Working as a teacher at KTH

Your role as a teacher

As a teacher at KTH, you are provided with the conditions to develop your excellence in research and education in the long term. Through your work, you contribute to a sustainable society through interdisciplinary approaches and collaboration with leading universities, industry, and other societal actors. Thanks to the teaching exemption, you retain full ownership of your ideas.

At KTH, you have the opportunity to further develop your skills through both internal and external staff training programs in a wide range of areas, including leadership training.

Positions for teachers at KTH

Professor

General information about appointment as a professor

A professor at KTH forms part of the faculty and is a leading representative within an area of research in which responsibility is assumed for both research and education. A professor at KTH has undergone courses in teaching and learning in higher education comprising at least 15 credits or has acquired equivalent knowledge through other pedagogical courses or study programmes with specialisation in education in higher education institutions. If such a course has not been taken at the time of appointment, the professor should complete the course within three years within the framework of the employment.

• Duties within research include academic leadership and development of research within the school, leading research activities in a research group, and independent responsibility for research funding, as well as active participation in the scientific community through undertakings as a reviewer, expert, external reviewer or lecturer.
• Duties within education include academic leadership and development and implementation of first-cycle, second-cycle and third-cycle courses.
• Duties within leadership include support and feedback to colleagues within education and research, participation in leadership management at KTH, change management and internal and external faculty work.
• Duties within cooperation include cross-disciplinary collaboration within and outside KTH and participation in and development of knowledge exchange and communication with the outside world.

Position

The position is prescribed by Chapter 3, Section 3 of the Higher Education Act:

Section 3 A professor shall be appointed until further notice without a time limit, unless otherwise specified in the second paragraph. A professor may be appointed for a specified time, if this concerns 1. artistic activities, 2. affiliation to a higher education institution of someone whose primary activities are outside the higher education system (adjunct professor), or 3. appointment as visiting professor of a person who meets the eligibility requirements for professor (visiting professor). Act (2010:701).

Chapter 4 of the Higher Education Ordinance states the specific time for which a professor within an artistic activity, an adjunct professor or a visiting professor may be appointed.

Associate professor

General information about appointment as an associate professor

An associate professor at KTH is part of the faculty and works within an area of research in which responsibility is assumed for both research and education. An associate professor at KTH has undergone courses in teaching and learning in higher education comprising at least 15 credits or other teaching courses or study programmes of corresponding scope and content. If such a course has not been taken at the time of appointment, the associate professor should complete such a course within three years within the framework of employment.

• Duties within research include independent research activities in a research group, certain responsibility for research funding and also active participation in the scientific community through undertakings as a reviewer, expert, external reviewer or lecturer.
• Duties within education include active participation in the development and implementation of first-cycle, second-cycle and third-cycle courses and study programmes, together with supervision of doctoral students.
• Duties within leadership include support and feedback to colleagues within education and research, participation in change management and internal and external faculty work.
• Duties within cooperation include cross-disciplinary collaboration within and outside KTH and participation in and development of knowledge exchange and communication with the outside world. 1

Position

An associate professor shall be employed for an indefinite period. 1.2.3 Eligibility and assessment criteria Regulations concerning eligibility and assessment criteria are found in Chapter 4, Section 4 of the Higher Education Ordinance:

Section 4 Those eligible to be employed as associate professor are 1. involved in activities other than artistic activities, those who have demonstrated pedagogical expertise, and have also completed a doctorate or possess equivalent scientific expertise or some other professional expertise that is of significance with regard to the subject content of the employment and the duties that are required of the employment, and 11 (35) 2. involved in artistic activities, those who have shown pedagogical expertise, and have also completed an artistic doctorate, demonstrated artistic expertise or some other professional expertise that is of significance with regard to the subject content of the employment and the duties that are required of the employment.

The assessment criteria for appointment as an associate professor shall be the degree of expertise required as a qualification for employment. The assessment of pedagogical expertise shall be given as much attention as the assessment of other qualifying criteria according to the first paragraph. Each higher education institution decides for itself which assessment criteria will be applied when appointing an associate professor.

Ordinance (2010:1064). At KTH, sections 1.2.3.1, 1.2.3.2 and 1.2.3.3 also apply.

Assistant professor

General information about appointment as an assistant professor

An assistant professor at KTH is part of the faculty and works within an area of research in which responsibility is assumed for both research and education. An assistant professor shall be given the conditions to quality before applying for promotion to associate professor. An assistant professor shall undergo courses in teaching and learning in higher education comprising at least 15 credits within the framework of the employment.

