Uppsala Universitet – International student guide 2012/2013

The university may seem rather large and
difficult to get an overview of, but it is the department
that will be your actual workplace.
A department is a unit within the university
where your classes and research take place
within one subject, for example the Department
of Mathematics, the Department of
English, the Department of History, etc. It is
the department that registers you when the
programme or course begins. At the department
you will find lecturers, study counsellors,
course secretaries, director of studies,
head of the department. This is where your
instructions, lessons, some administrative services
and any laboratories are held.
Those that follow a longer programme
can usually be expected to take several
courses from other departments but usually
have a “home” department in charge of
the whole programme. Many departments
work together in the same research and educational
centres also called campus areas.
Examples include Ekonomikum (business
studies, economics, statistics, and more),
Ångström Laboratory (technical, engineering,
physics, chemistry and much more),
Uppsala Biomedical Centre, mostly known
as BMC (medical and pharmaceutical studies
plus others).
Teaching Methods
Higher education at Swedish universities is
mainly based on the tradition that students
take responsibility for their own studies
with the support of the teaching faculty.
The academic environment is informal
You and Your StudIeS
Your department = Your Workplace
and interactive. Teaching is problem-based
and carried out in different forms: lectures,
seminars, group work, laboratory work, independent
study, etc.
Every degree programme and individual
course has a syllabus that describes the
learning outcomes and the content, the
number of credits, learning activities, entry
requirements, forms of assessment, grading
system, organisation of the programme content
and course requirements. These requirements
are pre-determined and adopted by
the faculty board in charge of the course.
Disciplinary Procedures for Plagiarism,
Cheating and Obstruction
Students are expected to uphold the standards
of academic honesty at Uppsala University.
Plagiarism and cheating are treated
very seriously. Invigilators at the examinations
will check on students and proven or
suspected cheating will be reported to a
Disciplinary Committee. At the hearing, a
student may receive a warning or, at worst,
be suspended from classes and other university
activity for a period of time.
This is the same procedure for suspected
plagiarism, i.e. copying parts of someone
else’s essay or publication and presenting it
as your own. Plagiarism is generally defined
as using someone else’s text or idea without
a clear reference to the original source.
If you are unsure about how to correctly
cite sources in academic writing, be sure to
consult your teacher or advisor to avoid any
misunderstandings.
31