General course information
Courses for exchange students
Exchange students may combine courses quite freely within the Engineering programmes (but not in the Architecture programme), provided that they meet the prerequisites specified for each course. KTH offers a large number of courses given in English. The majority of the exchange students at KTH, however, study the Swedish language and many of them follow courses given partly or totally in Swedish, with good results.
The selection of courses must always be approved by the International coordinator at KTH as well as the home university. More information on how to choose courses will be given by the International coordinator after you have been accepted to KTH.
Course descriptions
Course descriptions are found in the online database "Course and programme directory". All course descriptions are translated into English and include information on the number of ECTS credits, language of instruction, prerequisites, grading, number of lectures, etc. You can for instance search for "Courses by department" or for course name or code. In order to see the language of instruction, click on "Show information about when the course is offered".
Below you can also find a document listing all the courses given in English during the academic year 09/10 (approx. 800 courses). Please note that the list is preliminary. Always check the status of the course in the course database.
It is important that exchange students register for their courses at the international coordinator's office. A preliminary course choice is made before arrival.
General course information
Courses at KTH consist of lectures, seminars, laboratory work and individual studies. Hands-on experience is regarded as an important element of learning and therefore laboratory sessions may constitute an essential part of the courses.
Credits and grades
KTH uses the ECTS credit and grading system (from July 2007) where one week of full time study (40 hours including lectures, individual studies, etc.) is equivalent to 1,5 ECTS. One academic year (40 weeks) equals 60 ECTS. The grading scale ranges from A (excellent) to F/FX (fail).
A=excellent
B=very good
C=good
D=sufficent
E=pass
A distinction is made between the grades FX and F that are used for unsuccessful students. FX means: “fail- some more work required to pass” and F means: “fail – considerable further work required”.
In the former grade system with Swedish credits (until July 2007), one week of full time study was equivalent to one credit ("poäng") and one academic year of full time study equals 40 credits.
If you need more information about the credit system, please contact KTH.
Examinations
Courses include written and/or oral examinations. Exercises and laboratory work may also form part of an examination. Most courses require that you sign up for the examination.
Examinations are taken at the end of each study period. If you fail at this time, there will be a second chance at the end of the semester, in January or August.
Cheating on exams is strictly forbidden at Swedish universities. Any student, whether Swedish or international, who is caught cheating or disrupting academic activities, will be suspended from lectures and exams for a period of up to six months. Note that cheating is not socially accepted among Swedish students.
