Reykjavík University

Infobox_University
name =Reykjavík University
native_name =Háskólinn í Reykjavík
latin_name =


motto =
established =1998
type =Private
endowment =
staff =220
faculty =200
president =Dr. Svafa Grönfeldt
principal =
rector =
chancellor =
dean =
head_label =
head =
students =2,800
undergrad =
postgrad =
doctoral =
city =Reykjavík
state =
country =Iceland
campus =
free_label =
free =
colors =
colours =
mascot =
affiliations =
website =http://www.ru.is/

Reykjavík University (Háskólinn í Reykjavík) is a private university in Reykjavík, Iceland, which is chartered by the Chamber of Commerce, the Federation of Icelandic Industries and the Confederation of Icelandic Employers. The University is known for its close relations with local business life and connections with a wide range of universities all across the globe.

The university's guiding lights are:
* Entrepreneurship and innovation
* Technological development
* Collaboration
* International cooperation

Reykjavik University students are required to pay tuition fees each semester, ISK128,000 for most undergraduate programs, however tuition fees vary and can get as high as ISK625,000 (roughly $9,200) per semester. Reykjavik University is the largest private university in the country with close to 3,000 students. The university's faculty must fulfill high standards and many of them are well known from local businesses.

The university president is Dr. Svafa Grönfeldt and the chairman of the university council (Háskólaráð) is Bjarni Ármannsson, a former CEO of Glitnir bank. Dr.Grönfeldt is the second consecutive woman to become the president of Reykjavik University.

History

Reykjavík University has its roots in The Commercial College of Iceland School of Computer Science (TVÍ), founded in January 1988 and run in The Commercial College of Iceland (VÍ) housing for ten years. Reykjavík University started its first semester on September 1, 1998 in a new building under the name Reykjavík School of Business. TVÍ became one of two departments within the school. A name change was inevitable because the school's name was not descriptive for the variety of the school's operations. In January 2000 the name was changed to Reykjavík University.

Reykjavik University has 7 main partners, they are:
* Glitnir Bank (Iceland's second largest bank)
* Iceland Telecom (Iceland's largest telecommunication company)
* VÍS (Insurance company)
* Sjóvá (Insurance company)
* Eimskip (Iceland's largest maritime transportation company and a subsidiary of Avion Group)
* Shell (Oil Company)
* Orkuveita Reykjavíkur/Reykjavik Energysupplier (Iceland's largest supplier of electricity, hot water and cold water)

Schools and Offerings

The university features four schools: the School of Business, School of Science and Engineering, School of Law, and School of Health and Education. In addition, Reykjavík University offers Executive Education for managers and business professionals.

All the Schools offer a three-year study programme leading to a BS or BA degree. Students in the Law School can take a two-year masters programme in direct continuation of their BA degree. The School of Business also offers two courses of MBA study. HMV is another course that has been specifically tailored to the needs of persons who want to be able to work while they are studying. Students in HMV are offered shorter diploma programmes as well as a BS study.

In 2005 Reykjavík University was merged with the Technical University of Iceland (THÍ) under the name Reykjavík University. Following the merge, the School of Computer Science was changed into the School of Science and Engineering. That School offers Diploma, B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees along with Preliminary Studies for:
* Biomedical Engineering
* Civil Engineering
* Computer Science
* Electrical Engineering
* Engineering Management
* Financial Engineering
* Industrial Engineering
* Mechanical Engineering
* Mechatronic Engineering
* Software Engineering

Reykjavik University currently operates on three different campuses in Reykjavik. The headquarters of the former Technical University of Iceland are at Höfðabakki. The other two campuses are in two adjacent buildings near Kringlan shopping mall, one located at Ofanleiti and the other one at Kringlan.

External links

* [http://www.ru.is Reykjavík University - Official homepage]
* [http://www.studentafelag.is Reykjavik University's Students Association - Official homepage]
* [http://www.verslo.is The Commercial College of Iceland - Official homepage]
* [http://www.chamber.is Iceland Chamber of Commerce - Official homepage]
* [http://cadia.ru.is Center for Analysis and Design of Intelligent Agents - RU's artificial intelligence laboratory]