The UKÄ assessment panel asked questions about KTH’s quality system

Carlota Canalias Gomez, Head of the Department of Applied Physics at the School of Engineering Sciences, was interviewed by the UKÄ assessment panel about her role in the quality system, alongside other heads of department from KTH’s five schools.

“Above all, they were very interested in education and asked questions about action plans within education, which is a new feature of the quality system. They wanted to know what implications this has for the quality system, whether we fill in plans, how they are followed up and how this affects the department’s day-to-day work,” says Canalias Gomez, who works continuously on quality assurance together with her management team.

Comprehensive review

Every six years, the Swedish Higher Education Authority (UKÄ) carries out a review of Swedish higher education institutions’ internal quality assurance systems.

The site visit to KTH involved staff at various levels, and UKÄ’s assessment team interviewed representatives from the university’s management, research and education departments, as well as from the operational support team, which provides support for procedures and processes within the framework of the quality system.

“Very significant”

"The review is very significant. We must have a quality system that is approved by UKÄ. If this were not the case, it would mean a great deal of extra work. It is not a review of our quality, but it is important in the sense that it must be approved. Otherwise, we will have to start again and get it right," says KTH’s Dean Sofia Ritzén.

Ahead of the audit, higher education institutions submit extensive documentation, including a self-assessment. Following a presentation of the current quality system, UKÄ selects so-called ‘in-depth review tracks’. In KTH’s case, this involves three departments and five degree programmes where quality assurance work will be examined in greater detail.

Decision in February

Following site visits and interviews, UKÄ will issue a preliminary opinion on which the university may comment. The final decision, including the opinion and assessment, will be submitted to KTH in February 2027.

“If we are approved, nothing will change and we can continue working as we are; if not, we will need to further develop our quality assurance work and will be given some time to make adjustments. We will then be reviewed again, on a smaller scale, within two years,” Ritzén says.

Text: Sabina Fabrizi ( sabina@kth.se )