Getting your degree
When you have completed your studies, you must apply for your degree certificate yourself. A degree certificate is equivalent with a diploma. At the University of Gothenburg, you receive your degree certificate in digital form.
What is a degree certificate?
A degree certificate, also called a higher education qualification or diploma, is evidence that you have acquired knowledge up to a certain level. Higher education qualifications are divided into three main categories:
A professional qualification is a degree with a focus on a specific profession. In order to obtain such a qualification, you must study a professional study programme such as the Programme in Occupational Therapy, the Pre-school Teacher Programme, or the Master of Laws.
General qualifications are awarded at three levels: first-cycle level, second-cycle level and third-cycle level. All of our courses and study programmes are divided into these levels. Each level is a continuation of the level below.
- At first-cycle level, the qualifications awarded are Higher Education Diploma and Degree of Bachelor.
- At second-cycle level, the qualifications awarded are Degree of Master (60 credits) and Degree of Master (120 credits).
- At third-cycle level, the qualifications awarded are Degree of Licentiate and Degree of Doctor.
A general qualification always has a main field of study. The main field of study is the subject area that your studies focus on. You can choose your main field of study by studying a set of courses that are part of a study programme, or by studying a set of courses that you put together yourself. Contact a study counsellor to learn more about how you can study a programme or individual courses leading to a qualification.
The difference between a qualification in the fine, applied and performing arts and a general qualification lies in the content and specialization. There are qualifications in the fine, applied and performing arts at the same levels as general qualifications.
Contact Degrees
More information
There are rules that control which qualifications are offered and which degrees may be awarded. You can read more about these rules on the Student Portal.
What must be included in a degree certificate?
At the University of Gothenburg, we use qualification descriptors. A qualification descriptor contains information about the requirements for a specific degree, such as a Degree of Bachelor of Science in Journalism. For example, the qualification descriptor states:
- How many credits must be passed to obtain the degree
- What courses in the main field of study must be included.
It is good to be aware that there are both optional courses and compulsory courses. If you would like to know more about what must be included in a degree, you can contact a study counsellor.
Grades at the University of Gothenburg
As a student at the University of Gothenburg, you receive a grade each time you are examined in a course. The type of grade awarded varies depending on what you are studying. At the University of Gothenburg, we have five different grading scales. At Swedish higher education institutions, average grades are not given for a degree. You can read more about grades on the Student Portal.
Can my previous qualifications be included in the degree?
You can apply for credit transfer based on your previous qualifications if you have been admitted to and are registered as a student at the University of Gothenburg. In your application, it is important that you include your original documents as proof of your previous qualifications.
Depending on the qualifications you wish to have credited, the process is different.
If you have studied courses at higher education level at a university abroad, you can have the credits from these courses transferred to the University of Gothenburg. The credit transfer from these courses can be either non-specific (just the number of credits) or specific to courses at the University of Gothenburg. You can find more information about who to contact on the Student Portal.
The University of Gothenburg does not provide credit transfers for entire foreign qualifications. You must instead contact the Swedish Council for Higher Education (UHR), which assesses what your foreign qualification corresponds to in the Swedish education system.
If you have studied courses at other Swedish higher education institutions, you can choose to include them in your degree certificate at the University of Gothenburg without needing to apply for a credit transfer. If, however, the courses you have studied at another Swedish educational institution are to be included in the degree as corresponding to specific courses at the University of Gothenburg, you do need to apply for this. You can find more information about who to contact on the Student Portal.
If you have skills acquired from work experience or voluntary work for example, you can apply to have this transferred as prior learning. For example, all or parts of the practical placement in the Programme for Bachelor of Science in Social Work, or in the Teacher Education Programmes can be transferred. Contact a study counsellor for more information.
