Have you ever considered studying in Sweden? Rob Day, programme manager for the Master’s degree in software product engineering, presented Jönköping University to ESILV students.
Private university Jönköping is a professional-oriented university characterised by an entrepreneurial spirit, a high degree of internationalization and collaboration with businesses and surrounding society. It is one of three Swedish private, non-profit institutions of higher education with the right to award doctorates.
JU’s School of Engineering
Jönköping University counts four schools: School of Engineering, International Business School, School of Health and Welfare and School of Education and Communication. ESILV students can study at the School of Engineering for a semester during their course. Students are taught engineering skills, with a focus on entrepreneurial spirit. Jönköping University’s educational approach provides knowledge on leadership, communication, business and ecology. Like at ESILV, courses are not only technology oriented but also grant importance to soft skills.
“JU’s School of Engineering collaborates extensively with industry in order to give students education that will meet market demands. The collaboration gives the students the opportunity to have close contact with a company during the education and thereby combine theory with practice”.
A strong international community
11 000 students go to Jönköping University, 2 000 of whom are international students. Rob Day explained that both Erasmus and fee-paying students formed the international contingent.
“We have a very clear programme of integrating international students, we put a lot of effort into that, not only from the faculty side, but also from the student union who plays a major role in integration”.
Within the School of Engineering, all Master’s students do a course called “International product realisation”, worth 3 ECTS. It gathers several students of different international backgrounds around a common group project.
A change of scene and a welcoming culture
Jönköping University is situated about 285 km from capital Stockholm. Its location, right by Vättern Lake, one of Sweden’s biggest lakes, gives an impression of studying by the sea, although it is in the middle of the country. The climatic conditions may seem harsh to French students, but this is a great occasion to stay inside and give in to a Swedish institution called “fika”. At 9:30 AM and 2:30PM, the Swedes gather around a cup of coffee and pastries like kannelbullar to socialize around private and professional matters: this is Swedish fika!