WELCOME TO THE COURSE
You have been accepted to our Life Science Programme and you will spend the next three years studying courses mainly in Chemistry and Molecular Biology resulting in a Bachelor degree in Chemistry and/or Molecular Biology. The Departments of Chemistry and Molecular Biology hosts scientists, teachers and students from many different countries. The international and interdisciplinary environment is well appreciated and provides the basis for an internationally competitive research in the field.
As a new student, you need to activate your user account (your Umu-id) approximately two weeks prior to the start of the semester.
With your user account you can:
If you are a new student, you will automatically receive a user account when you are admitted, but you will need to activate it for it to function properly. You will not be able to activate it until approximately two weeks prior to the start of the semester.
Install MFA for a more secure login
To increase security and reduce the risk of unauthorised access to your information or account, students must enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) to log in to various systems, such as Canvas and the Student Web.
I want to activate my user account and install MFA
If you are an exchange student or tuition fee paying student, you will receive an email with instructions on how to activate your account.
If you are having problems activating your account or logging in, please contact our Servicedesk. You will find answers to common questions, and can submit enquiries.
First, we wish to remind you to reply to your Notification of Selection Results at universityadmissions.se or antagning.se, so that you do not lose your place on the programme. If you have any questions, you are most welcome to contact us at any time. You will find our contact information at the end of this letter. We wish you a warm welcome to the program and hope that you will enjoy your Life Science studies here in Umeå!
Programme registration
The first course of the programme is Biological Chemistry (15 ECTS). You need to be registered for the course in the study documentation system in order to be able to follow the course and to get your results registered during the course. Registration on a course (and to the program) will occur only if you are actually present at the first lecture of the course. If you are unable to attend the registration and introduction, you need to contact the study counselor in advance, or else you risk losing your place on the programme. The detailed schedule for the course Biological Chemistry (15 ECTS) will be available approximately 1 month before the course starts at the home page.
The Bachelor's Programme in Life Science is an international programme and therefore given in English. The programme starts with a course in Biological Chemistry (15 ECTS) specifically developed for the programme to highlight applications of Chemistry and Molecular Biology to Life Science. This course is followed during the first year by three courses in Chemistry; Fundamentals of Chemistry (15 ECTS), Biochemistry (15 ECTS) and Bioorganic Chemistry (15 ECTS).
The second year consists of four courses in Molecular Biology; Microbiology and Basic Molecular Biology (15 ECTS), Basic and molecular genetics (15 ECTS), Cell biology (15 ECTS) and Animal and plant physiology (15 ECTS). The third year includes 45 ECTS of optional courses and a Bachelor Degree Thesis Project (15 ECTS) in either Chemistry or Molecular Biology. If you have questions or concerns regarding individual courses please contact the Study Counsellors. You can read more about the programme and the programme courses at:
Programme webpage for the Bachelor's programme in Life Science
More detailed information about the introduction will be sent out early August together with a schedule for the first course in Biological Chemistry.
Introductory courses before the programme starts
You will be offered an introductory course in mathematics prior to the start of the programme. More information about this will be sent out later.
The university organizes an Orientation course for new international students during the week preceding the start of the semester, starting late August. We recommend all students to take part in this preparatory activity. A schedule for the orientation course will be posted on the International Office web site later:
You also have the opportunity to sign up for the Buddy Programme. The Buddy Programme is an opportunity for you to get in contact with Swedish culture and traditions and meet Swedish and other international students during your stay in Umeå. Buddies are Swedish students who volunteer to introduce you to the Swedish way of life. As a participant in the Buddy Programme, you will be part of a buddy group that consists of buddies and international students. The Buddy Programme will give you the opportunity to participate in a variety of activities, for example, sports, parties and travel.
Visit the Buddy Programme page on Facebook: www.facebook.com/UmeaUniv.Buddy
More information about the Buddy programme
Accommodation
As Swedish universities do not own any housing, students are expected to arrange their accommodation. If you have not already found a place to live in Umeå, there is information and tips at our website:
We recommend you read this information and start registering for housing as soon as possible.
Covid-19 and campus-based education
You are warmly welcome to Umeå University and the Chemistry Department. For this autumn, the University has been given the go-a-head to return to campus-based education, with disease preventative measures following the Public Health Authorities (Folkhälsomyndigheten) of Sweden. These measures include in particular to stay at home if you are sick or are having any symptoms, apply social distancing and the protection of risk groups. Education can only take place in groups of a maximum of 50 participants and it should be possible to keep a distance of 1,5 meters between each individual. These recommendations mean that your studies will be affected in one way or another this autumn. However, course contents and programs will be intact and cover all aspects of the syllabus, and be given with high quality. After a spring with a closed campus, we are now better prepared for a semester with alternative teaching and examination forms.
