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Human Science

In the human sciences, we study fields such as law, humanities and social sciences. We have a wide range of courses, programmes and research disciplines focusing on people and society.

Find out how we are working in the human science area, how we are organised and how we work with education and research. Key elements include how we work with quality assurance, how decisions are made and what investments are made to support our research and education activities.

Important documents

In the right-hand column you will find the Rules on Decisions and Delegations. Other important documents can be found in their relevant context.

Organisation

The Human Science area is cross-faculty and is also responsible for teacher education. In total, there are around 30 departments and around 30 centers with approximately 1150 employees.

The Human Science area includes three faculties:

Teacher education is provided by all faculties and has its own preparatory bodies.

The Board of Human Science

The Board for Human Science is a decision-making body responsible for planning how to develop the education and research. It also coordinates education and research that involves more than one faculty. The Board also provides support to the Deputy Vice Presidents on key strategic issues in education and research.

The Board of Human Science

The Board of Human Science Photo: Sören Andersson

The Board of Human Science Photo: Sören Andersson

The Office of Human Science

The Office of Human Science prepares and processes matters for the faculty board, executes and implements decisions, conducts investigations, and administers and participates in the internal preparations and working groups of the Board of Human Science. The office also monitors activities within the human science area.

The Office of Human Science

Advisory bodies

Strategies for the Human Science area

The Human Science area strategies present long-term objectives. The strategies identify key issues for the area and clarify priorities and strategic choices. They have been decided by the Board of Human Science at Stockholm University 2023-04-19.

Strategies in Swedish. Humanvetenskapliga områdets strategier 2023-2026 Pdf, 758.6 kB.

Decisions

Decisions are posted when finalised by the Board of Human Science.

  • The budget
  • Research funding decisions
  • Cancellation decision due to underperformance

Minutes of the board meetings

Approved minutes of the Board of Human Science.

  • Minutes of the Board of Human Science 2024-02-07
  • Minutes of the Board of Human Science 2024-04-10

The minutes of each faculty board can be found under the respective faculty.

If you are interested in reading the minutes prior to 2024, please contact the Registrar via email registrator@su.se

Initiatives

The Human Science area makes additional investments in doctoral students, research and sustainability development.

Our support initiatives make a significant contribution to socially relevant and important research at Stockholm University and to the university's interaction with the surrounding society.


  • The University aims to be a leader in environmental and sustainable development. It is important to understand how humans effect the world, and this is influenced by our cultural, historical, political and organisational choices at both local and global levels. The human science, which study all these aspects of human existence, are therefore crucial to understanding, managing and reducing the negative impact of humans on climate and ecological systems.
  • The University’s climate and environment work

The project Forum for Doctoral Students provides additional support for PhD students in the human science area. The purpose is to provide additional guidance so that more PhD students finish on time and feel good a long the way.

Forum for Doctoral Students is divided into three parts: a mentoring programme for doctoral students, career seminars and writing meetings. Åsa Burman, Reader (Docent) in practical philosophy at Stockholm University is the Project Manager for Forum for Doctoral Students. She monitors the needs of the doctoral students.

Forum for Doctoral Students has three main objectives:

  • More PhD students should finish on time
  • Decrease negative stress and absence due to sick leave among the PhD students
  • Further strengthening Stockholm University’s competitiveness

Forum for Doctoral Students

Åsa Burman

The Mentoring Programme for Young Researchers of Human Science brings together junior researchers with mentors. In the Mentoring Programme, mentors and mentees are in continuous contact and meet for a few scheduled meetings during the year according to a given structure. The pairs are matched together from different faculties so that they can particularly benefit from each other's experiences.

Mats Börjesson is the Programme Manager. He has long experience from the university world and is basically a professor of sociology.

Contact and registration

If you have any questions or would like to sign up, please contact Programme Manager Mats Börjesson.

E-mail: mats.borjesson@su.se,
Phone: +46 (0) 8-120 762 18.

The Human Science Seminar Series highlights the human science perspectives of important cross-faculty issues relevant for research and education. The seminars also encourage collaboration between colleagues from different departments and faculties.

