A MAJOR EUROPEAN UNIVERSITY

A MAJOR EUROPEAN UNIVERSITY
A MAJOR EUROPEAN UNIVERSITY
University of Gothenburg
Box 100
Vasaparken
SE-405 30 Gothenburg
Sweden
Telephone switchboard: +46 (0)31-786 00 00
www.gu.se
Welcome to the university of opportunity!
The University of Gothenburg has an environmental certification in accordance
with ISO 14001 and EMAS
This brochure was produced by the Information Office
at University of Gothenburg in February 2008
Layout: Maria Eriksson
Photography: Gunnar Johansson (p. 10), Nina Barne (p. 14), Helene Bergsten (p. 17)
Other photographs were taken by Carina Elmäng or Göran Olofsson
Free pictures from stock.xchng.hu: Adam Ciesielski (p. 7), Brian Lary (p. 8),
Luis Francisco Cordero (p. 9), Rich Goatly (p. 11)
In many ways, the University of Gothenburg is a university of opportunity. It offers research and
training in a wide range of disciplines, such as science, social science, economics, medicine, law,
the humanities, health and art. The breadth of scope this creates allows many opportunities for the
formation of interdisciplinary knowledge – opportunities that are completely different from those
offered by the majority of other universities and colleges.
It is when people with different experience and knowledge meet at a place such as the University of
Gothenburg that the best opportunities arise to move both education and research forward. And
Professor Arvid Carlsson’s Nobel Prize is evidence that such breadth and specialisation do belong
together in a single institution.
Pam Fredman
Vice-chancellor
Open minds, open doors
50,000 students
There are 57 departments at the
University of Gothenburg, grouped
into eight faculties. The university
has 5,300 employees in about
4,700 full-time posts. Approximately 2,900 of the posts are
academic – mostly researchers or
lecturers.
There are around 50,000 students
at the University of Gothenburg,
equivalent to 25,000 full-time
students.
Open to the world
Researchers, teachers and
students are involved in 1,500 different projects in various parts of
the world. Students also have the
opportunity to study a part of their
course abroad through exchange
EU-programmes including Nordplus and Erasmus/Socrates.
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The University of Gothenburg is steadily consolidating
its collaborations with other organisations. Chalmers
University of Technology, Sahlgrenska University Hospital
and regional partners within a large number of research and
innovation projects are located nearby. Health and care institutions and schools in western Sweden are the university’s
major target groups with regard to further education and
practice. For smaller companies, the degree work, practical
training sessions and student assignments form a quick and
extensive avenue of contact with the university. International
trade and industry, not least the pharmaceutical industry,
are indispensable partners for research projects and innovative development programmes.
An important task for the university is to be open to
the general public and to disseminate knowledge about its
research. It therefore organises a large number of popular
science events and activities. The university is one of the
founding members of the Universeum Science Centre and
has close contact with the Museum of World Culture.
During the spring, researchers and students take part in the
international Science Festival, and the various art departments arrange concerts, performances and exhibitions of
various kinds throughout the year.
The university is also engaged in creating inspirational
meeting places where people from different spheres of society
can exchange ideas about science, politics and culture, often
by collaborating with citizens’ advice bureaux and associations.
Where research and education meet
Nobel Prize winner
Professor Arvid Carlsson is the
university’s first Nobel Prize
winner. He has devoted more
than half a century to research
on the human brain, which has
resulted in the development of
L-Dopa, a substance used to treat
Parkinson’s disease, as well as
antidepressant drugs such as
Zimeldin and Prozac. Arvid Carlsson has a history of collaboration
with the Swedish pharmaceutical
industry and has participated in
the production of several successful medicines, including Seloken.
By international standards, the university has an exceptionally broad scope, with cutting-edge expertise in several
dynamic research fields.
Research activities are wide-ranging and successful, with
some 2,900 researchers/lecturers and postgraduate students
who are conducting research within such diverse areas as
logistics, genetics, design and developmental biology.
It is also Sweden’s most popular university with the largest
number of applicants per available place in several courses.
Most of the university is located in central Gothenburg,
with many of its departments within walking distance of
each other. This facilitates opportunities for contact both
with the surrounding world and within the university. The
proximity to cafés, shops, cultural activities, outdoor life,
sport and green areas contributes to Gothenburg’s popularity
as a student town.
