In Sweden - Education - Education system - Higher education

 

HIGHER EDUCATION

Higher education is divided into undergraduate studies and post-graduate studies and research.

In 1977, practically all post-secondary education, i.e. all university-type education as well as non-academic colleges for different kinds of vocational education and training, was incorporated into one system. This system, the högskola, included a element of national planning and regulation; and the aims and length as well as the location and financing of most study programmes were laid down by Parliament. Until 1989, the State also established the curricula for each programme.

In 1993 the higher education system was reformed and a new Higher Education Act came into effect. The capacity of different programmes and the allocation of grants between institutions is now influenced by the requirements of the individual students and the achievements of the individual institutions. The organization of study and range of courses on offer are determined locally and students have been given increased possibilities to choose their study routes within the framework of a Degree Ordinance, attached to the 1993 Higher Education Ordinance.

The tasks of the universities and university colleges, as stated in the Higher Education Act, are three: to provide education; to carry out research and promote the development of the arts and to collaborate with the surrounding community. Emphasis is also placed on quality and the effective use of available resources. By law is also stipulated that equality between men and women should be observed in all aspects of higher education and that universities and university colleges should promote an understanding of other countries and international relations.

State institutions are:

Under the auspices of the county councils there are today three colleges of Health Sciences, which provide preparatory programmes for work in the paramedical professions. The number of colleges of Health Sciences is however diminishing, as this kind of education since 1995/96 gradually is being integrated into state universities or university colleges.

There was previously only one major private institution within the system of higher education, the Stockholm School of Economics, run by a private foundation with central government support. Since the mid-1990’s Chalmers University of Technology and the University College of Jönköping are also privately organized institutions receiving national grants. In addition to these, there are some ten smaller private institutions with the right to award certain degrees of basic higher education.

State-run universities and university colleges are central government agencies and their employees are civil servants.

Admission requirements

To be admitted to higher education in Sweden, a student must first fulfil the general qualifications for eligibility which are common to all programmes or courses, and then meet the specific eligibility requirements which are usually imposed on applicants by the individual university or university college. The latter vary according to the field of education.

Those with a school leaving certificate for any upper secondary national programme, with a grade of at least Pass for 90% of the credits required for the certificate or equivalent knowledge, have basic eligibility. Those who are at least 25 years of age and have been employed for at least 4 years or have an equivalent experience and have a knowledge of Swedish and English equivalent to a completed upper secondary national programme will also have basic eligibility.

Most courses and programmes also have special requirements with respect to previous knowledge. These vary depending on the subject and the type of course. From 1997 the National Agency for Higher Education determines the standardized requirements for access to studies leading to professional examinations - while the institutions for entrants to other studies have the right to choose among the standardized requirements.

If the number of eligible applicants exceeds the number of places available, a selection must be made. At least one third of study places intended for new students must be distributed on the basis of school grades, and at least another third must be distributed according to the results of the University Aptitude Test or a combination of such results and work experience. The University Aptitude Test is appropriate for all forms of higher education, and measures knowledge and skills of importance in studies at tertiary level. For selection of students of education in the fine arts and some other specific educations special tests are used.

From the late 1970s to the late 1980s the Swedish higher education system had a nearly constant capacity with a total number of entrants of between 40,000 and 45,000 per year in spite of a considerable increase in the demand for higher education.Thereafter, however, there has been a steady expansion of the total number of places for undergraduate studies and by 1996/97 there were about

65,000 university entrants and about 300 000 students in undergraduate education.

In the beginning of the 1990’s roughly 30% of young persons went on to higher education within three years after completion of their upper secondary schooling. This number is expected to increase. By 2005 probably every second pupil leaving upper secondary education will continue to higher education within the same span of time. Apart from students coming straight from school, the post-secondary student population includes a relatively large proportion of mature students, i.e. students who have previously acquired various amounts of work experience.

Fees/Financial support for students

A fundamental principle in Sweden is that all public higher education is free of charge. Another basic principle is that all students who need help to finance their studies (cost of living) can receive assistance from the central government for this purpose. This support consists of a non-repayable grant and a larger repayable loan in combinasion and may be awarded for both full-time and part-time studies. In 1999, the study grant for an academic year nine months amounted to nearly 17,800 Swedish kronor and the loan ceiling was slightly above 46,100 Swedish kronor, in total a maximum of approximately 63,900 Swedish kronor for a student pursuing full-time studies.

To obtain financial support for studies certain requirements must be met. If students have a too substantial income, the amount of support is reduced. (No account is however taken of the economic situation of the student’s parents or spouse.) To receive financial support over a period of years, students must pursue their studies with a certain rate of success. In general, a person may receive financial support for a maximum of six years.

The financial support scheme applies to all students in undergraduate education at universities, university colleges and certain other establishments.