Lectures will be given on campus but several lectures will be given remotely. We will also as much as possible take appropriate measures to enable students with symptoms to follow courses from home. Exams may be adapted to alternative forms (home exams) and we may have to schedule some activities during late afternoons or early evenings to follow the health recommendations on social distancing. Many laboratory exercises will be conducted on campus with smaller groups, but in some of the courses, the laboratory exercises will be replaced by other teaching forms. Currently Sweden has no recommendations for the general public to wear face masks. However, any recommendation may change over time by the current Covid-19 situation.
We want you to regularly read the university's website where we have up-to-date information on how Covid-19 affect your studies:
You as a student is urged to take personal responsibility to follow given recommendations including staying at home when sick or having any symptoms and applying social distancing when conducting your studies. Since teaching will partly be done remotely, it is important that you have a computer so that you can study from home.
We are doing our best to provide a safe and good study environment and are looking forward seeing you in Umeå this autumn. If you have further questions, please don’t hesitate to contact Maria Jansson (maria.jansson@umu.se). Warmly welcome to Umeå and Sweden!
You can find more information about the programme on the programme webpage.
Contact us
You are most welcome to contact us if you have any questions regarding the programme.
Programme coordinators:
Erik Chorell
erik.chorell@umu.se
Phone: +46 90 786 93 29
Mattias Alenius
mattias.alenius@umu.se
Phone: +46 90 785 67 86
Study counsellors:
Maria Jansson
maria.jansson@umu.se
Phone: +46 90 7865262
Yngve Östberg
yngve.ostberg@umu.se
Phone: +46 90 785 08 02
Welcome to Infocenter!
No matter what questions you have regarding the university, you can turn to Infocenter. If you need study information or general study guidance, you are welcome here. Here you can also get help with practical matters, such as to pick up your UmU card (after you have ordered it), book rooms or get parking permits.
Call +46 90 786 50 00 or write in our contact form. Once you are on Campus Umeå, you will find Infocenter in the Universum Building. Find more information on the webpage:
If you are in need of special support due to disability, you should apply for that in good time before you start your studies. Find more information on support for studying with disabilities at:
It is not allowed to be in the laboratory or perform laboratory work in the lab if you are pregnant. Please contact the responsible teacher if you are pregnant when the course begins.
Checklist for admitted students
Follow this simple list of things to complete your enrolment at Umeå University. It includes: how to secure housing, getting a residence permit (for citizens from outside the EU/EEA and Switzerland), tuition payment (if applicable), travel directions and more.
The Student web
The website for current students has all sorts of information about services, support, legal and practical matters at Umeå University. You can sign in to the learning platforms, see your schedule and course overview, get a study certificate, apply for a degree or sign up for an examination.
Recommended arrival times
International students are recommended to arrive at least a few days before the start of the regular semester, preferably prior to the Orientation. If you fail to arrive on time, you have to contact the study counselor as soon as possible, but no later than one week ahead of the course start, or you may not be able to register for the programme or course.
If you will have student housing through the Housing Office at Umeå University you will receive information about your arrival in your offer of housing.
Don't forget - Umeå has cold winters, so pack accordingly with a warm jacket, warm shoes, gloves and hat.
Orientation
Moving to a new country with an unfamiliar language, culture and customs can be a challenge. We would like to help you and ease that challenge so that you can focus on your studies. Therefore, we would like to offer you the possibility to take part in our Orientation, which begins a few days before the start of the semester (Autumn) or the same day as the semester starts (Spring).
Welcome Fair
Are you a new student at Umeå University? Visit the Welcome Fair – a perfect opportunity to learn what our university and Umeå can offer. The fair normally takes place in the beginning of each semester.
Get your UmU card
When you are on Campus Umeå, Umeå Arts Campus or Campus Örnsköldsvik, you will need a UmU card. The card has the following functions:
To get the card, you need to apply for it. Here’s how to apply for the UmU card.
Join a student union
There are three student unions at Umeå University:
They are actively involved so that fellow students have a high quality of education, good working environment, and fun leisure time.
Access to Microsoft Office 365
Students at Umeå University have free access to the programmes of Microsoft Office 365. This means that you have access to Teams, Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Whiteboard Forms, your student email and other services which can facilitate your studies and your collaboration with other students. To access Office 365 you need to activate your UmU-id.
Learn more about Office 365 and how to install it on your computer