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THE SAHLGRENSKA ACADEMY
Research close
to the patient
World-class dentists
The Institute of Odontology at the
Sahlgrenska Academy ranked
second in the world when the
Centre for Science and Technology Studies in Switzerland
published its global rankings of
odontological institutes. This
achievement was a result of the
significant number of articles
the institute had published in
distinguished scholarly journals
during the period 1998–2002.
Brånemark’s titanium screw
Brånemark’s titanium screw for
dental implants is well known
internationally: more than three
million patients have been helped
by the dental implant industry
worldwide. The discovery that
titanium integrates extremely
well with human bone also has
applications in several other
areas, including orthopaedics
and biomaterial research.
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The Sahlgrenska Academy is the faculty of health sciences
at the University of Gothenburg. The faculty carries out
teaching and research in Medicine, Odontology, Health
Care Science and Pharmacy. Many of the programmes
lead to vocational qualifications, producing audiologists,
dentists, doctors, speech therapists, nurses, pharmacists and
occupational therapists.
The faculty’s odontological research ranks among the most
advanced in the world and is carried out in close cooperation
with the national dental service in Gothenburg and
Western Sweden. The research in the Sahlgrenska Academy
is of the highest international standard, which has led to
collaborations with other research teams in Sweden as well as
in other parts of the world. This research has tangible clinical
Poor memory is not a good
indicator of later dementia
Forgetfulness on its own is not
sufficient to predict who is going
to be afflicted by dementia when
they get older. This was discovered in a study at the Sahlgrenska
Academy, in which researchers
looked at people aged 85 who
had a bad memory. They found
that those who had no problems
in finding the right word, planning
or making rapid decisions did
not have an increased risk of
developing Alzheimer’s disease or
dementia as a result of hardening
of the arteries.
consequences, for which the partnership with Sahlgrenska
University Hospital is of considerable importance. The
academy and the hospital collaborate in nearly 300 research
projects.
Health Care Science is a comparatively new branch of
the Sahlgrenska Academy, but has quickly become an area
of rapid growth. Unlike the other research areas within the
academy, Health Care Science specialises in the methodology
of measuring human subjective experience, including the
experiences of pain and anxiety. Areas of special interest are:
the diagnosis of symptoms of ill health, intensive care and
health teaching methods. In the latter, the communication
between caregiver and patient is an important topic.
Men find it more difficult to
remember what they´ve eaten
Both men and women eat too
much when they have free
access to food, but men overeat
more than women. In the study
at Sahlgrenska Academy, 100
residents of Gothenburg were
permitted to eat as much as they
wanted for a period of 24 hours.
The men consumed 59 per cent
more energy than they used, while
the women consumed 43 per
cent more energy than they used.
Afterwards both men and women
were able to remember 90 per cent
of the food they had eaten, but the
men reported fewer of the different
kinds of food they had eaten.
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ARTS
An emphasis on mankind
Exposing the skin
The Gothenburg Science Centre
for Molecular Skin Research is an
interdisciplinary research centre.
Its researchers study the molecular processes that are involved
when the skin is exposed to medicines, chemicals, particles and
radiation. They are hoping to find
new ways of improving prevention,
diagnosis and treatment of skin
cancer and contact allergies,
and also to improve methods for
administering medicines through
the skin.
Activities for children
The Faculty of Science is engaged
in activities intended to stimulate interest in science among
children, young people and adults
outside the university. There is, for
example, a cooperation agreement with an upper secondary
school; this allows the school to
use the faculty’s teachers in their
programme. Several departments
also have their own exchange
arrangements with schools in
Gothenburg.
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SCIENCE
Mathematics, Marine
Science and the environment
You can study more than twenty different languages in
the Faculty of Arts: from Swedish and English to Japanese
and Chinese. Other subjects include History, Archaeology,
Religious Studies and Theology, Philosophy, and Theory of
Science and Research. There are interdisciplinary courses
in Computational Linguistics, in which language studies
and technology are combined. The faculty also plays host
to a national Graduate School in Language Technology.
Students can also train to become a translator of English,
German, French, Spanish, Italian and Russian. There is a
special Medieval Committee in the faculty which carries
out research and organises conferences and seminars about
all things medieval. Research is also conducted into many
other fields, for instance Computational Linguistics and
Contemporary Culture.