• Duties within research include development of independent research activities within a research group, certain responsibility for research funding and also active participation in the scientific community through undertakings as a reviewer, expert, external reviewer or lecturer.
• Duties within education include active participation in the development and implementation of first- or second-cycle courses and study programmes. Development and implementation of education at third-cycle level, including supervision of doctoral students, may be included.
• Duties within leadership include support and feedback to younger colleagues within education and research and also participation in knowledge exchange with the outside world. Furthermore, duties within leadership include participation in change management and also internal and external faculty work.
• Duties within cooperation include cross-disciplinary collaboration within and outside KTH and participation in and development of knowledge exchange and communication with the outside world.

Position

The position is prescribed by Chapter 4, Section 12 a of the Swedish Higher Education Ordinance:

Section 12 a An assistant professor may be employed permanently, however, not less than four and no more than six years, as determined by the university before the appointment. The purpose of the appointment is for the teacher to be given the opportunity to develop their independence as a researcher and qualify both scientifically and pedagogically in order to meet the eligibility requirements for appointment as an associate professor. An appointment according to the first paragraph may be renewed, however, for a maximum of two years, if additional time is required to fulfil the purpose of employment due to the assistant professor’s absence due to illness, parental leave or other special reasons.

The Swedish Employment Protection Act (1982:80) applies to appointments according to the first and second paragraphs. Exceptions to the first and second paragraphs may be made through collective agreements that have been reached or approved by a central trade union. Ordinance (2017:844) 15 (35) At KTH the period of employment is set as six years (through the Board’s decision V-2018-0064, effective from 1 April 2018).

Adjunct professor

General information about the position of adjunct professor

An adjunct professor is part of the KTH adjunct faculty and works within an area of research in which the professor contributes to research and education.

Duties for an adjunct professor are determined in consultation with an external collaborating party. This may to a reasonable extent correspond to duties within education, research, leadership and cooperation for professors as described in Section 1.1. Chapter 3, Section 3 of the Higher Education Act states that only those whose primary activities are outside the higher education system may be appointed as adjunct professors.

Position

The position is prescribed by Chapter 4, Section 11 of the Higher Education Ordinance:

Section 11 An adjunct professor shall be employed until further notice, however, only for a certain time. Such an appointment may be renewed. However, the total employment time may not exceed twelve years. The Swedish Employment Protection Act (1982:80) applies to employment matters. Ordinance (2010:1064). Appointments at KTH shall comprise at least 20% and at most 49% of full time.

Lecturer

General information about appointment as a lecturer

A lecturer at KTH contributes to developing and implementing mainly preparatory courses and study programmes for university level and first-cycle courses and study programmes. A lecturer at KTH has undergone courses in teaching and learning in higher education comprising at least 15 credits or has acquired equivalent knowledge through other pedagogical courses or study programmes for teaching in higher education institutions. If such a course has not been taken at the time of appointment, the lecturer should complete such a course within two years within the framework of employment.

• Duties within research and development work may include research within a research group and also pedagogical and subject development work.
• Duties within education include active participation in the development and implementation of courses and study programmes, mainly preparatory and first-cycle courses and study programmes, and also contributing to pedagogical development broadly within the educational field. Furthermore, duties within education include providing special competence within applied subject fields.
• Duties within leadership and third-stream activities include support and feedback to colleagues within education, participation in change management and also participation in knowledge exchange with the outside world. Furthermore, duties within leadership may include participation in management work relating to courses and study programmes.

Position

An appointment as a lecturer applies for an indefinite period or is limited in accordance with the regulations of the Employment Protection Act.

Teacher employed in the fine, applied and performing arts

The teaching categories for employment in the fine, applied and performing arts are professor (comprising adjunct professor and visiting professor), associate professor and lecturer.

General information about appointment as teacher employed in the fine, applied and performing arts

• Duties for a professor, associate professor or lecturer employed in the fine, applied and performing arts generally correspond to duties within education, leadership and third-stream activities as specified for the corresponding teacher category in Sections 1.1, 1.2 and 1.5.
• Duties in third-cycle research and education may be included, usually within the framework of artistically oriented research and development work.

Position

The position is described by Chapter 4, Section 10 of the Higher Education Ordinance:

Section 10 A teacher employed in the fine, applied and performing arts may be appointed until further notice, however, for a maximum of five years. Such an appointment may be renewed. However, the total employment time may not exceed ten years. Ordinance (2010:1064) When appointing a teacher in disciplines in the fine, applied or performing arts, the employment term is limited in accordance with Chapter 4, Section 11, and when appointing a visiting professor in disciplines in the fine, applied or performing arts, see Chapter 4, Section 12 of the same ordinance.