European Languages and Cultures - Swedish
Would you like to become an expert on the cultures, languages and politics of Europe?
Sweden is the country of Abba and Roxette, Stieg Larsson, Astrid Lindgren, as well as the cradle of Spotify, H&M and Ikea. It is a country that is actively recruiting emigrants from the Netherlands. What else Sweden has to offer, you will discover if you choose the Swedish specialisation within European Languages and Cultures.
By studying the key linguistic, political, cultural and social topics of contemporary Europe, you will learn to understand the mutual relationship, differences and similarities among national and regional cultures. In doing so, you will learn to understand future challenges and inform advanced decision-making in cultural, political and educational institutions.
Why Swedish?
Have you visited Sweden, or are you addicted to Young Royals or Bonusfamiljen? Are you curious about one of the oldest democracies in Europe or about a Northern European language that is closely related to Dutch and English? Then Swedish is a logical choice!
Swedish is also the Scandinavian language with the most medieval texts after Icelandic. The orally transferred laws were written down early and are an excellent source for the study of Sweden’s early language, politics, and culture. From the period before that, from about 800 AD, more than 4,000 rune stones have been preserved and tell their own story.
Your stay at a university abroad will boost your language proficiency. The University of Groningen has contacts with, amongst others, universities in Gothenburg, Stockholm, Uppsala and Åbo, a Finnish city where Swedish is spoken.
Students of European Languages and Cultures specialising in Swedish find jobs as translators, interpreters, teachers, researchers or as employees in embassies, cultural organizations or political institutions within the EU. There are also many international companies that are looking for people who speak Swedish. Several alumni have found a jobs in one of the Scandinavian countries.
The programme has a flexible structure. From your second year onward, you will specialise in one of the profiles:
- European Language and Society
- European Culture and Literature
- European Politics and Society
- Transcript of Records – If you have not yet completed Secondary School, you must upload a transcript showing your current grades. You can find the transcript template here.
- Secondary School Leaving Certificate – If you have already completed Secondary School, you do not need to upload a separate transcript. Simply upload your Secondary School Leaving Certificate to the application.
An additional documents, Statement of Education / Course description, may be required depending on the programme you apply for at this university.
If any document is required, it will appear in the Documents section of the Kastu application form once you start your application.
Important! View the full requirements on the university’s official website. Requirements may vary depending on your nationality and the country where you completed your previous education.
You may not need to take IELTS or TOEFL. University usually allow you to prove your English proficiency in one of the following ways:
- TOEFL iBT*
- IELTS Academic
- A Cambridge English qualification
- A national English examination listed on your secondary school leaving certificate
- An English subject and grade on your secondary school leaving certificate that meet the university’s requirements
- Secondary education completed in English in a country or school qualification accepted by the university
- An International Baccalaureate (IB) or European Baccalaureate (EB) diploma
- Other
Important: Accepted methods and minimum results depend on study programme, your secondary school qualification and the country where you completed your education. Check the official requirements for your chosen study programme.
*Use the Kastu promo code LTU1000102 when registering for TOEFL iBT and receive a 5% discount.
For Swedish, no previous knowledge is necessary.
Job examples
- Policy officer at a municipality, ministry or non-governmental organisation
- Communications consultant
- Lecturer at a university, university of applied sciences, senior secondary vocational education
- Journalist (newspaper, radio/TV, new media)
- Teacher in secondary education
- Manager in the national or international business world
- Staff member at an international organisation such as the European Union
- Staff member at an embassy
- Researcher at a university
- Political advisor
- Publisher or editor at a publishing house
- Translator
