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2003:11 R

Evaluation of Economic History at Swedish Universities

This report presents the findings of the evaluation of undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in Economic History at higher education institutions in Sweden initiated by the National Agency for Higher Education in 2002. The evaluation forms part of the task assigned by the government that required review of all general and vocational degree programmes during the period 2001-2006. The evaluation was carried out by a panel of external assessors appointed by the National Agency consisting of four subject specialists, one undergraduate student, a recent graduate from a doctoral programme and a chairperson. The evaluation was based both on the written statements in the self-evaluation reports produced by representatives of the higher education institutions and also oral information gleaned during the site visits made by the panel. The higher education institutions evaluated were Göteborg University, Lund University, Stockholm University, Umeå University and Uppsala University. The panel of assessors has also analysed and based its appraisal on publicly available information about the courses offered, course contents, term papers and theses from the institutions concerned.

The report begins with the Agency´s brief summary of its contents (a more extensive summary of the findings can be found at the beginning of the panel´s own report), followed by the decision reached by the University Chancellor on the basis of the report. This decision makes it clear that the Chancellor finds no grounds to question the right of any the institutions evaluated to award undergraduate or postgraduate degrees in the subject. The decision is followed by a concise presentation of the National Agency´s own reflections before the report proper begins.

The panel´s report starts with the panel´s summary of its findings, a background chapter which illustrates the evaluation process and methodology adopted and a chapter describing the evolution of Economic History as a subject from an international and Swedish point of view. In chapters 3-5 the panel then goes on to describe factors that shed light on the prevailing conditions at the institutions evaluated for both undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in Economic History, their implementation and outcomes. The report ends with a sixth chapter containing the conclusions drawn by the panel and its recommendations to the institutions.

In its overall conclusions the panel points out for instance:


“ ... that both undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in Economic History are well organised, maintain high standards and are, on the whole, taught by highly qualified teachers. The assessment of the panel is also that these programmes are based on research of a high international standard, evidence of which can be found in the great activity of Swedish researchers since the 1960s at international conferences and in international publications."
and

“ ... that at all the institution, Göteborg and Umeå in particular, there are relatively few students of the subject at more advanced levels. This makes it extremely difficult to offer a varied range of courses on satisfactory financial terms. The problem is aggravated by developments in recent years that indicate difficulties in recruiting students who take Economic History as their major subject."

In its recommendations for undergraduate programmes the panel suggests that the institutions should change the aims of their programmes so that they are formulated to a greater extent from a student perspective, increase collaboration with other departments to recruit students in programmes offered by other faculties and develop ways of following up previous students and their career choices.

The panel´s recommendations for postgraduate programmes include advocating greater efforts to increase external recruitment, the augmentation of national cooperation in postgraduate programmes, in particular on courses, and also active implementation of the reform of postgraduate education so that the scope of theses is restricted and programmes completed more rapidly.

The National Agency´s report concludes with a list of references and five appendices that present the figures and tables compiled by the panel of assessors, information on quantitative data, the contents of undergraduate programmes, the organisation of postgraduate programmes and the subjects on which theses are currently being written.

Swedish National Agency for Higher Education  Visting address: Luntmakargatan 13  Box 7851, 103 99 Stockholm
Phone: 08-563 085 00  Fax: 08-563 085 50  Email: hsv@hsv.se