Jens wants more students to study abroad and get a double degree

Jens Zamanian is new in the role of managing internationalization at the Faculty of Science and Technology.

ImageHans Karlsson

“It feels really fun and a chance to kind of see "the big picture" when you think about which universities we should collaborate with” he says. “What is relevant for our faculty and our students?”

Jens Zamanian does a lot of teaching in his job. Among other things, he is responsible for the Classical Mechanics course that about a hundred MSc engineering students take every year. When he was awarded the faculty's pedagogical prize in 2024, his valued work with international students was also highlighted.

Since 2014, he has been international contact person at the Department of Physics. There, he has worked on everything from signing exchange agreements with universities in other countries to guiding incoming students.

“You are a bit vulnerable when you come to a foreign country. Many have travelled halfway around the world and don't understand the language. I usually think about what I would have wanted help with if it were me.”

Long exams a shock

Students often come to him for support in matching which courses they should take, especially if they are courses given at several different institutions. Jens also gets to explain how the study system in Sweden works.

You are a bit vulnerable when you come to a foreign country

“Many are quite shocked that we can have six-hour exams. They may be used to two hours, but then you are in a hurry and can't get all the assignments done.”

“I also usually talk a little about Swedish culture when I meet them and explain that it is okay to address your teachers by their first names. Then the International Office does a great job with Orientation Day and other activities! It has made the care of international students much better.”

What makes working with international students fun, in your opinion?

“I get an insight into how they study in other countries, what the differences are compared to here and how they view it. And many students are very nice and fun to talk to!”

Fewer after the pandemic

Before the pandemic, the Physics Department received around 70 exchange students each year. Currently, 40-50 come per year. Significantly fewer Swedish students take the chance to study abroad.

“It’s about two to four students. Things were turning around, one year we had more than that going to Hong Kong and South Korea. The following year I had nominated 16 who wanted to go, but then the riots in Hong Kong came and then the pandemic.”

How can we get more domestic students to choose to study abroad?

“I think what has the most effect is that those who have gone abroad can come and tell others here about their experiences.”

Most of the foreign students that the Physics Department receives come from Germany, France, Turkey, Spain, Portugal and China.

“We offer quite a few courses at advanced level and the exchange students allow us to maintain a wider range of courses than we otherwise could.”

Increased independence

What do you see as the biggest benefits for students participating in exchange studies?

“That they feel more independent, that they can go out into the world and feel that they can handle it. For some who come here from other countries, when they move away from home to study, they live in a college, have food served and their room cleaned. Here they have to manage everything themselves. Another big advantage, which the students themselves may not always think about, is that they get the opportunity to study courses that are not available at their home university.”

Have you been abroad as an exchange student yourself?

“No, but after my dissertation I was a post doc in Strasbourg in France. I didn't know the French language and took evening classes and such, but it was still tough and I was quite isolated. But, of course, more research work was done instead.”

Now Jens will have to take a bigger grip on the internationalization work than at his own department. Step one is to familiarize himself with all the agreements that exist and continue the work that his predecessor Konrad Abramowicz started.

“He started with meetings for all departments' international contact persons and to have a joint call for applications for outgoing students. This has simplified a lot, but I think there are more opportunities for collaboration and that we may be able to encourage more departments to have similar agreements as we have for double degrees.”

Double degrees bring advantages

The Physics Department has agreements with two Chinese universities, Shenzhen and South West University, which give students the opportunity to obtain a bachelor's degree from two countries at the same time. The students study three years at their home university and one year in Umeå, including their degree project.

“They can count their studies in China towards their degree from here and vice versa. It shows more clearly that they have studied in two places. It also makes it easier if they want to study further in Europe, then they have a Swedish bachelor's degree. We also drill them quite hard, they have several advanced courses in their bachelor's degree, which gives a stronger bachelor's degree. That is also an advantage for them.”

A similar model could be viable at more departments, as well as inspire more Swedish students to obtain a double degree, Jens Zamanian believes.

“When we had a visit from Shenzhen, Konrad, Markus Ådahl and Victor Falgas-Ravry from the mathematics department were there and met them. If mathematics is interested, I think more people might be.”

“I also know that sometimes several departments have exchange agreements with the same university. There may be advantages in combining these into a faculty agreement.”