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Exchange studies and project courses in Africa

Study at one of KTH's partner universities in Botswana, Kenya or Tanzania via the KTH Global Development Hub. On-site, you get to tackle a global social challenge in a local context. Collaborate with policymakers and civil society and gain skills to drive sustainable technology initiatives in Africa and beyond.

Discover how your engineering skills can make a concrete difference. KTH Global Development Hub (GDH) conducts coordinated education and innovation activities for global sustainable development in close collaboration with several universities in sub-Saharan Africa. Through GDH, you can travel to Africa for four to six months and participate in projects about developing solutions to local societal challenges linked to the UN's global sustainability goals.

As a KTH student, there are three different ways you can set up your exchange period within KTH’s GDH partner universities in Africa. In the project course, you will be part of a multidisciplinary student team working on a challenge-driven project to find solutions for local societal challenges.

  1. Exchange studies with elective courses + mandatory project course (corresponding to 10 ECTS credits)
  2. Exchange studies with elective courses + bachelor thesis project + mandatory project course (corresponding to 10 ECTS credits)
  3. Master thesis project*

*contact erika2@kth.se  for more information and suggestions on research topics/projects

Apply

You apply for exchange studies via GDH as you apply for other exchange studies via KTH. Read more about the application and dates for the application rounds on the page Application for exchange studies .

Partner universities

Botswana

University: Botho University in Gaborone, Botswana
Time period: autumn semester: July to December or spring semester: Mid-January to Mid-May
Credit system: 60 credits corresponds to 30 hp
Website: botswana.bothouniversity.com/courses/
Information about the project course Innovation for Sustainable Development. The project can for example be about water, energy, or urban planning:

More information regarding the project course from Botho University (docx 187 kB)

Kenya

University: Strathmore University in Nairobi, Kenya
Time period: period 4 (April-end of July)
Credit system: One semester at Strathmore typically has 315 contact hours. A standard course has 45 contact hours and corresponds to 3 credits. The mandatory project course gives 6 Credits and correspond to 8 ECTS at KTH. A full time semester of 15 weeks at Strathmore gives 21 Credits (normay divided on 7 different courses) and this correspond to 28 ECTS at KTH.
Website: strathmore.edu/faculty-schools/
Information about the project course. The project can for example be about societal challenges connected to sustainable development and ICT:

More information about the project course (pdf from Strathmore University) (pdf 158 kB)

Tanzania

University: University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM) in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Time period: P2 online (November-December, ses the timeline for the project course), Spring semester on site in Dar es Salaam (mid-january-mid-july).
Credit system: 60 credits is equivalent to 30 ECTS.
Website: www.udsm.ac.tz/web/index.php/
Information about the project course Problem Driven Group Project:

Information about the project course (pdf from UDSM) (pdf 366 kB)

Prerequisites

If you, within the GDH exchange, wish to write your degree project, you need to upload a thesis proposal instead of the required course list.  

Based on your application, a selection is made where your study merits and suitability for the project in question are assessed. You will be called for an interview as a supplement to your application. The application is evaluated by the KTH Global Development Hub and teachers from the schools concerned and the partner university.

If you intend to write your degree project within the GDH exchange, you must fulfill your programme's eligibility requirements for the degree project at the time of participation. You must ensure that you include the eventual courses you take during the exchange in your KTH degree. GDH can, however, help with the communication with your programme director.

Participation in a GDH project will not prevent you from other future exchange studies.

Contact

Erika Svensson Rössner
Erika Svensson Rössner officer

Get inspired by previous students stories

Read reports from students who have completed project courses through the Hub.