Erasmus Mundus Master's Programme in Computer Simulation for Science and Engineering (COSSE)

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Erasmus Mundus Master's Programme

in Computer Simulation for Science and Engineering (COSSE)

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KTH

ROYAL

INSTITUTE

OF

TECHNOLOGY

STOCKHOLM,

SWEDEN

Country

&

City

SWEDEN

Sweden, officially the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden has land borders with Norway to the west and Finland to the northeast, and it is connected to Denmark by the Öresund Bridge in the south.

At 450,000 km2 (173,746 sq mi), Sweden is the third largest country in the European Union in terms of area, and it has a total population of over 9.2 million. Sweden has a low population density of 21 people per km² (53 per square mile), but with a considerably higher density in the southern half of the country. About 85% of the population live in urban areas, and it is expected that these numbers will gradually rise as a part of the ongoing urbanization. Sweden's capital is Stockholm, which is also the largest city in the country (population of 1.3 million in the urban area and with 2 million in the metropolitan area). The second and third largest cities are Gothenburg and Malmö.

STOCKHOLM

Stockholm is the capital of Sweden with approximately 1.9 million inhabitants and is located between the lake Mälaren and the Baltic Sea in the middle of the country. It is the largest University city in the Nordic countries with over 80.000 students, 5.000 of them international. Furthermore Stockholm is the centre of Sweden’s political, cultural and business world and the financial centre of Scandinavia. Many multinational companies are found here, side by side with the headquarters of a whole range of Swedish organizations, authorities and cultural institutions.

Stockholm provides an international milieu where you can meet people from all over the world and like other large cities of the world; Stockholm is especially open to outside influences. The city has a broad ethnic spectrum and trends within fashion, culture, art and music quickly take root.

Restaurants with cuisine from every corner of the world jostle with pubs, clubs, cafés, galleries, museums, large shopping centres, and small quaint shops. There is also an array of large theatres, sports arenas and a vibrant music scene with many of the most prominent names in Music performing throughout the year.

While you can easily access a throbbing big city, you have an extreme contrast in the closeness to the nature Stockholm boasts. The city is made up of water, green areas and built‐up areas in three equal parts and it is one of the cleanest cities in Europe. Parks and green areas are nestled amongst both the cityscapes and the heavily built‐up suburbs. Several nature reserves are connected to the city, as is the Stockholm archipelago with its 24,000 islands. Every year many Stockholmers take the ferries

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to the outer archipelago, take their mountain bikes to the forests, swim in the lakes or at one of the many city beaches, ski, go hiking along trails , or go long distance ice‐skating. Stockholm has a low ranking in the world’s crime statistics and is considered to be a safe place.

Nearest airport: Arlanda International Airport (Stockholm)

University

KTH, Kungliga Tekniska Högskolan The Royal Institute of Technology

Address: Valhallavägen 79, 100 44 Stockholm, Sweden

www.kth.se

Main university switchboard: +46 8 790 6000

Emergency number: +46 8 790 7700 (operates 24 hours a day)

Campus

Information

Campus KTH

Visting Address: Drottning Kristinas väg 4, Stockholm (KTH Info Center) Metro station: T= Tekniska högskolan (red line)

Campus Map: www.kth.se/polopoly_fs/1.8221!vv‐a4‐en.pdf

Campus Kista

Visting Address: Isafjordsgatan 39, Kista (Kista Student Center) Metro station: T= Kista (blue line)

Campus Map: www.kth.se/polopoly_fs/1.752!campus_kista.pdf

Erasmus Mundus Coordinator Name: Karin Knutsson

E‐mail: [email protected] Tel: +46‐8‐7906814

Visiting Address : Drottning Kristinas väg 6 Metro: Tekniska Högskolan

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Introduction

KTH is the largest and highest ranked technical university in Sweden. Since 1827 the university has been distinguished by a tradition of pioneering research, engineering genius and cutting edge science.

KTH accounts for one‐third of Sweden’s technical research and engineering education capacity at University level. The Education and Research covers a broad spectrum – from natural sciences to all branches of engineering s well as architecture, industrial engineering and management, urban planning, work science and environmental engineering. In addition to the research carried out by the schools at KTH, a large number of both national and local Competence Centers are located at KTH. Various research foundations also finance a number of research programs.

There are a total of just over 12 000 full‐year equivalent undergraduate students, more than 1 400 active postgraduate students and 2 800 full time equivalent employees.

Furthermore KTH is a popular university for international students with over 1 300 exchange students and 1 100 master students annually. KTH has extensive international research and educational exchange programs with universities and colleges, mainly in Europe, Australia and the U.S., but also increasingly in Asia. The university participates actively in various EU research programs.

