Studying at Our University

Academic Calendar

The academic year in Swedish universities is divided into two semesters: autumn and spring. The autumn semester runs from the end of August to the middle of January and the spring semester from the middle of January to the beginning of June. There are breaks for Christmas and Easter. Please note that semester dates may vary between different departments. It is therefore important to contact the international coordinator at your department as soon as possible. The exception to the two-semester system is the Summer University, which offers a limited number of courses that are given from June through to August.

Credits and Classes

In Sweden, the credit system is used to measure academic achievement. Sweden has recently changed its credit system to follow the ECTS system. Therefore, after the successful completion of full-time study (having passed the examinations), the student will have achieved 30 credit points (högskolepoäng), which is equivalent to 30 ECTS or 15 US credits. In the Swedish system the students only take one course at a time. Students select courses so that they make up a full semester's study - see the example below. The important thing to remember is to choose courses that are given at different times during the semester so that you do not end up with four courses that all start in the middle of October. See the model below.

1 full week of study is estimated to be approximately 40 hours of lectures, group work, seminars and independent study. The courses are taught with a variety of methods. Besides lectures, lab work and discussion seminars, group- or individual assignments may also be part of your course work. Furthermore, at Swedish universities lecturers expect their students to do a great deal of individual study, which usually includes reading a reasonable amount of course literature.

Teaching Methods

The teaching methods are based on the student’s responsibility and individual performance. Students are expected not only to remember the facts from a lecture, but also to summarise, evaluate and analyse them in order to draw their own conclusions. Examinations seldom require that students reproduce exactly the material presented during the lectures. To many foreign students, the academic environment at Swedish Universities seems very informal.

Exams

Exams are not given at the end of the semester, but rather at the end of each course, as explained above. Exams can be given as regular written or oral examinations. Instead of regular exams, students may be asked to hand in assignments and participate in seminars or to complete a “Home Exam”. When taking a Home Exam you are given a number of days to answer a set of questions. You may use your books, but the questions generally require you to have your own opinions and are more essay-like in character.

Teacher/Student Relationship

The academic lifestyle of Umeå University is relaxed and friendly. The dress code is informal and the staff/student relationship is non-authoritarian and democratic. It is not unusual to see students and teachers enjoying a cup of coffee together during a break. The teacher/professor is addressed by his or her given name and questions and debate are encouraged in the classroom. Another aspect of this democratic attitude is the emphasis that is placed on the students being independent in their work and taking responsibility for the quality of their learning.