The University of Tromsø – The Arctic University of Norway (Norwegian: Universitetet i Tromsø – Norges arktiske universitet; Northern Sami: Romssa universitehta – Norgga árktalaš universitehta) is a state university in Norway and the world's northernmost university. Located in the city of Tromsø, Norway, it was established by an act of parliament in 1968, and opened in 1972. It is one of ten universities in Norway. The University of Tromsø is the largest research and educational institution in Northern Norway and the sixth-largest university in Norway. The university's location makes it a natural venue for the development of studies of the region's natural environment, culture, and society.
The main focus of the university's activities is on auroral light research, space science, fishery science, biotechnology, linguistics, multicultural societies, Saami culture, telemedicine, epidemiology and a wide spectrum of Arctic research projects. The close vicinity of the Norwegian Polar Institute, the Norwegian Institute of Marine Research and the Polar Environmental Centre gives Tromsø added weight and importance as an international centre for Arctic research. Research activities, however, are not limited to Arctic studies. The university researchers work within a broad range of subjects and are recognised both nationally and internationally.
History
Mergers
On 1 January 2009, the University of Tromsø merged with Tromsø University College. The college's teacher education department (the descendant of the Tromsø Seminarium first established in 1848) became part of the university's department of education and pedagogy. On 1 August 2013, the university merged with Finnmark University College to form Universitetet i Tromsø – Norges arktiske universitet (The University of Tromsø – The Arctic University of Norway), thereby adding campuses in Alta, Hammerfest and Kirkenes. On 1 January 2016, Narvik University College and Harstad University College merged with UiT - The Arctic University of Norway. As of January 2016 the university now has six campus locations in northern Norway, the main campus being Tromsø.
Faculties and other units
The university is primarily divided into six faculties with multiple subordinate departments and several associated centres.
Faculty of Biosciences, Fisheries and Economics
Department of Arctic and Marine Biology
The Norwegian College of Fishery Science
School of Business and Economics
Norwegian College of Fishery Science
Faculty of Engineering Science and Technology
Department of Industrial Engineering
Department of Building, Energy and Material Technology
Department of Automation and Process Engineering
Department of Computer Science and Computational Engineering
Department of Electrical Engineering
Faculty of Health Sciences
Department of Medical Biology
Department of Community Medicine
Department of Clinical Medicine
Department of Pharmacy
Department of Clinical Dentistry
Department of Psychology
Department of Health and Care Sciences
School of sport sciences
Department of Social Education
Faculty of Humanities, Social Sciences and Education
The Barents Institute
Centre for Women's and Gender Research
Centre for Peace Studies, Tromsø (CPS) Department of Tourism and Northern Studies Centre for Sami Studies Department of Archaeology, History, Religious Studies and Theology Department of Philosophy Department of History and Religious Studies Department of Culture and Literature Department of Education Department of Language and Linguistics Center for Advanced Study in Theoretical Linguistics Department of Social Sciences Department of Language and Culture Department of Child Welfare and Social Work Faculty of Law Norwegian Centre for the Law of the Sea The Arctic University Museum of Norway and the Academy of Arts The Arctic University Museum of Norway Conservatory of Music Academy of Arts Faculty of Science and Technology Department of Chemistry Department of Computer Science Department of Geosciences Department of Mathematics and Statistics Department of Physics and Technology Department of Technology and Safety Tromsø School of Aviation Lie-Størmer Center for fundamental structures in computational and pure mathematics The University Library