Application and registration forms are available both in electronic form and for printing. Each applicant will also write a personal letter in which he or she will talk about him- or herself; will explain the reasons why he or she is interested in this program and his or her expectations for the program.

Specialization within the program
Each student must complete seven core courses (42 ECTS). Following completion of the core courses, students may choose one of two courses in each three-week unit: that is, during each three-week unit, two courses will be offered and students can decide which course they choose. Each student must complete 48 ECTS in the form of elective courses. This can be seen in a chart that shows the plan of instruction. It is possible to take elective courses at other universities, such as a partner institution. In each instance it is necessary to assess whether the course in question fits the theme of Coastal and Marine Management.

Duration of studies

It is assumed that the program will take one year at a normal pace apart from the final project. The program is set up in such a way that students begin their studies in September and complete all coursework in three trimesters (fall - spring - summer). Following this, they will have yet to complete a 30 ECTS final project, which is expected to take one term. However, there is no obligation to complete the program at this pace. Students can of course decide for themselves how many ECTS they take per term and can thus distribute the program over a longer period of time. This might be appropriate if, for instance, the program were completed while students were working.

Division into terms and units
The program will be divided into four terms. Each term is further divided into five instructional units during which time students complete one 6 ECTS course in the space of three weeks for a total of 30 ECTS per term. See further the plan of instruction. Courses will be taught one at a time, i.e., students complete one course every three weeks (according to standard practice, it is assumed that 2 ECTS correspond to one week's work).

Individually structured studies
Arranging instruction into units in this way makes it easier for a small institution in a rural area to recruit top instructors from elsewhere. The intention smallness of the University Centre is also exploited to the utmost to make the studies as individually structured as possible. A high priority for the program is that both instructors and staff members are accessible to students. Individually structured studies also entail assessing for credit the knowledge or competence at the graduate level which a student has previously acquired or which he or she intends to acquire outside the University Centre of the Westfjords, e.g., at a collaborating institution. This type of system fully exploits new teaching methods, such as projects, a supervisory system, participation in studies abroad, field schools, etc.

Core courses and electives
Core courses comprise a total of 42 ECTS, which all students must complete.

Core courses:

• Integrated Coastal and Marine Management Coastal and Marine Ecology - 6 ECTS
  
• Society and Natural Resources- 6 ECTS
• Applied Methodology - 6 ECTS
• Physical Processes of Coastal and Marine Environment - 6 ECTS
• Economics of Coastal and Marine Environments - 6 ECTS
• Coastal and Marine Politics and Policy - 6 ECTS
• Coastal and Marine Ecology - 6 ECTS

In addition, each student must complete 48 ECTS in the form of electives.

Final projects
Students will complete a final project for 30 ECTS. It is assumed that students will work on their final projects after completing all courses; thus students will not have to be located in Ísafjörður while working on their final projects unless they wish to be there. Students are free to conduct their final projects, for instance, at the collaborating institution. It is also possible to do a larger final project but no larger than 60 ECTS units.