California State University, Sacramento
Study Abroad Program
Study in Sweden at Göteborg University
Göteborg University with its 50,000 students is Sweden’s largest university. It is located in the heart of the city of Göteborg and is close to cafés and shops. The university has nine faculties (or what we call “colleges”) and about sixty departments, making it the most diverse university curriculum-wise in Sweden. Göteborg University is proud of its reputation as an international university. It is the only Swedish University with centers for research and education on all regions of the world. For its outstanding research on Europe, the European commission appointed Göteborg University a Jean Monnet Center of Excellence.
THE CITY OF GÖTEBORG
Göteborg, Sweden’s second largest city with nearly 500,000 inhabitants, is situated on the Swedish west coast. It was founded in 1621 by King Gustav II Adolf, but it was inhabited several thousands of years before that. The city is roughly equidistant from the Scandinavian capitals of Stockholm, Copenhagen, and Oslo. Its harbor is one of the largest in northern Europe. The city hosts every year the Göteborg Film Festival in February and the Göteborg International Book Fair in autumn. The largest shopping center in the Nordic countries is in Göteborg. The city also has many small shops, an opera house, a concert hall, a Nordic art museum, the Museum of World Culture, a museum of natural history, a maritime museum, and a number of other museums. The Botanical Garden is one of the most prominent in the world, and Liseberg is the largest amusement park in Scandinavia. Göteborg is known as the sports capital of Sweden and has the largest stadium in Sweden.
Göteborg has a wonderful archipelago consisting of some 100 islands. The city surroundings and the river, Göta älv, offer many interesting sights to explore, including Sweden’s medieval seaport of Lödöse, Elfsborg Fortress dating from the 1650s, and Marstrand with its harbor full of ships dating from as far back as the 13 th century.
COURSE OFFERINGS
A good number of courses at Göteborg University are offered in English in the following fields of study:
Applied IT, Astronomy, Biology, Business (Accountancy, Finance and Financial Management, Management, and Marketing), Computer Science, Economics, Education, English Literature and Linguistics, Global Studies, Human and Economic Geography, Law, Mathematical Statistics, Media and Communication Studies, Physics, Political Science, Scandinavian Cultural and Social Studies, and Social Work and Sociology.
The School of Global Studies (http://www.globalstudies.gu.se) was formed in January 2005 and offers an excellent Master’s program in Global Studies taught in English. It is an interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary program addressing a broad range of topics. Students can select courses within the areas of Development Studies, International Conflict Resolution, Global Gender Studies, Human Ecology, International Relations, Regional Studies (African, Asian, Latin American and Middle Eastern Studies), and Social Anthropology.
More detailed information on classes offered in English is available on the website of Göteborg University, http://www.gu.se/english/education/exchange_studies/courses_ifor_exchange_students, or in the Office of Global Education.
Students also may study Fine Arts, Design, and Music. These latter
courses are not offered in
English, but American students can succeed in certain classes without knowing
Swedish due to the fact that all faculty and students speak English.
SWEDISH LANGUAGE
All students participating in this program will be required to take Swedish language. Two levels of Swedish are offered (beginning and intermediate) by the Department of Swedish Language as a complement to the main studies at GU. The language course takes place two or three times a week for two hours in the afternoon or evening. There will be a final examination, and the student will receive a “fail,” “pass,” or “high pass.” More information can be found at: http://www.utbildning.gu.se/english/exchangestudent/swedishcourses.
STUDY BUDDY PROGRAM
All study abroad students may take part in a student buddy program in which Swedish students introduce study abroad students to life in Göteborg.
ACADEMIC REQUIREMENTS
Applicants must have upper division standing with a declared major or classified graduate standing at this university by the time of departure, good academic records, and a 2.75 cumulative grade point average for undergraduates and a 3.0 for graduates or better at the time of the application deadline. The applicant also should be prepared to accept the challenge of study in a country with an educational system different from our own. The Writing Proficiency Examination must have been passed at this university prior to departure, and, in most cases, the lower division courses of the appropriate field of study must have been completed prior to participation in this program. Applications will be accepted for one semester or one academic year. Students are required to be full-time while studying in Sweden and, thus, take the equivalent of 15 units during each semester for undergraduates and 12 units per semester for graduates. At Göteborg University full-time students take 20 points per semester (1 point = one week of full-time study). The semester is normally twenty weeks long.