Academic year

The academic year comprises 40 weeks, divided into two terms. The Autumn term usually runs from the middle or end of August to mid-January, the Spring term runs from mid-January to the beginning of June. There is usually a two-week teaching break at Christmas.

Courses

All undergraduate higher education is given in the form of courses. The single-subject courses vary in length from 5 weeks to 1 ½ years. Universities and university colleges may link courses into a study programme with more or less scope for individual choice on the part of students taking the course. A first degree programme will generally take between 2 and 5 ½ years to complete.

For every course and study programme, course and programme plans have been authorized by the institution of higher education concerned. The students themselves may also combine different courses into a degree programme.

The average number of study hours is about 40 hours per week for full-time studies, including individual studies and group work. Study time is measured in points; one week’s full-time study is equivalent to one point and one term’s full-time study to 20 points.

Instruction takes the form of lectures to large groups (up to around 300 students) and seminars/classes of up to about 30 students. Students are also expected to participate actively in group work, laboratory work and seminars. Innovative teaching methods such as intensive studies or Problem-Based Learning (PBL) are used where groups of students from different programmes solve complex problems together. The language of instruction is usually Swedish, but a great deal of the compulsory course literature is in English.

A number of programmes include practical training in the relevant industry or the public sector. Sometimes the practical training takes place during summer vacation. In many programmes a large part of the final term is devoted to work on a degree project or thesis. Students carry out these projects individually or in small groups.

Assessment/qualifications

There are two kinds of degrees, general and professional degrees, in the system of undergraduate education.

As from the academic year 1993-94 students are able to choose their study route freely and to combine different subject courses into a general degree.

The general degrees are:
- Diploma (högskoleexamen) requiring 80 points (2 years of study).
- Bachelor’s degree (kandidatexamen) requiring 120 points (3 years of study), including a thesis of 10 points in the major subject of 60 points
- Master’s degree (magisterexamen) requiring 160 points (4 years of study), including one thesis of 20 points or two theses of 10 points in the major subject of 80 points.

There are also about 50 different programmes leading to professional degrees. The professional degrees (yrkesexamen) are awarded upon completion of programmes of varying length (2 to 5½ years), leading to specific professions, e.g. University Diploma in Medicine or Education.

The requirements and aims for the general degrees and the professional degrees are set out in the Degree Ordinance. All courses and educational programmes also have to follow curricula, established by the individual university or university college.

All courses are subject to continuous examination, written and/or oral. There are, however, no final examinations which cover an entire three or five-year programme. This means that the students have to be prepared to give proof of the knowledge they have acquired regularly each semester.

The general degrees requiring three years of study or more also include the writing of a thesis. The professional degrees - especially the longer degree programmes of three years or more - normally include a degree project.

Marks are generally awarded on a three-level scale: Fail, Pass and Pass with Distinction. Some courses are only graded Fail and Pass, and some faculties, i.e. Engineering and Law, have other grading systems.

Teachers

Each university and university college is entitled to decide on the establishment of chairs and the appointment of staff. The teaching staff are grouped into the following main categories: professors, lecturers (including senior lecturers), junior lecturers and research assistants. There are also part-time teachers and visiting lecturers. Teaching, research (or artistic development) and administration are parts of all categories of posts. The actual distribution of tasks is decided locally, by the university or university college.

Lecturers and research assistants must normally have a doctorate, while there is no such requirement for junior lecturers. Teaching skills have become increasingly more important in the recruitment of teachers of all categories at universities and university colleges (also in the recruitment and appointment of professors).

In order to increase equality within higher education, the Government has set targets for the proportion of women to be appointed professors during the period 1997-99. Due to another reform, most senior lecturers are expected to be appointed professors, which will lead to a considerable increase in the number of professors in the next few years. The employees at the public universities and university colleges are national civil servants.

Statistics

In the 1997-98 academic year, there were approximately 305,600 higher education undergraduate students at the country’s universities and university colleges, which corresponds to around 240,000 to 250,000 full-time annual students. 58 per cent of the undergraduate students were women.

The number of examinations in undergraduate education was 35,000 of which 60 per cent were taken by women. Nine out of ten degrees concerned education covering a minimum of three years of studies.

Nearly half of the students in undergraduate education were younger than 25. Nearly a fifth of the students were 35 years old or older.

The total number of employees at universities and university colleges was slightly over 51,000, corresponding to the equivalent of 42,000 full time positions. Of the employees 4 out of 10 were administrative or technical staff. Most teachers were men. Around 28 per cent of lecturers and a 11 per cent of all professors were women. Half of all higher education teachers have a doctors degree.

Source: National Agency for Higher Education, Annual report "Swedish Universities and University Colleges 1998

[ESTIA Sweden] [Education] [Profession]
[Labour market] [Miscellaneous info]
[Local info] [Communication] [ESTIA Europe]

Webmaster: webmaster@estia.educ.goteborg.se
This site was last edited: