- Our courses
- Which course should I take?
- Practical course information, registration and certificates
- For you who are not employed at Stockholm University
- Higher education teaching qualifications required for employment or promotion at Stockholm University
Our courses
Centre for the Advancement of University Teaching strives to stimulate engaging and high quality teaching at all levels at Stockholm University. We offer basic pedagogical training for university teachers in two stages, UL1 and UL2, courses for supervisors of PHD student and a variety of workshops and short courses for in-depth study and development in different areas of the academic teachership.
Our courses are aimed at university teachers, supervisors or those otherwise involved in higher education.
The UL1 and UL2 courses enables you to fulfill the formal requirements for tenured employment as lecturer or professor at the university (equivalent to 15 ECTS credits). The courses are based on a progression orderand are practically oriented with reflective elements. Our courses are offered in different formats (online, campus, blended or hybrid) in both Swedish and English. The courses are designed in accordance with the national guidelines developed by the Association of Swedish Higher Education (SUHF). Their recommendation is that professional training for academic teaching comprises a total of at least ten weeks’ full-time studies
To achive this you start with the university-wide basic course Professional Development 1 (UL1), which is open to all, regardless of faculty affiliation. The course does not require any previous teaching experience, but provides you with the basics of teaching and learning, as well as scope for self-development in meeting experiences from other parts of the university. You then continue with an intermediate course, Professional Development 2 (UL2) based on your own subject area/faculty. The UL2 course requires previous higher education teaching experience, UL1 or equivalent, and it is an advantage if you have gained some teaching experience before taiking the course.
We also offer qualifying courses in doctoral supervision for those who have experience in doctoral supervision or have ongoing supervision assignments. The courses are given every semester, both in Swedish and English.
Which course should I take?
If you are employed as a doctoral student
Introduction to Teaching (equivalent to 3 credits) is a course for doctoral students that serves as an introduction to teaching at Stockholm University. It is a shorter course aimed at those who want practical tools before they start teaching. One course is offered with a focus on the Natural sciences, one specifically for PhD students from the Chemistry section and a third is aimed at PhD students from the Humanities, Social Sciences and Law sections.
If you intend to pursue a career in academia, we recommend that you take our basic course in higher education pedagogy, UL1 (equivalent to 7.5hp). It is given in several rounds each semester, both in Swedish and in English. The course is aimed at all teachers at the university and offers a pedagogical platform for professional dialogue and reflection on the conditions and possibilities of the university teacher's role in relation to teaching and learning. The pedagogical theory and level is the same in all UL1 courses, but the structure, working methods and content emphases differ slightly. The course does not presuppose previous teaching experience or higher education pedagogical training.
If you are employed as a university lecturer
If you are new as a lecturer or if you have recently been employed as a lecturer and do not have any previous higher education teaching qualifications, start by taking UL1 course, see above.
You will then build on your teaching credentials with an UL2 course, specialising in your field. You choose the focus of the UL2 course based on your subject area, faculty, or on your desired area of specialisation. We encourage you to contact your director of studies or your pedagogical contact person at your department to discuss whether there is any particular area that you find important and interesting, and that the department would like to know more about. By linking the UL2 course work to the department's pedagogical development work, there is a better chance that what you do will actually contribute to development, that pedagogical issues will be given greater prominence at the university, and that it can contribute to a better knowledge locally at the department of the conditions and prerequisites for the programmes offered there.
Those who have taken higher education pedagogy courses at previous UPCs (UP1 and UP2)
If you belong to the humanities field and have previously taken UP1 (equivalent to 3 ETCS and given at Stockholm University until spring term 2015), you can continue by taking UL2 (equivalent to 7.5 ETCS) with a specialisation in your field. The 4.5 ETCS credit gap that arises to reach 15 ETCS in total can be filled with one of our shorter courses. You can also build up your credits by attending our workshops (3 workshops + writing assignment equals 1.5 ETCS). You are welcome to contact us for guidance.
If you have taken both UP1 (equivalent to 3 ETCS) and UP2 (equivalent to 4.5 ETCS), you should normally complete up to 15 ETCS. The recommendation is to take UL2 (equivalent to 7.5 ETCS) towards your subject area. If you are not sure what applies to you, you can contact the administrator of the teacher proposal committee at your faculty or section.
If you belong to the field of natural sciences, there are transitional rules which mean that previous higher education teaching UP1 + UP2 can be credited as the equivalent of 15 ETCS until 30 June 2023. If you have any questions, please contact the teacher proposal committee of your section.
If you have taken higher education teaching courses at another higher education institution
If you have taken 15 ETCS of higher education pedagogy at another university and are starting as a lecturer at Stockholm University, you are not required to take any additional higher education pedagogy courses and you can credit the courses. However, if the faculty specified anything you need to do in your appointment, you should check with the faculty.
If you supervise doctoral students
Our PhD supervisor courses are aimed at those who are PhD supervisors, who have supervisory experience or ongoing supervisory assignments. You will be given the tools and space to reflect on your supervision together with colleagues from different disciplines. Your own experience of supervising doctoral students, together with the course literature, forms the basis for discussions and reflections in the various parts of the course.