CALENDAR
Students should plan on attending the international student orientation at Göteborg University, which takes place about a week before the start of classes. Autumn term courses start around the beginning of September and finish around mid-January. Spring term courses start around mid-January and finish around the first week in June. Semesters (or terms) at Göteborg University are further divided into quarters, with students taking and completing courses during each of the quarters.
WEATHERIn the summer, temperatures average 68 degrees in the south and 61 degrees in the north. In winter, temperatures are frequently below 23 degrees Fahrenheit. Due to Sweden’s northern latitude, daylight dwindles to six hours in midwinter. In midsummer, the sun rises at 2:30 a.m. and sets at 9 p.m.
FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITIES
Students accepted to the program will pay the usual California State University, Sacramento fees, remain eligible for financial aid (except work/study), if otherwise qualified, and receive resident credit just as if they were attending classes at this university. (Please note that equivalency of courses falls under the jurisdiction of the academic department.) Göteborg University has agreed to waive non-resident tuition, making this a particularly attractive opportunity for participants. Students will pay for their travel to and from Göteborg, room and board, books, and incidentals. In addition, each student must have the required insurance during his or her stay in Sweden. Expenses for a semester in Sweden are estimated at the following: usual undergraduate fees - $1,779 (graduates would pay the graduate fee), airfare - $1,440; insurance - $200, room and board - $4,000, incidentals for 5 months (including books, local transportation, clothing, entertainment) - $2,000. Total $9,419. The estimated expenses for an academic year are about $17,398. This estimate is given for planning purposes only and is subject to changes from currency fluctuation, inflation, and fee changes. Keep in mind that the costs to obtain a passport, a student visa and a residence permit for Sweden are not included in this estimate.
SCHOLARSHIPS
For information on scholarships for study abroad, you should register for and attend a scholarship workshop in the Office of Global Education.
HOUSING AND MEALS
Student housing is in great demand in Göteborg. Göteborg University rents a limited number of student rooms from a local student housing company, SGS Studentbostäder, available for study abroad students at GU. The Exchange Student Services assists students in the application process for these rooms which are located at five different areas: Olofshöjd, Helmutsrogatan, Fridhemsgatan, Birger Jarlsgatan, Kviberg and Rosendal - Studiegängen.
Rooms come with basic furniture (desk, bookshelf, bed, chairs and lamps); however, kitchen utensils, bed linen and towels are the students own responsibility. At Olofshöjd, the bed comes without a mattress. Usually two months rent must be paid in advance. Monthly rental costs vary from SEK 3100 to SEK 4000 (amounts subject to change). Kitchen utensils, pillow, and cover can be rented at about SEK 150 per month plus refundable deposit. This includes the mattress for students accommodated at Olofshöjd (since the mattress is not included with rent at this location). High speed internet access is included in the rent.
More information and descriptions of these rooms can be found by accessing http:// www.exchangestudent.gu.se and clicking on “Exchange student housing services”.
YOU SHOULD CONSULT THESE RESOURSES FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:
You should consult these resources for further information:
The Office of Global Education home page: http://www.csus.edu/oge/
Göteborg University home page: http://www.gu.se/english
Exchange
Student Services at Göteborg University: http://exchangestudent.gu.se
(Housing information for exchange students is included at this site.)
“A Guide for Exchange Students”: http://www.utbildning.gu.se/english/exchangestudent/exchangestudentguide
Listing of courses offered In English: http://www.gu.se/english/education/exchange_studies/courses_ifor_exchange_students
For more information about Sweden, visit:
http://cityguide-europe.com/se/goteborg/
To obtain an application or to speak with a study abroad advisor, please call the Office of Global Education at 278-6686 or go to Lassen Hall, Room 2304. Applications, references, and transcripts should be sent to the address below. The deadline for materials to be received is October 1 for the spring semester and February 29 for the fallsemester or academic year. Please note that there is an interview process for this application, also.
| Monica
G. Freeman Coordinator, International Programs Office of Global Education Lassen Hall, Room 2304 or California State University, Sacramento 6000 J Street Sacramento, CA 95819-6012 |
Janis
Silvers |
last update 8/07
