Here below you can find all master courses the University Centre offers. All courses are taught in 1-3 week modules running from August through June. See how the courses are organised in the teaching schedule for both programs. Usually 2-3 courses are taught at the same time, but students may only enroll in one course at a time. 

The master courses are available to you whether you plan to pursue a degree or just take a course or courses. Please review the options for guest studies to determine how you can apply. 

For further information, contact the Administrative Director of Education and Teaching.

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Proposal Writing

  • Spring 2026
  • Instructors: Dr. Brack Hale / Dr. Matthias Kokorsch
Learning outcome

About the course

The course provides students with understanding, skills and competence in research design and proposal writing. This course is a series of workshops designed to provide students with the tools for developing a good research proposal.

The course also includes training on ethics in research.

Instructors

Dr. Brack Hale:

is the Academic Director of the Coastal and Marine Managment program at UW. 

Brack holds a Ph.D. in Land Resources from University of Wisconsin-Madison, a M.E.M. degree in Water Resources from Duke University, and a bachelor's degree in Comparative Area Studies from Duke University. He is full professor of Biology and Environmental Science and division chair of the Division of Environment, Math, Psychology, and Health at Franklin University Switzerland.

Dr. Hale has extensive experience in academic administration, curriculum development, teaching, quality assessment, as well as leadership and management. Coming from a small and highly international institution like Franklin University Switzerland.

Brack Hale has been engaged in various collaborations with UW during the last ten years and has brought student groups to Iceland since 2010, both to the Westfjords and other parts of Iceland, and has spent a semester on sabbatical at the University Centre in 2017.

Brack Hale on ResearchGate

Dr. Matthias Kokorsch:

is the Academic Director of the Coastal Communities and Regional Development program at UW.

Regional development, the structural change of communities and socio-economic challenges have always been my major interests. Coming from an old industrial area in Germany where structural change was a living reality, I faced these issues first-hand throughout my childhood and adolescence. I was also always fascinated by the everyday lives of people living in remote places, particularly in the circumpolar regions.
My main current research interests include community resilience, regional development, particularly in sparsely populated regions, structural changes of old-industrial areas, and resource management in combination with aspects of justice and decision-making processes.

Learning outcome

On completion of the course, a student:

  • can design a research proposal and justify the research design
  • can develop a sound framework for a research project at the master‘s level
  • can formulate research questions and aims and explain how they can be addressed
  • can identify ethical issues that may arise in research
  • can identify and discuss key academic literature/landmark studies related to a particular subject within coastal studies
  • can successfully write a full research proposal where compelling arguments are given for the most suitable research methods.
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