KTH is currently holding the chairmanship of CLUSTER, a university network for science and technology in Europe. KTH is also one of the founding members of T.I.M.E, a network dedicated to issuing double degrees.

KTH participates in 15 Erasmus Mundus programmes and in 5 Erasmus Mundus External Cooperation Window networks.

Course

Registration

and

Academic

Information

Academic

Calendar

and

Semester

Dates

The academic year consists of 40 weeks divided into two semesters, each consisting of two study periods. Each study period comprises seven weeks of scheduled tuition, such as lectures and laboratory work, followed by one week of examinations.

Autumn semester: end of August – end of December Spring semester: early/mid January – end May

Details concerning the start and stop of each term can be found at the KTH website for international students.

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Course

Credit

and

Grading

system

KTH uses a system of credits where one week of full time study (40 hours including lectures, individual studies, etc.) is equivalent to 1,5 credit. One academic year (40 weeks) equals 60 credits. Swedish credits may be compared to European ECTS credits, in which 60 ECTS credits correspond to the workload of one full‐time academic year, normally 1500‐1800 hours. The grading scale ranges from A (excellent) to F/FX (fail).

A=excellent B=very good C=good D=sufficient E=pass F/FX=fail

Student

rights

and

responsibilities

For information about laws and regulations, ethics policy, student counseling service, student health care, disciplinary measures, please see the KTH website www.kth.se/student/studentratt?l=en_UK.

Student

life

Useful information is found at the KTH Student Web www.kth.se/student?l=en_UK as well as the KTH web site for Master’s students under the headings “For admitted students” and “Transition

Programme”.

Information

for

students

with

special

needs

KTH has a policy stating the measures necessary for facilitating studies for students with disabilities. Disabled students at KTH are offered the opportunity to adapt to the requirements, while being given support specifically for their disability. The supportive measures that KTH offers disabled students are based on each individual student, adapted to the disabilities of each student and formed in cooperation with the student.

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KTH offers a range of support measures.

In order to gain access to the necessary support measures, students must have a documented diagnosis concerning a long‐term disability. This diagnosis may be issued by a doctor or some other authorized person.

These are examples of support measures:

• Course literature transferred to talking books

• Individual study plan

• Longer writing periods for exams

• Note‐taking help

Contact

the

coordinator

There is a coordinator for disabled students at KTH.

Students should contact the coordinator for more information concerning support measures or if there is anything else that could be up for discussion. The coordinator issues a document concerning the support that is needed. The student and the coordinator agree on how to inform teachers, counselors and other personnel concerned.

Coordinator. Monica Barsch (Ms.)

Visiting Address: Campus KTH, Drottning Kristinas väg 6 Phone: +46 8 790 70 98, E‐mail: [email protected]

Accommodation

Erasmus Mundus participants are guaranteed housing if the housing application deadline is met. The application form with available housing options is sent to students who are coming to KTH. Please return the application form to KTH Accommodation by e‐mail within the application deadline.

The rooms are located in the main campus as well as in the suburbs of Stockholm and can only be rented for full calendar months1. The student is personally responsible for paying the rent which must be paid in advance. The first payment slip, however, will be given to the student upon arrival. Rental agreements can be signed for a minimum of three months and a maximum of twelve months.

The room is let with a basic set of furniture including a mattress on the bed (no kitchen utensils are provided ‐ no pots, pans, cutlery or porcelain. Pillow, blankets and other textiles are not included). The students must supply their own bed linen and towels. It is recommended to report immediately any damage or other problems noticed at the beginning of the contract period. The tenant is responsible for any damage to the room or furniture beyond normal wear and tear.

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Students studying at Campus Kista will as far as possible be given a room in Kista and students studying at Campus KTH will as far as possible be given a room close to the KTH Campus.

When

KTH

is

the

first

destination

The application form for housing marked “Erasmus Mundus” is sent to you by KTH Accommodation.

Application deadline for Category A students is May 31st and for Category B June 15th.

When

KTH

is

the

second

or

third

destination

The application form for housing marked “Erasmus Mundus” is sent to you by KTH Accommodation.

Application deadline is November 15th for the spring semester and May 15th for the autumn semester!

Visa

and

Travel

Entry

Visa

When KTH is the first destination

World‐wide students must apply for a residence permit for studies at the Swedish

Embassy/Consulate in their country of residence, directly after receiving the admission and eventual scholarship letter. Applications for a residence permit can under no circumstances be submitted after entering Sweden. Please note that it will take 8 – 12 weeks to issue the visa.

EU students must apply for a residence permit within three months after arrival in Sweden. See the KTH handbook for Master students for further information.

When KTH is the second or third destination

World‐wide students must apply for a residence permit for studies at the Swedish

Embassy/Consulate in the current host country at least 3 months before the courses starts at KTH. Please note that even though a Schengen visa allows travel to Sweden, it is not eligible for studies. Applications for a residence permit can under no circumstances be submitted after entering Sweden!

