Swedish study system

The academic year at Swedish universities consists of two semesters, each lasting 20 weeks. The autumn semester runs from the beginning of September to mid-January, and the spring semester runs from mid-January until the beginning of June.

There is usually a two-week break in teaching at Christmas. 

Students, teaching staff, and professors work together in close and informal cooperation. As a student here, you are expected to contribute with ideas and opinions and use critical thinking. Reading and independent studies are usually extensive, regardless of your field of study, and students are expected to come well-prepared to class.

Courses are usually a mixture of lectures, seminars, group work, laboratory work and independent studies. They may also consist of fieldwork or placement periods arranged by the university.

The Student - Teacher Relationship
The academic lifestyle of Mid Sweden University is relaxed and friendly. The dress code is informal and the staff/student relationship is non-authoritarian and democratic.

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.

Full-time (100 %)
If you study full-time you are supposed to spend around 40 hours a week on your studies, for example lectures, group work and individual studies. Full-time studies during one term equals 30 credits if you pass all courses.

Half-time (50 %)
Half-time means you should spend approximately 20 hours a week on your studies. It takes twice as long to complete a course at half-time study pace as it takes to complete the same course at a full-time basis. Half-time studies gives you 15 credits per term if you pass all courses.

Part-time (25 %)
Part-time studies at 25 % study pace means you should spend 10 hours a week on your studies. One term of part-time studies at 25 % study pace gives you 7,5 credits if you pass all courses.

Exams are not given at the end of the term, but rather at the end of each course. The exam can be in the form of a written test or you may be asked to hand in an assignment, project work, participate in a seminar, or do 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. The traditional written examination is usually between three and five hours long and takes place on a weekday morning or afternoon. Occasionally, there are examinations on Saturdays. If you would fail an examination, it is possible to re-take the examination.

The credit system at Mid Sweden University corresponds to The European Credit Transfer System (ECTS). 60 credits at Mid Sweden University equal 60 ECTS credits. In ECTS, 60 credits represent the workload of one academic year. In general, one week of full-time study is equivalent to 1.5 credit points.

Exchange studies: 
In the Swedish system the students usually only take one course at a time (depending on the study pace). Exchange students select courses so that they make up a full term study of 30 ECTS.

The important thing to remember is to choose courses that are given at different times during the term so that you do not end up with four courses that all start at the same time. 

Mid Sweden University applies a criterion-referenced seven-grade or three-grade scale in most of the courses. For some courses a two-point grading scale is applied.

More information about grading criteria and names for the criterion-referenced grading scales

Translation of grades 
If you are an exchange student and will have your credits transferred, your home university is responsible for any translation of Swedish grades into your home country's specific grading system. It may be helpful if you present the course work and exams you complete at Mid Sweden University to your home university when you return.