Masters from Sweden: Structure, Eligibility and Application Process for PG Courses

Sweden is quickly picking up as a go to destination for study abroad. With some of the oldest and best universities and a good job market, the country offers excellent advantages to students aspiring to do masters abroad. Some of the Top Universities in Sweden are home to Nobel laureates and inventors and continue to churn out excellent researchers across various domains. We talk here about the structure of the masters’ program in the country, its basic eligibility criterion and how students can apply to universities in Sweden.

Structure of Masters’ Courses in Sweden

There are primarily two types of master’s programs available in Swedish Universities.

1. Magisterexamen which is a one year degree course of 60 credits

2. Masterexamen which is a two year degree course of 120 credits.

There is no set rule and both the degrees require a thesis at the end of the program. Some courses might be a yearlong program while others may be a two year long programs. Most of the MS Colleges in Sweden offer two year programs for International Students.

Eligibility for Masters’ Courses for Indian Students for Swedish Universities

Universities in Sweden essentially require students to have completed the equivalent of a three year Swedish program in their under-graduation to be eligible for a master’s degree course. The minimum requirement in general cases is a four year degree course. However, this is not a standard rule. A student can also apply to Universities in Sweden after completing a three year bachelor’s course followed by a master’s degree.

Also, some of the courses also accept students who have completed a three year bachelor’s degree from a recognized universities in India. Students needs to remember that the minimum requirement in such cases is a three year bachelor’s honours degree. A degree without honours alone does not meet the basic eligibility requirements for master programs in Swedish Universities.

Also, the Universities do not recognize Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery and/or Bachelor of Unani Medicine and Surgery from India.

English Language Requirements and Swedish Universities

As a general rule, if you have completed your bachelors in a program whose primary language of instruction was English, then you need not provide proof of English Language Proficiency Exams (like IELTS/ TOEFL). However, we always recommend students to provide the scores in case they have written the exams.

Application Process for Masters Programs in Swedish Universities

Very much like the Bachelors from Sweden, the application for the master’s programs are also done through the centralized online system of to UniversityAdmissions.se.

There are two rounds of applications for both autumn and fall sessions. The first round of admissions open in mid of October of previous year and the online portal closes on the 1^st of February of the same year. This is also, at times, the last date to submit the required documents and also (at times) for submission of fees. The second round of admissions open in the month of March and go on till August. However, most of the International students are recommended to apply only during the first round of admission. Most often, there would not be enough time after the second round of admissions for the students to apply for and get a Student Visa for Sweden, which can take about 3 months to process. Also, most of the Universities close admissions for International students during the second round.

Similarly, the online applications for spring sessions open in the month of June and close by September. Students would be required to confirm their admissions latest by October to secure a place in the programmes which start from January.

Students can apply for both the autumn/ fall seasons. It is important to note that not all programs would have openings hence students must check with the universities before they apply.