EU students must apply for a residence permit within three months after arrival in Sweden. See the KTH handbook for Master students for further information.

Travel

KTH, the coordinating University for the COSSE Erasmus Mundus programme handles the travel to and from the study destinations for Category A scholarship holders and Category B Scholarship holders travelling to a university outside the European Union. After completing an on‐line form for travel, an electronic ticket is issued and sent to the student by e‐mail. Please check information about arrival days for the specific university, before completing the on‐line form. Certain travel dates may be pre‐set for a study destination.

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During the summer vacation between the 1st and 2nd academic year, Category A scholarship holders may be issued a return ticket back to the home country, depending on the outline of the study programme. For students staying in the country of the “home” university also during the summer vacation, tickets from the location of the “home” university to the location of the “host” university will be issued.

Airlines normally allow check‐in baggage up to 20 kg and a cabin piece up to 5 kg. Access baggage is paid by the participant. It is recommended that heavy items required for the stay be shipped once the student has a permanent address.

When leaving KTH and if several students are going to the same destination, it is recommended to use a cargo shipper and share the cost.

When KTH is the first destination

KTH arranges air fare tickets for Category A scholarship holders. Electronic tickets are issued from the home country directly to Stockholm, Sweden. Scholarship holders are asked to complete a form with all information needed to issue the ticket.

When KTH is the second or third destination

KTH arranges air fare tickets for Category A scholarship holders also when changing universities. For some Erasmus Mundus programmes this date is set for the whole group. An electronic ticket is issued after the students have completed the form travel.

Arrival to KTH

Arrival day for all Erasmus Mundus students starting their studies at KTH is August 16th_2010.

After picking up the key at KTH Accommodation, your contact person at KTH will meet with you and provide you with essential information.

The Arlanda train reaches central Stockholm in 20 minutes. There is also an air coach service to central Stockholm, which takes approx 40 minutes. From the Central Station you take the Metro to the stop “Tekniska Högskolan” (red line). Taxis are also available at Arlanda Airport. Ask for a fixed price, which should not be more than SEK 600.

For the Metro, it is recommended that you buy a card for 30 days, which costs about SEK 700.

Health

insurance

KTH arranges insurance for all Erasmus Mundus participants. The insurance includes all worldwide travel required for the participation in the Erasmus Mundus programme. The cover includes:

• costs for essential medical and dental care,

• cover in the event of death,

• accidental injury resulting in medical disability

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• theft and loss of identification documents and travel tickets

• visits by relatives in emergency cases

• disruption cover

The insurance does not cover loss or damage of personal items.

The insurance is valid in the 27 European Union countries, the EEA/EFTA countries, the countries that are candidates for membership of the European Union as well as countries of the Third Country Partners/associated members identified by the Consortium as study destinations. The insurance applies without deductibles.

The insurance is valid from the date the student travels directly to the first study destination. An insurance card is given to the student after arrival at the first study destination. Terms and conditions are found at the Erasmus Mundus Programme website.

Scholarship

distribution

and

banking

Scholarship

distribution

The study allowance is transferred to a European bank account in the scholarship holder’s name. World‐wide students must open a bank account at the first destination and the service shall include a visa (debit) card as well as internet banking. The study allowance will continuously be transferred to this account throughout the scholarship period. When arriving at new destinations, the student may choose to open a new bank account in this country and via internet banking transfer the amount to the new bank account.

Banking

information

Students arriving to KTH will collect the first scholarship payment at the KTH International Office upon arrival. Shortly after arrival, students who do not already have a bank account in an EU country will be directed to open a bank account at Nordea. It may take 2 – 3 weeks until the bank account is available.

Estimated

Cost

of

Living

Food/meals

Meals at a bar or self‐service restaurant is approx. SEK 60‐80 and the student restaurants at KTH offer meals at reasonable prices, approx.SEK 60. Many students bring their own food that they can heat in microwave ovens provided by the Student Union. Total monthly cost for food is approx. SEK 2 000.

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Local transportation

Public transportation is easy to use in Stockholm and in Sweden in general. The Stockholm Local Transport System, SL, provides travel by commuter trains, subway, buses and boats throughout the greater Stockholm area. A 30‐day card for SEK 690 (students can also purchase a season card at a reduced price, approx.35% discount) will provide unlimited travel within the greater Stockholm area and this is by far the easiest and least expensive way to get around.

Other

(all

in

SEK)

Course literature, phone, hygiene articles etc approx. 2 000 per month

Accommodation approx. 4 200 per month

Hobby/leisure: approx 500 per month

Erasmus Mundus Master's Programme in Computer Simulation for Science and Engineering (COSSE)