The University of The Faroe Islands

The University has five faculties where education and research are located.

• Faculty of Faroese Language and Literature
• Faculty of Education
• Faculty of History and Social Sciences
• Faculty of Science and Technology
• Faculty of Health Sciences

In addition to this there is a central administration, wich holds the Student Service Center and the International Office.

Faculty of Faroese Language and Literature

At the Faculty of Faroese Language and Literature there is research in the language and literature of the Faroes and lecture in these fields. The Faculty strives to advance research of an international standard and offer excellence in BA and MA level degree programmes. In addition to Faroese language and literature, the programmes introduce students to the literature and languages of the other Nordic countries.

The degree programmes are grounded in research into Faroese language and literature. The Faculty applies the same scientific research perspectives and methods used globally in scholarly literature and language research.

As mother tongue studies the degrees in Faroese are unique. They offer students a scholarly understanding of the scientific methods, theories and historical background relevant to what they already master, and perhaps think they know almost everything about, namely spoken and written Faroese, Faroese literature and culture.

The main emphasis of the programmes is on the evolution of Faroese language and literature from their earliest stages to the present day, including their broad interplay with Faroese history and culture.  An international comparative perspective is afforded through the exploration of the relationships between Faroese language and literature and, in particular, the other Nordic languages and literatures.

Studying at the Faculty is considered full-time work. Teaching and learning approaches take various forms: lectures, student presentations, written exercises and projects, discussions in groups and in class, seminars, and supervision.

In addition to the BA and MA degrees in Faroese, the Faculty also offers major and minor subjects. Subject to special regulations, candidates may also study for a Ph.D. in linguistics or literature at the Department. 

Faculty of Education

The main task of the Faculty of Education is to offer degrees and professional qualifications for school teachers and social educators. Furthermore, the Faculty is tasked with conducting and promoting research in education and didactics, as well as organizing continuing professional development courses.

The School of Education of the Faroe Islands (Føroya Læraraskúli), which later became the Faculty of Education at the University of the Faroe Islands, started offering students the chance to study for a teaching qualification as early as the year 1870. The first class of social educators graduated from the institution in 1990. When it joined the University of the Faroe Islands in 2008 its programmes were restructured.

The primary and lower secondary teacher qualification and social educator qualification degree programmes are now made up of two parts. The first part is a three-year bachelor of education degree. It is followed by a fourth year, and students who complete both parts obtain the respective professional qualification mandatory for anyone wanting to become a primary and lower secondary school teacher or social educator.

Faculty of History and Social Sciences

The Faculty of History and Social Sciences considers that its main tasks are to:

• Grow, develop and preserve knowledge resources in the Faroes in the areas of history, politics, economics, ethnology and law.
• Offer degree programmes in the Faroes taught by our own faculty, to the extent possible.
• Offer degree programmes in the Faroes in cooperation with education institutions abroad, when our own resources are insufficient.
• Guarantee the quality of our degree programmes and courses, and focus on promoting quality through thorough planning and use of recognised quality development procedures.
• Reserve 50% of our academic staffs’ time for research published in international scientific journals, papers or at conferences.
• Assure and promote the quality of our research through cooperation with the international research community.
• Be the first institution people turn to in the Faroes for higher education or knowledge resources in the fields of history, politics, economics, ethnology and law.
• Research

The Faculty of History and Social Sciences undertakes research in several areas. Our current focus is on the Faroe Islands from 1939 to today, pilot whale hunting, drinking customs in the Faroes, and the history of the healthcare system. We also study the situation of small nations in terms of politics, the labour market and the financial conditions for industry. 

Our degree programmes are the second pillar of our Faculty, education is a significant component of our Facultiess tasks. As part of our efforts to meet our goal in this area, we offer applicants several programmes to choose from, including bachelor and post-graduate degrees.

In addition to education and research, the Faculty is also tasked with offering consultancy in its academic fields, as well as informing the public about the results of our research and our methods. We disseminate information in media articles, papers published in scientific journals and book publications.

Faculty of Science and Technology

Advances in modern society are to a large extent based on research and higher education in science and technology. As part of the strategic development plans for the University of the Faroe Islands, the Faculty of Science and Technology aims to promote the development of specific fields in geophysics, information technology and biology. This is why the Faculty launched its new bachelor’s degree programmes in 2008 and 2010, and brought in new scientists in order to advance the prioritized branches of science.

PhD projects are an important part of the plan, as they help young researchers hone their research skills. So far, resources have been allocated to one PhD project from the University’s government funding. Furthermore, oil companies licenced to prospect in Faroese territory have, to date, financed five PhD projects and one postdoctoral position at the Faculty of Science and Technology. 

Faculty of Health Sciences

At the Faculty of Health Sciences the main goal is to train nurses and to arrange training for nurses and nursing staff.

Education in nursing has existed in the Faroe Islands since 1910. In the beginning, the nursing education had no fixed framework. If it was possible, the students were on internships in different locations and the training ended with an exam.

The Faroese School of Nursing was founded on February 1st 1960. The programme came into force with the "Decree of 30.1.1957 on nursing education." Administratively, the school was part of the central hospital in the Faroe Islands.

In February 2000, the school moved from the Health Ministry to the Ministry for Cultural Affairs. The school then functioned as an independent institution under the Ministry of Culture up until 2008.

August 1, 2008 the the Faroese School of Nursing, Faroese School of Education and the University of the Faroe Islands (Faculty of Faroese Language and Literature, Faculty of Science and Technology and Faculty of History and Social Sciences) merged into the enlarged and restructured University of the Faroe Islands as we know it today.