Stockholm University (Swedish: Stockholms universitet) is a publicresearch university in Stockholm, Sweden, founded as a college in 1878, with university status since 1960. With over 33,000 students at four different faculties: law, humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences, it is one of the largest universities in Scandinavia.
Stockholm University was granted university status in 1960, making it the fourth oldest Swedish university. As with other public universities in Sweden, Stockholm University's mission includes teaching and research anchored in society at large.[3]
History
The initiative for the formation of Stockholm University was taken by the Stockholm City Council. The process was completed after a decision in December 1865 regarding the establishment of a fund and a committee to "establish a higher education institution in the capital".[4] The nine members of the committee were respected and prominent citizens whose work had helped the evolution of science and society.[5]
The next important step was taken in October 1869, when the Stockholm University College Association was established.[6] Several members of the committee became members of the association– including Professor Pehr Henrik Malmsten.[7] The association's mission was to establish a college in Stockholm and would "not be dissolved until the college came into being and its future could be considered secure." The memorandum of the Stockholm University College was adopted in May 1877, and in the autumn semester of the following year, actual operations began.
In 1878, the university collegeStockholms högskola started its operations with a series of lectures on natural sciences, open to curious citizens (a tradition still upheld by yearly publicly open lectures). Notable in the university's early history is the appointment of Sofia Kovalevskaya to hold a chair in the mathematics department in 1889, making her the third female professor in Europe. In 1904 the college became an official degree-granting institution.
Fredrik Blom's house at Experimentalfältet, now used for the central administration of Stockholm University
In 1960, the college was granted university status, becoming Sweden's fourth state university. The university premises were situated in central Stockholm at Observatorielunden but increased enrollment resulted in a lack of space, which required the university campus to be shifted to a bigger facility. Since 1970 most of the university operations are located at the main campus at Frescati north of the city center, the former Experimentalfältet, previously used by the Royal Swedish Academy of Agriculture and Forestry.
Organisation
Stockholm University is a state agency and is governed by decisions taken by the government and parliament. The university has the right, within the limits the government provides, to decide on many issues such as their internal organization, educational provision and the admission of students.
Intra-university bodies
The University Board is the university's highest governing body. The board is responsible for the university's mission as a government agency and for following the requirements of laws and regulations. The board reports to the government. It consists of eight external members (including the chairman and vice-chairman), four business representatives from the university with two group deputies and three student representatives (one graduate student representative) with one deputy. The University Board is above the rector who is the head of the agency and has operational responsibility for all operations. The rector has a pro rector to replace him/her if necessary.
There are two area boards at the university, the Area board of science and the Area board of humanities, law and social sciences. They are headed by a vice rector. The area boards are responsible for strategic planning of education and research, coordination of faculty teaching, research and internal and external collaboration.
After the area boards, the faculty boards are the highest decision-making bodies at the faculty level. The faculty boards consists of the dean, the assistant dean, other business representatives and student representatives. The deans are appointed by the president after proposal by choice within the faculty.
After faculties, decisions are taken at the departmental level, where each department has a department head who manages and makes decisions together with the departmental board.
The University administration is the preparation and service organization for the University Board, rector and other decision-making bodies, and it is led by the executive director. The university administration has a number of units, for example, finance department, IT department, HR department and the student section. There are also units for strategy, planning and communications.
The Executive Director is the most senior official at Stockholm University and decides on matters including the university administration's organization and finances.
