The University of the Faroe Islands

Many Faroese people move abroad to pursue higher education. They go to a wide range of countries to gain expertise in their field of interest, and the continual flow of knowledge from different places helps the Faroe Islands stay dynamic and up-to-date in a globalised world.

There is one university in the Faroe Islands. The University of the Faroe Islands is a state-run university located in Tórshavn, the capital of the Faroe Islands. The University of Faroe Islands was founded in 1965. The university provides excellent opportunities for those wishing to pursue higher education in Faroese language, history, the social sciences, the natural sciences, nursing and education. The University is also a hub for the large number of Faroese people with international qualifications to come together to collaborate and share their expertise and experiences.

The student body is about 1200 students in total, and the official language of the University is Faroese, making it the only university in the world to conduct its classes in that language. The University works closely with higher educational institutions in neighbouring countries on research and teaching, and it is involved in a growing number of collaborative projects and exchange programs with international all over the world.

The University is made up of five Departments: Department of Faroese Language and Literature, Department of Education, Department of Science and Technology, Department of Nursing and Department of History and Social Sciences.

The University offers over 20 different Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees including Faroese Language and Literature, History, Earth Science, Oceanography, Biology, Software Engineering, Social Sciences, Law, Nursing and B.Ed. specialising in Teaching and in Pedagogy.

The University of the Faroe Islands also holds an international Faroese Summer Institute offering an intensive and comprehensive introduction to Faroese language and culture.

It is also possible to do Doctoral degrees at the University, and there are several Ph.D. students and postdocs currently working in the University departments.

For more information on the educations and programmes visit the website of the University of the Faroe Islands.