Chinese and Japanese:
popular languages
In recent years there has been
an increase in Swedish students’
interest in studying both Chinese
and Japanese. The expanding
economies of Asia have resulted
in increased Swedish contacts
with these countries. A command
of these languages and cultures
has become a necessity for
successful trade and cultural
exchange.
The University of Gothenburg is Sweden’s leading centre for
research and education in Marine Science. Environmental
Science is another high-profile field, with Atmospheric
Science a current growth area. These strengths are currently
being combined into an interdisciplinary centre for Earth
System Science. The Faculty of Science embraces all the
major areas in the disciplines of Mathematics and the
Natural Sciences. Conservation Science in the faculty
integrates cultural, social and legal dimensions with the
natural sciences. Since 2005, the faculty has been a partner
in the DaCapo Vocational College of Crafts, a national
centre for crafts and the cultural environment in the town of
Mariestad. This research area is unique in Sweden. Collaboration with researchers in Medicine and Engineering,
with society at large, and with trade and industry, has been
strengthened in recent years, as have international contacts.
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A course in the art of
authorship
Literary Composition, Poetry
and Prose is a course in the art
of authorship, with applicants
accepted only every second
year. The course is designed for
those who have a good literary
command of language as well as
work experience within the field
of literature. Applicants may have
already made their literary debut,
but it is not a course requirement.
GOArt
At the Gothenburg Organ Art
Centre (GOArt), research is being
conducted into organs and organ
music from an interdisciplinary
perspective. A globally unique
organ research workshop has
made it possible to reconstruct
a large baroque organ in Örgryte
New Church in Gothenburg.
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FINE, APPLIED AND PERFORMING ARTS
SOCIAL SCIENCES
Unique in Europe
The world in focus
The Faculty of Fine, Applied and Performing Arts offers
undergraduate and postgraduate courses and pursues
research and artistic development work in a broad spectrum
of disciplines. This breadth and depth makes the Faculty of
Fine, Applied and Performing Arts unique in Europe. There
is an equally unrivalled collaboration with other organisations, authorities, centres of learning, and various businesses
– on regional, national and international levels. The faculty’s
work in areas such as design and fine art, boundary-blurring
photography and film directing, as well as its regular exhibitions of painting, crafts, sculpture and applied art, have
received a great deal of attention. An extensive programme
of concerts by symphony orchestras, chamber ensembles and
jazz groups, as well as theatre, musical and opera performances – not to mention literary events – are further examples of
ground-breaking collaborations.
The Faculty of Fine, Applied and Performing Arts is also
involved in international exchanges with other universities.
Examples include research projects in music pedagogy in
Cuba, South Africa and Palestine and digital development
in the visual arts in Russia.
The largest number of undergraduate students in the university can be found in the Faculty of Social Sciences, which
offers many of the most popular degree programmes in
Sweden: Psychology, Social Work, Journalism and European
Studies. Single-subject courses in traditional social sciences
such as Sociology, Social Anthropology, International
Relations and Political Science are also available. However,
there is a long tradition of interdisciplinary education and
research in the faculty. The School of Global Studies is a
newly established department focusing on studies of global
conditions, such as African studies, human rights, and peace
and development research. The faculty also acts as host to
national research centres like the Centre for Public Sector
Research and the Nordic Information Centre for Media and
Communication Research.
Well-known members of staff
Sociologist Ulla Björnberg, one of
several eminent members of staff
at the university, is well known
for her research into gender,
family, and family policies, such
as generational kin support in the
Swedish welfare state. Political
scientists Bo Rothstein and Sören
Holmberg recently received one of
three national grants for research
excellence, awarded for their work
in the faculty’s Quality of Government Institute.
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Prize-winning teaching
methods
The School of Business, Economics and Law’s teaching methods
have won numerous awards.
Law students take part in games
involving lawsuits, based on real
conflicts, finance students have
access to a finance laboratory
with stock-exchange quotations
in real time, and leading business
systems are integrated into the
courses.
