WELCOME TO THE COURSE
Dear student, I would like to welcome you to Umeå University and the Department of Molecular Biology. Our teachers and students are from many different countries and we all appreciate an international environment and internationally competitive research. You have been accepted as a Master’s student on our Molecular Biology Programme. My name is Viktoria Vedin and I am the study counselor for the programme. If you have any questions, you are most welcome to contact me.
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.
The programme starts off with the course Advanced Molecular Biology. 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 programme) 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 loosing your place on the programme. The detailed schedule for the course Advanced Molecular Biology will available at the home page
https://www.umu.se/en/student/molecular-biology/schedules/
You will start with a 15 ECTS credits course in Advanced Molecular Biology (approximately 10 weeks of full time studies) and continue with a 15 ECTS course in Tumour Biology during the next half of the Fall semester. You will start Spring semester with a mandatory 15 ECTS course in Molecular Genetics. For the rest of your master you may, to a large extent, "design" your Master's programme which ends with a 30 ECTS exam project (i.e. Master thesis). Contact the study counselor if you are concerned about courses in very specific subjects. You can read more about the programme and the programme courses at https://www.umu.se/en/education/master/masters-programme-in-molecular-biology/.
It is important that you wear a cotton lab coat at the practical exercises during the courses. You can bring your own if you already have one or buy one here at Umeå University.
For students that need to pay tution, all offers of admission to Umeå University are considered preliminary until the student has paid the first installment of his or her tuition fee. Applications for a residence permit will not be approved until the Swedish Migration Board receives notification from the university that your first tuition fee installment has been paid. After receiving a notification of admission letter from Umeå University, students will receive information about the process regarding the payment of tuition fees. For more information regarding tuition fee, please visit https://www.umu.se/en/education/fees-and-scholarships/.
More important information regarding studies at Umeå University can be found at https://www.umu.se/en/education/student-services--support/faq/.
Students coming from countries outside the EU and planning to study for longer than three months, require a residence permit. Note that you might have to wait for the decision, so apply well in advance. More information can be found at www.migrationsverket.se/info/start_en.html and www.swedenabroad.com/.
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