If you want to continue building on your teaching credentials - academic teachership
For those who want to develop their teaching and go deeper into a teaching topic of interest, we offer a number of short in-depth courses.
If you are planning to start or perhaps already running a pedagogical development project, the UL3 course can support you in your work. If you have a pedagogical development project where you work together in a teaching team, we encourage you to attend together.
You can also take the self-study course, Documenting an Educational Development Project. You will be assigned a mentor and have the opportunity to learn more about research-based teaching development and how to work with an academic teaching team.
We also aim to provide a variety of workshops and courses in addition to our core offerings, offering in-depth learning and development in different areas of academic teaching. You can read more about these under courses and workshops.
Practical course information
Course cost
For employees of Stockholm University, and associates, the courses are free of charge. However, registration is binding and in case of late withdrawal a fee will be invoiced to the department where you are employed.
Registration and registration conditions
Registration for the courses is done via a form on the web under each course presentation, registration opens on 15 October and 15 April for courses given in the following semester. For some courses, registration closes after an application period, after which the selection is made. Under each course presentation on the web you will find information about the deadline for registration, if available. When a course is fully booked, it is usually possible to sign up for the waiting list.
Once you have registered for a course, you will receive an admission notification well before the course starts. We aim to notify you within three weeks of registration, at which point you will receive an automatic email with a link to confirm your place. Alternatively, you will be informed if you have not been allocated a place on a course, or are on a waiting list.
If you need to cancel your seat, you can do so free of charge up to two weeks before the start of the course. If you cancel later than 2 weeks before the start of the course, the department where you are employed will be charged 2000 SEK. Please note that registration for the Research Supervisor Course is binding once you have accepted your place. The fee is 2500 SEK in case of cancellation after you have confirmed your place.
Course certificate and credits
Attendance at course meetings is compulsory. Participants who have completed the course and met all course requirements will receive a digital certificate indicating the course content and scope.
Our courses are not reported in Ladok. If you are a doctoral student and wish to transfer credits to your degree program, please consult with your department's course coordinators. It is up to each department to decide whether you can have the course credited in Ladok. The Ladok reporting is done at the department.
If you are not employed at Stockholm University
Subject to availability and for a fee, we accept applicants from other universities. Please note that you need to be employed at another university for us to be able to accept you. For external participants, the courses cost 3500 SEK (excl. VAT) /1.5 ETCS (UL1= 17 500 SEK excl. VAT). The price for the Research Supervisor course is 15000 SEK (excl. VAT). The bill can only be sent to your employer.
As an external participant, you can either register directly via the form on the web under the respective course presentation, you are then placed on a waiting list. A couple of weeks before the course starts we will contact you if there is a seat on the course.
Another way is for your Department/your head of studies to contact us at CeUL and arrange one or more course seats on behalf of your Department. This is possible subject to availability and needs to be done well in advance of the next semester.
Higher education teaching qualifications required for employment or promotion at SU
CeUL does not carry out any comparative assessment of highet education teaching qualifications. For questions about requirements for higher education teaching qualifications for employment or promotion contact your Faculty office.
The rules and criteria for the assessment of teaching qualifications to be taken into account for employment and promotion at SU are:
- National rules, Higher Education Ordinance (HF) chapter 4
- Local rules, Stockholm University Employment Regulations (AOSU)
In addition to the above-mentioned rules, there may be area-specific rules regarding teaching skills that are decided by the respective area or faculty committee at SU.
According to Chapter 4 of the Higher Education Ordinance (HF), the assessment of teaching skills must be given the same attention as the assessment of scientific skills or any other professional skills that are relevant to the subject matter of the position and the tasks to be included in the position.
General requirements according to AOSU
- In the case of employment as an assistant lecturer: no formal requirement of training in teaching and learning in higher education.
- For assistant lecturers, senior lecturers and professors: applicants who do not have at least 15 ETCS of training in teaching and learning in higher education and who are not deemed to have acquired equivalent knowledge by other means must undergo such training during the first two years of employment.
- Requirements for promotion from assistant lecturer to senior lecturer: at least the equivalent of 7,5 ETCS of training in teaching and learning in higher education
- Requirements for promotion from senior lecturer to professor: equivalent to 15 credits of training in teaching and learning in higher education.
Appointment of Associate Professor
Associate professor is a title indicating achieved competence and is not a position. Research merit is the most important factor for appointment to a professorship. However, the applicant must also have demonstrated such teaching skills as may be required of a university teacher.
Research supervision training
A full academic career normally requires equivalent to 15 ETCS of training in higher education teaching and learning plus the completion of a research supervision course (equivalent to 3ETCS).
For specific information regarding employment or promotion contact the Faculty Offices
For more information, see the list of links below. Please contact the respective office if you have any questions.
Faculty of Science
Guidelines for employment and recruitment at the Faculty of Science
Decisions regarding the courses University Pedagogy I and University Pedagogy II
Faculty of Social Sciences
Guidelines for employment and recruitment at the Faculty of Social Sciences
Faculty of Law
Guidelines for employment and recruitment at the Faculty of Law (In Swedish)
Faculty of Humanities
Guidelines for employment and recruitment at the Faculty of Humanities