Profile areas at Stockholm University

Announcements of funding applications

The Board of Human Science announces funding for grants for strategic initiatives in research and postgraduate education:

  • Support for inter-faculty projects aimed at writing grant applications to external funders.
  • Support for inter-faculty networks and the initiation of inter-faculty collaborations.
  • Black Box, including support for inviting top researchers and collaborative initiatives.

The call periods for support for inter-faculty projects, networks and collaborations, and for support for the invitation of top researchers are set annually by the Board of Human Science. Black Box support will be provided on an ongoing basis throughout the year.

Spring: Application deadline 13 March, call for proposals one month in advance. Funding decisions are made by the The Board of Human Science at its meeting on 10 April.

Autumn: Deadline 7 October, call for applications one month in advance. The Board of Human Science decides on the allocation of funds at its meeting on 6 November.

  • The Board of Human Science cover page must always be included as the first page of each application:
  • Cover page for Strategic Research Fund application.

The application should be sent as a single PDF file to registrator@su.se with the current case number (see top of cover page) in the subject line.

Information on different forms of support and strategic initiatives can be found in the document: Guidelines for the Board of Human Science Funds for Strategic Initiatives.

Call for applications: funding for strategic investments Pdf, 200.4 kB.

Rules of delegation

The decision-making and delegation rules of the Human Science area include:

  • Decision-making powers of the Board of Human Science.
  • Decision-making powers of the Deputy Vice-President.
  • Sub-delegation from the Board of Human Science to the Faculty Boards of Humanities, Law and Social Sciences.
  • Sub-delegation from the University Director to the Head of the Office of Human Science.

In Swedish, Besluts- och delegationsordning 2023-04-19 Pdf, 374.6 kB.

Quality evaluation

The quality system for education at Stockholm University is divided into six areas. The implementation of regular educational reviews is one part of the quality assurance system. Education reviews are carried out on a six-year cycle for first and second cycle level and on a six-year cycle for doctoral level.

Results of the evaluation

If you are interested in receiving the review reports, please send an e-mail to kvalitetssystem.humanvet@su.se.

Guidelines for employment and recruitment

Education guidelines

There are several guidelines for education in the human science area. See which ones are relevant to your activities.

The strategic objectives and actions of the Human Science academic area state that the Area shall promote initiatives for education and cooperation across the faculties.

An educational initiative is considered to be inter-faculty if at least two departments with different faculty affiliations collaborate to plan and implement the training. Support is provided for the development and launch of new activities, not for existing ones.

Rules for initiation grants

Here you will find guidelines, instructions, and templates for doctoral programmes in the human science.

  • Guidance on the fulfillment of degree objectives FF6, FF8, and FF10 in third-cycle education

There are guidelines for the establishment of a main field of study and the establishment of a specialisation within a main field within the Human Science Area. See detailed information on requirements and applications for the establishment of specialisation(s) within the main field of study.

  • Rules and procedures for establishing a main field of study and possible specialisation

According to the current decision-making and delegation regulations, the faculty boards decide on the establishment of a main field of study for first- and second-cycle programmes and any specialisations within a main field of study. The President has decided that there should be local degree descriptions for each main field of study.

Procedures and templates for teacher education programmes in the Faculty of Human Science Area.

  • Procedures and templates for course syllabuses in the educational science core and work placement programmes.
  • Procedures and templates for curricula within the teacher education programmes within the Faculty of Human Science Area.

See more information on the teacher education programmes.

Course evaluations are a central part of the continuous quality work conducted at Stockholm University. They are an important as a basis for the course development and other changes in the teaching.

Quality evaluation

Course evaluations are available in the course catalog for each course.

Guidelines for research

  • Procedure for the processing of applications by the Research Committee
  • Guidelines for the Board of Human Science strategic initiatives in research, doctoral education and collaboration

Contact

If you want to reach someone in the Human Science area, see the contact information under each office or section.

If you want to know what is going on in research and education in the human science, you can find it on the web pages:

Last updated: 2024-10-03

Source: Human Science