Environmental research
Economics is about economising
resources. It is therefore natural
for the School of Business,
Economics and Law to conduct
research into issues related to
the environment. Environmental
research is part of most disciplines in the school, and includes
everything from consumption
patterns and observance of
environment legislation to environment-related business strategies
and political control instruments
for sustainable development.
THE SCHOOL OF BUSINESS,
ECONOMICS AND LAW
UTBILDNINGSVETENSKAP
EDUCATION
Much more than
a business school
Lifelong learning
Several of Sweden’s most popular programmes within
Business Administration, Economics and Law are available
at the School of Business, Economics and Law. However,
it is also possible to study subjects such as Human and
Economic Geography, Statistics and Economic History.
There is a great deal of international exchange, comprising both student exchanges and research collaboration. The
school also collaborates with the surrounding community:
it has, for example, created the Unit for External Relations,
which aims to facilitate contacts among trade and industry,
society, students, alumni and universities.
The School of Business, Economics and Law’s research is
distinguished by its breadth, with a high degree of interdisciplinarity and cooperation over geographic, departmental
and subject boundaries. The school is home to prominent
researchers from near and far, and the research carried out
here is of the highest international standard, with specialised
and cutting-edge expertise within management, accounting,
intellectual property and environment-related research. The
school was founded in 1923 and became part of the University of Gothenburg in 1971.
Educational Science deals with human beings in all their
everyday contexts. Education, work, leisure and home
are linked together in subject fields such as work science,
pedagogy, subject didactics, sports science, domestic
science, and so on. Issues related to child, young person and
adult learning – in various contexts – are studied within
educational science research. This research field is concerned
primarily with the education sector, but also looks at pedagogical activities within other spheres of society. Research
and education areas include preschool, school, the training
of head teachers, the labour market in a broad sense, the
connection between food, health and environment, and the
significance of sport and fitness activities. The bulk of these
activities take place in the Pedagogen building, right in the
centre of Gothenburg.
Diet, fitness and sport
Besides its substantial engagement in teacher training, the
faculty also offers around 150
courses and several different programmes, of which the diet and
fitness programme and the sports
science programme receive the
most applicants.
The School of Sport coordinates and conducts education
and research in sport and
fitness activities suitable for the
needs of schools and the sports
movement, among others.
Career planning
The Career Service, which is
funded by the school’s partner
companies, offers students
support with career- and workrelated concerns.
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THE IT UNIVERSITY
A Shared Responsibility
A stone’s throw from
the quay
The IT University is situated in the
middle of Lindholmen Science
Park. It is a dynamic and creative
learning environment, close
to restaurants and recreation
facilities as well as potential collaboration partners in the area’s
commercial and industrial cluster.
On warm days, the quay is ideal
for work meetings – less than a
stone’s throw away.
Are you game?
The IT University, Computer
Science at Chalmers and the
Interactive Institute are collaborating to study development and
learning in computer games.
Breaking boundaries
A teacher who wants to learn about mobile technology, an
engineer who wants to study the human body, a musician
who wants to develop his art with the help of a computer, or
an economist who wants to analyse the possible uses of IT
in health, all will find something of interest to them in the
many programmes at the IT University.
In the new buildings in the Lindholmen Science Park,
new interdisciplinary study programmes and research areas
have been developed. These are designed to break boundaries and to develop new technologies with new practical
applications.
Since 2001, the IT University has been a meeting place
of IT-related research and education for both the University
of Gothenburg and Chalmers University of Technology. It is
a dynamic and flexible resource for businesses and organisations that need to enhance their IT expertise and develop
their products and potential.
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TEACHER TRAINING
HANDELSHÖGSKOLAN
LÄRARUTBILDNING
There is a wide range of courses offered within the Teacher
Training Programme at the University of Gothenburg. You
can study to become a teacher in Science, Mathematics,
Languages, History, Social Science or Music. To receive a
teaching degree within the Teacher Training Programme
you must study between three and a half and five and a half
years. You can also receive a teaching degree by studying
subjects as independent courses and in addition study
education courses. Furthermore, there are advanced and
supplementary courses and in-service training available for
teachers, as well as post-graduate studies.
At the University of Gothenburg, teacher training is a
responsibility shared by the whole university. The Teacher
Training Programme is governed by a special board: the
Education and Research Board for Teacher Training and is
offered in co-operation with more than forty departments at
the university.
