Other education staff or staff working in higher education

At higher education institutions teachers are professors, senior lecturers, lecturers, research assistants, part-time teachers or guest teachers. The institutions for higher education decide to what extent the teachers at the institution shall be responsible for education, research or artistic development and administrative duties. The higher education institutions should strive towards that all categories of teachers teach in undergraduate programmes, except for research assistants who primarily undertake research.

The Swedish Higher Education Authority (Universitetskanslersämbetet)

Higher Education Ordinance (Högskoleförordningen, SFS 1993:100)

Staff involved in monitoring educational quality

The Swedish Higher Education Authority (Universitetskanslersämbetet) is an independent government agency for legal supervision, statistics and quality assurance of higher education and research. The authority has the task of ensuring that the higher education institutions comply with relevant legislation and regulation, and the agency also follows up the plans for equality between the sexes set up by the institutions. Other important areas are the application of national admission criteria, the use of information technology and student participation. 

However, Higher Education Institutions and the Swedish Higher Education Authority (UKÄ) have a shared responsibility for quality assurance in higher education and research. Most quality assurance efforts are to be conducted by the HEIs. This requires HEIs to have systematic quality assurance processes that UKÄ is responsible for assessing. The reviews will be based on assessment areas developed in dialogue with representatives from HEIs, teachers, students, employers and the labour market. The system is developed and implemented in accordance with the Higher Education Act (Högskolelagen, SFS 1992:1434), the Higher Education Ordinance and the Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area (ESG).

Educational staff responsible for support and guidance

The larger institutions for higher education often have a special student office for this purpose. There is a three year university education for career and guidance counselors.

At higher education institutions högskolor there are study counselors  who provide students with educational guidance including individual guidance regarding their choice of studies and general information on educational programmes, careers and the job market, at central and institutional level. They are recruited by the institution concerned on the basis of an open recruitment procedure and are appointed by the vice-chancellor or by somebody appointed to fulfill that task. In state universities and university colleges counselors are employed by the state on a permanent contract.