Departments, institutes and centers
Education and research at Stockholm University is carried out within the natural sciences and the humanities/social sciences. Within these fields, there are four faculties with 56 departments, institutes and centers within the humanities, law, natural sciences and social sciences. Research and training also takes place at a number of centers and institutes with a separate governing board, but that organisationally belong to a department.[8]
Courses and programmes
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (August 2019)
Stockholm University offers courses at both undergraduate[9] and advanced level.[10] There are 190 study programmes in total, including 75 master's programmes taught in English, and 1,700 courses to choose from within human science and science. Students can choose between studying one or more free-standing courses, that each may last between five weeks and one semester, or apply for a full study programme. Stockholm university offers 4 Bachelor Programmes taught in English, which are the Bachelor´s Programme in Business, Ethics and Sustainability; Bachelor Programme in Latin America Studies; Bachelor´s Programme in International Business and Politics and the Bachelor´s Programme in Earth Science, Distance Learning.[11]
Besides from the programmes themselves, the university also offers the chance to participate in exchange studies during the third year of a Bachelor Programme. This possibility was designed to offer students the chance to acquire international experience while studying. The university has cooperative agreements with more than 100 universities worldwide. [12]
Research
The university's researchers engage in governmental investigations, are active in the media, provide responses to proposed legislation and are included in several Nobel committees and international expert bodies.[13]
Field stations
Askö Laboratory
Stockholm University Marine Research center (SMF) provides "Askö Laboratory", where Research on ecosystems, ecology and the impact of human interference is carried out. The field station was built in 1961 by Professor Lars Silén, Head of the Department of Zoology, and is now established as a renowned marine research center.[14]
Tarfala
Tarfala research station belongs to the Department of Physical Geography. The station is located 1135 meters above sea level in Tarfaladalen, on the east side of Kebnekaise in arctic / alpine surroundings and conducts glaciological, hydrological, meteorological and climatological research. The station has the capacity to accommodate groups of up to 25 people and the staff consists of 2–5 people.[15]
Tovetorp
Tovetorp Zoological Research Station belongs to the Department of Zoology, and is located about 95km southwest of Stockholm. It conducts research and training activities in ecology and ethology. Every year Tovetorp is visited by up to 600 students who live and study between 2–10 days on the station. On the research side, over 20 people work today with different research projects. The number of employees are currently 6 people.[16]
Student unions
Prior to 2008, Stockholm University had only one student union called Stockholm University Student Union(Stockholm universitets studentkår, SUS). However, since 2008 the computer and system science students[17] and the teacher students have their own, independent, student unions called DISK and "The Teacher's College's Student Union" (Lärarhögskolans studentkår). The law students also have their own student union, as do journalism students (Studentkåren vid JMK).
The future of the Teacher's College's Student Union is however not entirely safe, as Stockholm University's Student Union has declared it will begin talks with the Teacher's College's Student Union on transferring its members to it, as it already has a teacher's division. In contrast to common belief, DISK is not an abbreviation.[18]
The Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2018 listed Stockholm University at position 134[24] on the list of the world's top universities. Times Higher Education World University Rankings are annual university rankings published by British Times Higher Education (THE) magazine.
In the QS World University Rankings,[25] Stockholm University was ranked 148 overall in the world in 2021. Its subject rankings were: 23rd in Environmental Sciences, 37th in Sociology, 98th in Natural Sciences, 132nd in Arts & Humanities, 238th in Life Sciences & Medicine, 297th in Engineering and Technology, and 175th in Social Sciences and Management.
In the CWTS Leiden Ranking 2022,[27] Stockholm University was placed at 343 on the list of universities in the world.
Campus
The main part of Stockholm University is in the Frescati area, which extends from the Bergius Botanical Garden in the north to Sveaplan in the south. It is located in the world's first national urban park and the area is characterized by nature, architecture and modern art, featuring such notable buildings as the Aula Magna (auditorium). Within Frescati, the areas Albano, the Bergius Botanical Garden, Frescati Backe, Frescati Hage, Kräftriket, Lilla Frescati and Sveaplan are located. The names of many of these areas have a history dating back to the late 1700s. After Gustav III's trip to Italy in 1783–84, several places at Brunnsviken were given Italian names. Stockholm University has another campus in Kista, which houses the Department of computer and systems sciences.[28]
Public transportation to Stockholm University
There are many ways to get to Stockholm University. The main campus Frescati is located near the underground railway station Universitetet metro station, on the red line of the Stockholm Metro. The commuter train line Roslagsbanan also stop close to the main campus, at Universitetet railway station. SL buses 50, 540, 608, 624C, 628C, 639, 670 676, 680, 690, 691, 696 and 699 can also be used to get to the campus.
The Computer Science campus, Kista, also is close to an underground station called Kista. It is also located close to the pendeltåg station Helenelund, only one or two stops (depending on bus line) from the bus station Torsnäsgatan located next to the campus area.
Notable people
Academics
Sofja Kovalevskaja, mathematician, first female professor of mathematics in Europe
Chalmers University of Technology is a private research university located in Gothenburg, Sweden. Chalmers focuses on engineering and science, but more broadly it also conducts research and offers education in shipping, architecture and management. The university has approximately 3100 employees and 10,000 students.
The KTH Royal Institute of Technology, abbreviated KTH, is a public research university in Stockholm, Sweden. KTH conducts research and education in engineering and technology and is Sweden's largest technical university. Currently, KTH consists of five schools with four campuses in and around Stockholm.
The Stockholm School of Economics is a private business school located in city district Vasastaden in the central part of Stockholm, Sweden. SSE offers BSc, MSc and MBA programs, along with PhD- and Executive education programs.