Internationalization
Teacher students have the
possibility to study part of their
education abroad by participating
in exchange programmes such as
Nordplus or Erasmus.
Student support
Student support is available
for all teacher students within
the University of Gothenburg.
Support is offered in language
use, voice- and speech training,
stress management and oral
presentation.
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Great interest in the new
Education Library
The new Education Library
has become popular among
all students at the University of
Gothenburg due to its central
position. The general public has
also shown great interest. During
the open house in autumn 2006,
over 12,000 visits were recorded.
THE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY
CENTRE FOR ENVIRONMENT AND
SUSTAINABILITY (GMV)
A pioneering library
Committed to a sustainable society
The aim of Gothenburg University Library is to support
scientific research and development, teaching, and higher
education studies. The library has resources available in
both printed and electronic form in most subjects except
Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics, which are found at
the Chalmers library. The library has been an e-resource
pioneer, making online books (e-books) and online
magazines available to students and staff. The library has
approximately 14,000 online magazines, 40,000 online
books and 300 databases available. The number of online
loans, which involve downloading an article or a whole
book, has now overtaken the number of paper loans.
The collections are divided among seven libraries, each
focused on a special subject area: the Central Library
(Humanities and Social Sciences), the Biomedical Library,
the Botanical and Environmental Library, the Economics
Library, the Earth Sciences Library, the Education Library
and the Undergraduate and Newspaper Library. The
University Library receives a large number of visitors, and
the library website is also very popular. Students are the
main users of the library, whereas scientists tend to make
use of the online resources. The University Library aims to
maintain a high quality service both on site and online.
No less than forty per cent of all environment-related research in Sweden
is carried out in Gothenburg, often in groundbreaking projects resulting
from collaborations between the University of Gothenburg and Chalmers
University of Technology. A good example of this is the Gothenburg
Centre for Environment and Sustainability, Sweden’s largest network
of environmental researchers, with more than four hundred researchers
collaborating on sustainable development.
The School of Business, Economics and Law at the University of Gothenburg is at the forefront of research into the link between the economy
and the environment. The most extensive environmental law research
projects in the country are carried out by the Department of Law,
which has unique expertise in this field. The University of Gothenburg
also actively emphasises that environmental considerations must play a
part in all areas of university life: in research and teaching, as well as in
administrative and technical activities. The University of Gothenburg is
environmentally certified according to both European and international
standards (as specified in EMAS and ISO 14001).
Open to all
Gothenburg University Library is
a public library and is open to all,
not just to students.
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Studying in Gothenburg
A university for all
The university actively reaches out
to new groups of students, and
works hard to make students feel
at home. For new students there
are special ”Peer Helpers”: young
people who have been specially
trained to support their fellow
students.
The Bologna process
The University of Gothenburg is a
signatory to the Bologna process,
an agreement on cooperation
between universities and colleges
in 45 countries in Europe. The
aim of the Bologna process is to
increase comparability between
academic courses in different
countries and thereby generate
more possibilities for students
and lecturers in Europe to be
able to move around, apply for
various study courses and work in
different countries.
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Full-time study in a structured degree programme or
part-time study in the evening? Mathematics combined
with French – or Philosophy linked with Environmental
Science? The courses at the University of Gothenburg can
be combined in an infinite number of ways, so students can
select their preferred method of study and construct their
own, tailor-made degrees. All of this makes it easier for
students to find precisely what suits them.
The university’s different faculties and departments are
situated in central Gothenburg, with its spacious green areas
and close proximity to the sea and the archipelago. Students
can enjoy the university’s interesting architecture, with a
combination of old and new buildings, as well as the wide
range of cultural, entertainment and sport activities offered
in the city. The hub of the student life is in Vasagatan Street.
This street, with its active café life and charming turn-ofthe-century buildings, stretches all the way from the School
of Business, Economics and Law and many of the social
science departments, down to the university’s main building
and the art school Valand.
There are a number of museums in Gothenburg,
including the Röhsska Museum, Sweden’s largest museum
for applied art and design, Universeum and the Museum of
World Culture. The Swedish Exhibition Centre regularly
stages large international trade fairs, among which is the
Göteborg International Book Fair every autumn. Every
February, the Göteborg Film Festival shows films from all
corners of the world.
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