Administration and Staff

Political science has been taught at the University of Iceland since 1970, first as a programme in sociology and later (since 1976) at the Department of Social Sciences. On 1 July 2008, the Faculty of Political Science became an independent faculty within the School of Social Sciences.

The introduction of new academic programmes at the Master's level has led to a significant increase in student numbers, currently a little over 600. In 1997, the Public Administration MPA programme was introduced; the Master's programme in International Relations was first offered in 2005; and a postgraduate diploma in Small State Studies in 2009. Two other programmes on the MA level followed in 2015: Media and Communication Studies and West Nordic Studies.

Lecturers at the Faculty all hold doctorates from the most respected universities in the world. Their research covers a broad area, the results of which are routinely published domestically and internationally.