Forward-thinking culture, open academic climate with a strong focus on group work, innovative and ambitious research where one will be close to latest ideas and trends — Sweden offers unusual opportunities that provides a distinct advantage over their peers when entering the job market.
For those who aspire to pursue their higher education in Europe and get started with a global career, studying in one of the Swedish university seems to be an ideal choice.
Ready workforce
“Advantages of studying in Sweden are many. We focus on case study and team work, theory and practice are closely connected and as a result students are job market-ready,” said Niclas Borborg, marketing strategist, Study in Sweden, who was in Chennai recently.
There are 41 universities and university colleges in Sweden, and 500 academic programmes are offered in English, of which 250 are engineering-related.
Apart from Swedish, English is the official language of communication in Sweden. “From 2011, tuition fee will be charged for all courses in Sweden. Tuition fee was non-existent so far,” he said.
Admission
When a student wishes to apply for admission to any of the universities in Sweden, they can do so, by applying online to any four universities, any four courses by logging on to www.studera.nu. This is a central government agency that oversees the admission to various universities. Students are discouraged from establishing direct contact with the university.
“There are 36,000 international students in Sweden and of which 1000 are from India. More and more international students prefer Sweden as it is immigrant-friendly and very safe,” said Mr, Borborg.
Computer science, automotive engineering, bioinformatics and pharmacology are the most popular courses among the Indian students. There are full or partial scholarships available for international students. Admission to university in Sweden is purely on academic merits.
Research prospects
Considered to be one of the most innovative countries in the world, the research scenario in Sweden is vibrant. Ph.D positions in universities are advertised in the university website from time to time.
“Applying to Ph.D position is like applying for a job. The competition is high as it is open to all globally and the best ones get the chance,” Mr. Borborg said.
Ph.D programmes are fully-funded and the remunerations are comparable to the industry. Once recruited for Ph.D they become part of the university staff.
Swedish companies such as Astra Zeneca, Gambro, Sandvik, Volvo, Ericson are funding many cutting-edge research projects in Sweden. The duration of the Ph.D programme is four years.
For Fall semester 2011, online application opens in December. Mid-Janaury is the application deadline. End of March, admission decision is made and end of August semester begins.
For important dates regarding Spring semester 2012, follow updates at >www.studyinsweden.se
