Degrees and academic credits
Education from Lund University is recognised around the world. Learn more about the degree types we offer, the credit system and grading scales.
Degrees
The Swedish higher education system is divided into three cycles. Below you will find an overview of the degree types and their credit requirements.
- Higher Education Diploma: 120 ECTS credits
- Bachelor's Degree: 180 ECTS credits
- Professional Degree (the number of credits varies)
- Master's Degree (1 year): 60 ECTS credits
- Master's Degree (2 years): 120 ECTS credits
- Professional Degree (the number of credits varies)
- Licentiate Degree: 120 ECTS credits (similar to the UK MPhil)
- Doctoral/PhD Degree: 240 ECTS credits
Credits
Each course or programme is measured in credits. 1 credit is equal to 1 ECTS credit (European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System).
- 60 ECTS credits are equal to the workload of a full-time student over one academic year (i.e. two semesters of study over 40 weeks).
- 30 ECTS credits are equal to the workload of a full-time student over half an academic year (i.e. one semester of study over 20 weeks).
- One credit is the equivalent of approximately 25–30 hours of study.
ECTS is a student-centred system for describing an educational programme or course. ECTS is being adopted throughout Europe, as part of the Bologna Process and enables studies to be easily compared for all students. The aim is to further student mobility and make recognition of achievements easier.
About ECTS on the European Commission's website
Grading system
There are five different grading scales at Lund University. The relevant faculty board decides which grading scale is to be used for which course. This means that one degree or transcript might include courses with different grading scales.
Grading systems used at Lund University
Academic year
The official academic year at Lund University is divided into two semesters (autumn and spring), each lasting 20 weeks.