Umeå University is a public research university located in Umeå, in the mid-northern region of Sweden. The university was founded in 1965 and is the fifth oldest within Sweden's present borders.
Uppsala University (UU) is a public research university in Uppsala, Sweden. Founded in 1477, it is the oldest university in Sweden and the Nordic countries still in operation.
Leiden University is a public research university in Leiden, Netherlands. It was founded as a Protestant university in 1575 by William, Prince of Orange, making it the oldest institution of higher education in the Netherlands.
Linköping University is a public research university based in Linköping, Sweden. Originally established in 1969, it was granted full university status in 1975 and is one of Sweden's largest academic institutions.
The Kristianstad University is a university college (högskola) in Kristianstad, Sweden.
Södertörn University is a public university college located in Flemingsberg in Huddinge Municipality, and the larger area called Södertörn, in Stockholm County, Sweden. In 2013, it had about 13,000 full-time and part-time students. The campus area in Flemingsberg hosts the main campus of SH, several departments of the Karolinska Institutet, and the School of Technology and health of the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH). The Karolinska University Hospital, Huddinge, is also located there. The university is unique in the sense that it is the only higher educational institution in Sweden that teaches and researches philosophical schools such as German idealism, existentialism, deconstruction as well as critical theory and other views which are excluded from the traditional Anglo-Saxon analytical philosophy.
Örebro University is a state university in Örebro, Sweden.
The Norwegian University of Science and Technology is a public research university in Norway and the largest in terms of enrollment. The university's headquarters is located in Trondheim, with regional campuses in Gjøvik and Ålesund.
The University of Groningen is a public research university of more than 30,000 students in the city of Groningen in the Netherlands. Founded in 1614, the university is the second oldest in the country and one of the most traditional and prestigious universities in the Netherlands.
The Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam is a public research university in Amsterdam, Netherlands, being founded in 1880. The VU Amsterdam is one of two large, publicly funded research universities in the city, the other being the University of Amsterdam (UvA). The literal translation of the Dutch name Vrije Universiteit is "Free University". "Free" refers to independence of the university from both the State and the Dutch Reformed Church. Both within and outside the university, the institution is commonly referred to as "the VU". Although founded as a private institution, the VU has received government funding on a parity basis with public universities since 1970. The university is located on a compact urban campus in the southern Buitenveldert neighbourhood of Amsterdam and adjacent to the modern Zuidas business district.
Hokkaido University, or Hokudai (北大), is a public research university in Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan. Founded in 1918, it is the fifth-oldest government-authorised university in Japan and one of the former Imperial Universities.
Middle East Technical University is a public technical university located in Ankara, Turkey. The university emphasizes research and education in engineering and natural sciences, offering about 41 undergraduate programs within 5 faculties, 105 masters and 70 doctorate programs within 5 graduate schools. The main campus of METU spans an area of 11,100 acres (4,500 ha), comprising, in addition to academic and auxiliary facilities, a forest area of 7,500 acres (3,000 ha), and the natural Lake Eymir. METU has more than 120,000 alumni worldwide. The official language of instruction at METU is English.
Maastricht University is a public research university in Maastricht, Netherlands. Founded in 1976, it is the second youngest of the thirteen Dutch universities.
The University of Amsterdam is a public research university located in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Established in 1632 by municipal authorities, it is the fourth-oldest academic institution in the Netherlands still in operation.
Marmara University is a public university in Istanbul, Turkey.
Malmö University is a public university located in Malmö, Sweden. With more than 24,000 students and about 1,600 employees, Malmö University is the ninth largest institute of learning in Sweden. It has exchange agreements with more than 240 partner universities around the world and roughly a third of the students have an international background. Education at Malmö University focuses on, among other things, migration, international relations, political science, sustainability, urban studies, and new media and technology. It often includes elements of internship and project work in close cooperation with external partners.
↑ Thomasson, Carl-Gustaf, Stockholms högskolas matrikel 1878–1887. Stockholm 1969, sid. 52
↑ Engström, Eric, Stockholms högskolas gynnare. Givare och donatorer under högskolans uppbyggnadsskede. Uppsats, pedagogiska institutionen, Stockholms universitet (årtal?)
↑ Nordisk familjebok, Uggleupplagan 27, Stockholm Nynäs järnväg– Syrsor: Stockholms högskola, 1918
↑ Svensk Uppslagsbok: Stockholms högskola, Baltiska förlaget A.-B., Lund: 1929
↑ (CWTS), Centre for Science and Technology Studies. "CWTS Leiden Ranking". CWTS Leiden Ranking. Archived from the original on 13 October 2019. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
