Nordic trends in higher education Sweden

1
Nordic trends in higher education Sweden

• More freedom for universities
• No political chairs in university boards
• New investigation of future university
  organisation

2
Research funding ( GNP)

• 1. Israel 4,71
• 2. Sverige 3,88
• 3. Finland 3,48
• 4. Japan 3,18
• 5. Sydkorea 2,99
• 6. Island 2,86
• 7. USA 2,68

3
Who gets the money?

• In total 39 highschools and universities in
  Sweden
• 14 governmental universities, 2 private
  universities
• Almost 90 per cent of the resources for research
  and postgraduate programmes go to the older
  universities.
• Half of the resources available for research at
  the higher education institutions go to the
  fields of engineering and medicine, which are
  also the two largest research areas
• Together with the natural sciences these areas
  account for two thirds of the resources
  allocated.

4
New resource investigation

• Competition based on scientific excellence
• Ranking measures among universities
• Co-financing a problem?
• Free research how?
• Commercialisation?
• Teachers competence
• Allocation between areas

5
The University of the future the challenges

• How will Swedish universities cope with the
  challenges of the future?
• How will they, with smaller financial resources,
  be able to provide competitive programmes for
  more and more students and at the same time
  conduct world-class research?

6
Key words for the future

• Co-operation
• Concentration
• Internationalisation

7
Co-operation

• Other national universities
• SUUN
• Institutes
• Green sector industry

Source Annual Report 2005
8
Concentration

• Key areas for
• - education
• - research
• - specific missions

9
Internationalisation

• SLU supports
• more collaborative projects with Nordic and
  foreign institutions and universities in areas of
  common interest
• increased participation in EU cooperation in
  education and research
• long term agreements with funding agencies
  focusing on developing countries
• presence of foreign researchers and teachers at
  SLU
• increased exchange of students, at undergraduate
  as well as graduate levels
• better opportunities for SLU researchers and
  teachers to spend time at foreign institutions.

10
the Bolognaprocess in Sweden

• New legal framework for higher education valid
  from July 2007
• Three-cycle system implemented
• Bachelor level- University Diploma, 2 years-
  Degree of Bachelor, 3 years - Professional
  degrees, 2 - 3 years
• Master level- Degree of Master (One Year), 1
  year - Degree of Master (Two Years), 2 years -
  Professional degrees, 4 - 5,5 years
• PhD level- Degree of Licentiate, 2 years -
  Degree of Doctor, 4 years
• ECTS credit system (one study year 40 weeks
  60 ECTS)student workload, learning outcomes and
  competences, criteria based national grading
  scales translated to ECTS grading scale
• New rules for admission to higher education

11
other processes going on in Sweden

• New system with three types of study programmes
  in upper-secondary school from 2009 (preparatory
  for higher education, vocationally-oriented and
  apprenticeship) decision in 2008?
• New system with fixed combinations of courses as
  qualification for undergraduate studies
  decision in 2007?
• Membership in student unions is to become
  voluntarily - decision in 2008?
• New quality assesment system implemented by the
  Swedish National Agency for Higher Education
• Tuiton fees for non EES-students - decision in
  2007?

12
Objectives of the Bologna process and SLUs
starting point in the Bologna system

• Employability - keep the well established
  vocational higher education degrees -
  manifest SLUs role for the green sector, and
  strengthen co-operation with industry
• Mobility - all vocational study programmes will
  also give possibilities for Degree of Bachelor
  and Degree of Master - student mobility
  facilitated by three cycle system
• International competiveness - masterprogrammes
  high-light competence areas of SLU -
  masterprogrammes given in English - active
  partner in international collaborations

13
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14
Current work in SLU

• 15 new masterprogrammes starting 2007most of
  them with few students admission reception
• 500 new course descriptions (in English)
  approved defining learning outcomes and
  competences, delivery, examination etc.
• 4-graded marking scale will be introduced in
  2008 criteria will be developed for all courses
• Assessment of the forest-, veterinary nursing-
  and horticulture education of SLU 06/07
  Veterinary medicine 07/08. Short vocational
  programmes questioned and will be remodeled.
• New system for admission seats can be reserved
  for partner universities, e.g. for NOVA students
  which will simplify application procedures