Swedish for Academics 1, 7,5 hp
The department of Scandinavian Languages offers Swedish courses for employees at Uppsala University.
This course is aimed at
- Manager or Head of Department
- Researcher with a doctoral degree
- Docent
- Doctoral student
- Research supervisor
- Research Leader
- Teacher
- Director of Studies
- Other teaching staff
Topic
- Language
About the course
General provisions
The course is offered as contract education for international researchers, lecturers and doctoral students at Uppsala University.
- Please note that the number of participants is limited, and spots are awarded on a first-come, first-served basis.
- Swedish for Academics is free of charge.
Entry requirements
General entry requirements (except the Swedish language requirement).
Learning outcomes
Upon completing the course, international researchers, lecturers and doctoral students with foreign education backgrounds and native languages other than the Scandinavian languages and Finnish will have acquired basic skills in the Swedish language and some knowledge about Swedish society.
Format
Instruction
The instruction consists of seminars and group exercises. Teaching language is English.
Content
This course provides a systematic orientation in and practice of fundamental structures in the Swedish language on a basic level through reading simple texts and fiction, writing exercises, and exercises in pronunciation, listening comprehension, and oral communication. This course contains a variety of tasks and exercises, individually and in groups and gives an introduction to Swedish university and study environments.
Part 1. Reading Comprehension and Writing Proficiency (4.5 credits)
After completing the course, students will:
- be able to demonstrate knowledge of the basics of Swedish language structure
- have a basic vocabulary of everyday words and phrases
- be able to read and comprehend simple texts
- be able to write short, simple texts about themselves and their everyday life.
Part 2. Listening Comprehension and Oral Proficiency (3 credits)
After completing the course, students will:
- be able to talk about themselves and their everyday life
- be able to verbally communicate at a very simple level in Swedish
- be able to passably understand when they are addressed concerning topics that concern themselves and their daily life
- be able to generally understand short conversations about familiar topics.
Assessment
The course objectives are examined through four final exams, oral and written.
A two-grade scale (Pass, Fail) is used for this course.
For students who fail to pass the regular exam, a re-exam is organized within a reasonable time after the first one. After contacting the head of the department, a student who has failed a particular exam twice has the opportunity to change the examiner or the form of examination.
If there are special reasons, the examiner may make exceptions to the specified examination method and allow a student to take a different test. Special reasons can, e.g., be notified of special educational support from the university's coordinator.
Course occasions and sign-up
Schedule
- Once a week, three hours during office hours, Uppsala, Campus Engelska parken.
- The course is given some autumn and spring semesters.
When is the course offered?
For information about which Swedish for Academics courses are offered a certain semester, click the link below.
Do you have prior knowledge of Swedish?
If you have prior knowledge of Swedish, you kan sign up for a diagnostic test when you send in your application. The test is digital, and can be done from home at any time within a 10-day period. Based on the test, the Swedish for Academics level on your application will be adjusted. You can read more on the link below.
Application
Autumn semester 2026
- 15th of March 2026: The application for the autumn 2026 courses opens at midnight between the 14th and 15th of March.
- 15th of April 2026: The application closes (we do not accept late applications).
- 3rd of August (afternoon) – 9th of August 2026: Diagnostic test in Inspera. The test i digital, takes two hours, and can be done from home at any point during this period. You sign up for the test when you apply for the courses.
- 18th of August 2026: Admissions notices are sent by email to all applicants (make sure to check the email you put in your application, even if you are on vacation).
- 4th of September: Swedish for Academics course start.