Frequently asked questions and answers about lifelong learning (FAQ)
Here you will find answers to frequently asked questions about lifelong learning and freestanding courses.
What is lifelong learning?
Lifelong Learning is education within continuing professional development. At KTH that includes freestanding courses, contract education, MOOC (short and open online courses that are free of charge), supplementary teacher education (KPU) and other more informal teaching activities like open lectures and seminars.
How does KTH work with lifelong learning?
KTH:s goal is that lifelong learning should be an integrated part of KTH’s education and account for around twenty percent of KTH's educational activities. For the last few years, the government has carried through special efforts and set tasks with the purpose to increase (of increasing) lifelong learning at universities in Sweden.
Information (currently only available in Swedish) about KTH’s courses within further education and lifelong learning can be found here: Education for professionals
What’s the difference between contract education and freestanding courses/direct government funded continuing professional development?
Contract education is offered to companies and public authorities at a cost. Usually, the company contacts KTH, asking to get tailored skills development for their staff. The course is then developed in a dialogue between the company and the teacher and the company pays for the education.
Freestanding courses, the majority of which is direct government funded continuing professional development courses, is education that in most cases is free of charge and KTH gets compensation for every registered student. You apply for the courses at antagning.se or universityadmission.se .
Where can I find KTH’s freestanding courses?
All courses are listed on this web page .
What should the scope of a freestanding course be?
As the courses are aimed at professionals, it has been found that shorter courses of 1-2.5 credits are most appropriate. Therefore, if you have a fully developed 7.5-credit course that is part of a programme, it may be beneficial to divide it into, for example, three shorter courses.
Can a freestanding courses be open for application at any time?
No, according to the Higher Education Ordinance there are certain application periods that also apply for online further education courses. But late admission is open for many of the courses all year round, often until a week before the course starts. The application periods are:
- Autumn semester: March–April.
- Spring semester: September–October.
- Summer courses: February–March.
How should I communicate with course participants?
For the first point of contact, you should use the email addresses provided in the student's application. To export the list of email addresses from Ladok, search for those admitted to a particular course and export the list. Note! Do not use the service Course participants in the personal menu as it retrieves KTH addresses and not the email addresses provided at application.
After the course has started, we recommend that you communicate everything related to the course via the course pages in Canvas.
Can those who do not live in Sweden apply for freestanding courses?
KTH's courses are intended for residents of Sweden. However, courses are encouraged to be given in languages other than Swedish in order to attract professionals living in Sweden who do not speak Swedish. All citizens of the EU, EEC and Switzerland who are exempt from paying fees can apply for KTH's courses. Fee-paying students cannot apply for a freestanding course.
However, please note that a student cannot be granted a residence permit in Sweden based on a freestanding course at KTH. To start a course, they also need a KTH Account which can be activated with Mobile BankID or by visiting KTH’s campus. If a student does not have Mobile BankID or are not able to visit campus, they cannot get their KTH Account nor start a course.