New Micro-Credential in Music Industry Studies Breaks New Ground in Icelandic Higher Education
For the first time in Iceland, a Micro-Credential in Music Industry Studies is now being offered.
The programme is taught in English, consists of 12 ECTS credits (two 5 ECTS courses and one 2 ECTS workshop), and is delivered primarily online. Students may take the courses as continuing education or as elective modules within creative studies at Bifröst University or within the music programmes at the Iceland University of the Arts.
The teaching team includes Rakel Mjöll Leifsdóttir, musician and lecturer at Bifröst University, and Dr. Olga Kolokytha, researcher at the University for Continuing Education Krems (Universität für Weiterbildung Krems), the University of Vienna in Austria and lecturer at Bifröst University.
They guide students through both theoretical and practical approaches to the music sector – from creativity and production to policy, strategy, and project management in a range of contexts.
Guest lecturer will be Oliver Clubb, a UK-based digital marketing specialist who manages campaigns for international artists, including the rock musician YUNGBLUD. He will provide insight into campaign design and execution, while students develop their own digital marketing campaigns under his guidance.
“This is the first programme of its kind offered at university level in Iceland,” says Anna Hildur Hildibrandsdóttir, Programme Director of the BA study line in Creative Industries at Bifröst University.
“We are proud to offer an international programme designed for both musicians and professionals working across the music sector. It’s an industry that is rapidly evolving, and in recent decades we’ve witnessed remarkable success from Icelandic artists – with no sign of slowing down. Our aim is to connect academic knowledge with real-world experience, both in Iceland and internationally.”
The programme has been developed by Bifröst University in collaboration with the Iceland University of the Arts, with support from the University Cooperation Programme (Samstarf háskólanna), marking an important milestone in the development of micro-credentials in Icelandic higher education.