Viking and Medieval Norse Studies Programme

12/01/2026

Old Norse and Early Germanic Poetics and Metrics

Summer Course in Reykjavík, Iceland, June 1–5, 2026

University of Iceland — University of Oslo — The Árni Magnússon Institute for Icelandic Studies

— Application deadline: March 1, 2026 —

See https://english.hi.is/old-norse-and-early-germanic-poetics-and-metrics

12/01/2026

The University of Iceland offers two master’s programmes in medieval studies taught in English and specifically designed for international students:

(1) The Medieval Icelandic Studies programme: a three-semester (90 ECTS) master’s programme run in collaboration with the Árni Magnússon Institute for Icelandic Studies. This programme consists of two semesters of course work (60 ECTS) and one semester devoted to the master’s thesis (30 ECTS). It can be completed in thirteen months, from August to August of the following year. See https://english.hi.is/medieval-icelandic-studies/ma

(2) The Viking and Medieval Norse Studies programme: a four-semester (120 ECTS) master’s programme run in collaboration with the University of Oslo in Norway, Aarhus University and Copenhagen University in Denmark, and the Árni Magnússon Institute for Icelandic Studies. The first year—two semesters of course work (60 ECTS)—takes place in Reykjavík, Iceland, but the third semester is spent either in Oslo, Aarhus, or Copenhagen, completing 30 ECTS of course work. The fourth semester is devoted to writing the master's thesis and can be spent in Reykjavík or Oslo. See: http://oldnorse.is/

The two programmes have the same entry requirements and the same internal requirements apart from the semester abroad (in either Aarhus, Copenhagen or Oslo) which is a feature of the Viking and Medieval Norse Studies programme only. Students in these two programmes take all the same courses at the University of Iceland and function both academically and socially as a single group.

Deadline for applications: February 1, 2026.
Questions? Email: [email protected]

**Please share with anyone interested**

10/12/2025

The University of Iceland offers two master’s programmes in medieval studies taught in English and specifically designed for international students:

(1) The Medieval Icelandic Studies programme: a three-semester (90 ECTS) master’s programme run in collaboration with the Árni Magnússon Institute for Icelandic Studies. This programme consists of two semesters of course work (60 ECTS) and one semester devoted to the master’s thesis (30 ECTS). It can be completed in thirteen months, from August to August of the following year. See https://english.hi.is/medieval-icelandic-studies/ma

(2) The Viking and Medieval Norse Studies programme: a four-semester (120 ECTS) master’s programme run in collaboration with the University of Oslo in Norway, Aarhus University and Copenhagen University in Denmark, and the Árni Magnússon Institute for Icelandic Studies. The first year—two semesters of course work (60 ECTS)—takes place in Reykjavík, Iceland, but the third semester is spent either in Oslo, Aarhus, or Copenhagen, completing 30 ECTS of course work. The fourth semester is devoted to writing the master's thesis and can be spent in Reykjavík or Oslo. See: http://oldnorse.is/

The two programmes have the same entry requirements and the same internal requirements apart from the semester abroad (in either Aarhus, Copenhagen or Oslo) which is a feature of the Viking and Medieval Norse Studies programme only. Students in these two programmes take all the same courses at the University of Iceland and function both academically and socially as a single group.

Deadline for applications: February 1, 2026.
Questions? Email: [email protected]

**Please share with anyone interested**

29/08/2025

A group of students in Viking and Medieval Norse Studies and Medieval Icelandic Studies along with good friends from other programs visited Þingvellir, the location of the medieval Icelandic assembly, on August 22, 2025.

18/08/2025

We are delighted to welcome new graduate students to the international master programs in Viking and Medieval Norse Studies and Medieval Icelandic Studies at the University of Iceland in Reykjavík. This will be a good year studying the Sagas and the Eddas, Old Icelandic language, history, medieval manuscripts, archeology and many other interesting things! http://oldnorse.is/

19/11/2024

End of classes! This has been a busy semester studying Old Icelandic language, literature, and history: the sagas, the eddas, not to mention the grammar! Thank you for a wonderful semester!

08/08/2024

Opportunity knocks once more. This time a PhD position in the project «Greenland – between historical colonization and historiographic decolonization». 3 years with a possibility of extension after appraisal. Deadline 15 September 2024.

Job title: PhD Fellow in History (264655), Employer: UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Deadline: Sunday, September 15, 2024

23/02/2024

International Summer School in Scandinavian Manuscript Studies, August 6–15, 2024, in Reykjavík, Iceland.

Application deadline: March 31, 2024.

For further information, see:

Summer School in Manuscript Studies − August 2024 The Summer School in Manuscript Studies 2024 will be held August 6-15 in Reykjavik, Iceland. The Summer School is a collaboration between the Árni Magnússon Institute for Icelandic Studies, the University of Iceland, the University of Copenhagen ...

12/12/2023

The University of Iceland offers two international graduate programs in medieval studies, taught in English:

(1) Medieval Icelandic Studies, a three-semester (90 ECTS) graduate program, with two semesters' (60 ECTS) worth of course work and one semester's worth (30 ECTS) master's thesis. The summer semester is the thesis semester, which means that the program can be completed in 13 months. See https://english.hi.is/medieval_icelandic_studies

(2) Viking and Medieval Norse Studies, a four-semester (120 ECTS) graduate program run in cooperation with the University of Oslo in Norway, Aarhus University and Copenhagen University in Denmark. The first year--60 ECTS' worth of course work--takes place in Iceland, but the third semester is spent either in Oslo, Aarhus, or Copenhagen, completing 30 ECTS in course work. The fourth semester is devoted to writing the master's thesis, and can be spent in Iceland or Oslo. See http://oldnorse.is/

Deadline for applications: February 1, 2024.

Questions? Email: [email protected]

**Please share with anyone interested**

26/08/2023

On Friday, August 25, 2023, a group of graduate students in Viking and Medieval Norse Studies and Medieval Icelandic Studies at the University of Iceland visited Þingvellir, the site of the general assembly of the medieval Icelandic commonwealth. Wonderful weather!

19/08/2023

We are delighted to welcome 29 new graduate students to the international master programs in Viking and Medieval Norse Studies and Medieval Icelandic Studies at the University of Iceland in Reykjavík. These wonderful students come from all over the world: Australia, Canada, China, Germany, Ireland, Italy Norway, Puerto Rico, Russia, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, the United Kingdom, and the United States. This will be a good year studying the Sagas and the Eddas, Old Icelandic language, history, medieval manuscripts, archeology and many other interesting things! And now we have started moving into our new "home", the Edda building on the University of Iceland campus! http://oldnorse.is/