LTH is expanding!

That is how things have been since 2012. So we have had to tighten our belts and reduce the number of students to ensure the numbers add up. Now the hard work is bearing fruit and we can look to the future with confidence and focus more on development.  

For this reason, it is very exciting to be able to announce several pieces of good news, in addition to our figures and budget being in order. In the recent Budget Bill we saw more money being directed to technical education and architecture and we are therefore in a situation where we can increase our student intake and plan for new Master’s programmes, without having to be economically adventurous.  

We have increased the number of places in Computer Engineering, Machine Technology, Industrial Economics, Roads and Water Resources, and Architecture – with increases in both the Bachelor’s and Master’s programmes. 

Another news warming the hearts of us all involved at LTH is that the number of applicants for our courses increased in 2018, something which is, I must say, a unique trend compared with other higher education institutions. Looking at the Master’s programmes in Engineering, there has been an increase of around 10 per cent in first choice applicants between 2017 and 2018. We have also seen an increase in applicants to the Bachelor’s and Architecture programmes.

Why is this?

The good reputation of Lund University and LTH is important, of course. But I also believe some of our efforts in communications have played a role, for instance the short and sometimes humorous films (in Swedish) about studying mathematics (you need to work hard but you do not need to be born a maths prodigy) and how to make the right decisions (in Swedish) when you have your whole life ahead of you (keep lots of doors open!). Watch them and if you like them, please share them.    

Last but not least, I would like to tell you about our work in ensuring the quality of our courses and study programmes at all levels.

For around 20 years we at LTH have assessed the quality of our courses in a systematic way. However, about two years ago, we realised we are even more interested in the programmes themselves – what do students think of them? We started to discuss how, in changing times, we could find structured and reliable ways of developing our programmes.

It is also evident today that the Swedish Higher Education Authority (UKÄ) is not going to assess our programmes as such without our quality assurance systems. In other words, there are both internal and external pressures to find tools to assess and ensure the quality of our courses and programmes in a smart way. This work is underway and partially initiated, with responsibility for it falling to Annika Mårtensson, Deputy Dean at LTH and chair of both the Research Programmes Board and Education Board. Even the Faculty Board has been involved with Chair Charlotta Falvin at the helm!

So I would like to extend my sincere thanks to all of the spirited people at LTH who have been involved in establishing and sustaining it as a special place for dreams and discoveries.   

I hope we all – students and staff – will thrive and feel proud.

Viktor Öwall
Dean of LTH

PS:
The management team is currently working on new Master’s programmes, the first of which focuses on product realisation and is planned to start in the autumn semester 2019. The other programmes are in the areas of AI (Artificial Intelligence), VR (Virtual Reality) and pharmaceuticals. These will be important additions to the programmes currently offered. However, we also notice that some programmes – such as railway technology – have a low number of applicants, despite graduates of these courses being in great demand and finding work in an industry of the future. We ask ourselves the question: what changes can we make to attract more students? Considering climate change and how neglected the infrastructure seems to be, there is clearly an undeniable societal demand. That is where we at LTH would of course like to contribute!