Scandinavian Studies

Scandinavia is a region known for being in the forefront for sustainability and equality, and all Scandinavian countries rank in the top of the human development index for happiness. The Scandinavian Program arranges popular public events annually, sponsored by the generous Signe Karlström Fund. Current and former Scandinavian program students and U-M students from Scandinavia have an active student-run club that meets weekly for fika, films, games and more.

Swedish Language

U-M’s Swedish language courses are highly interactive, taught by native Swedish speakers who are experienced certified language teachers. The focus is on communication in the target language from the first day of class. The atmosphere in our classes is friendly and cooperative, with room for both fun and challenging discussions. Since it is a small program, the students get to know each other well. Through a year-long collaboration they also get to know a group of students in Sweden by blogging and Skyping. Everyone in class has the opportunity to go to Sweden on a study trip during Spring break, where the students are hosted in Swedish families.

Studying a foreign language prepares our students to participate in an expanding global workplace. Sweden is highly industrialized and ranked as one of the most entrepreneurial nations in the world, and it is also known for investing generously on research per capita. Many companies based in Sweden can offer a global career: IKEA, H&M, Volvo, Ericsson, Electrolux, Spotify, Skanska, and SKF to mention a few. Stockholm is a hub for IT-startups and is well known for their music industry.

Minor in Scandinavian Studies

For many students taking Swedish, the experience turns into more than a way to fulfill the language requirement. The Scandinavian Program currently offers six semesters of Swedish, an introductory course on Scandinavian culture and society, and two courses for those in love with Viking history: Norse and Celtic Mythology and Icelandic Sagas.

Internships & Study Abroad

We encourage our Swedish students to study abroad. The University of Michigan has well established and popular student exchanges with Uppsala University, Stockholm University, and KTH, the Royal School of Technology in Stockholm, for engineering students. We assist our students in arranging for-credit summer internships in Scandinavia, and have funding available to subsidize the cost.

Contact Johanna Eriksson at johannae@umich.edu to find out more about the program.