Jönköping University


Jönköping University, formerly Högskolan i Jönköping is a non-governmental Swedish university college located in the city Jönköping in Småland, Sweden.
JU is a member of the European University Association and The Association of Swedish Higher Education, SUHF.

Organization

JU is one of three Swedish private institutions of higher education with the right to award doctoral degrees in certain areas such as social sciences. JU operates on the basis of an agreement with the Government of Sweden and conforms to national degree regulations and quality requirements. The university is organized as a corporate group with non-profit JU Foundation as the parent organization and five wholly owned subsidiaries.

Name

The university college titles itself as 'Jönköping University' in official Swedish texts, a decision which met criticism in Sweden, in part as it was perceived as an attempt to profile the college as having full university status. The name change was reported in 2016 by the Swedish Language Council to the Parliamentary Ombudsman, which chose not to set the matter to trial. The college responded with a statement that it was not out of the ordinary in an international context to profile itself as 'University'.

Schools

JU conducts research and offers undergraduate studies, graduate studies, doctoral studies and contract education through four schools:
The JU Campus is situated in the city centre of Jönköping, on the western shore of the lake Munksjön and not far from the south shore of the lake Vättern, about five minutes walk from the Central Station.

History

1897: The first nursing students received their degree qualifications in Jönköping by Jönköping County.
1947: An elementary-school teacher's training college was established in Jönköping.
1963: A pre-school teacher's training college started in Jönköping.
1968: The elementary-school teacher's training college becomes "Jönköping Teacher School" and moves house to Västra Torget. The county's central school for the caring profession moves to new premises on Munksjö beach and in 1971 changes its name to "Munksjö School".
1970: The Institute for Gerontology and the "Ortos" Laboratory were started by Jönköping County, they later became part of the School of Health Sciences.
1975: Higher Vocational Education started in Jönköping.
1977: Reform of Swedish higher education. Jönköping University College is set up as a state university college. The "Jönköping Teacher School" and the pre-school teacher's training college merged into the university. A two-year economic education started, become three-year in 1978. The Communication Officer programme started this year, it later became the Media and Communication programme. Some of the caring programmes at the Munksjö School become university programmes.
1979: First international student exchange; teacher training in Liverpool.
1981: Single subject courses relocated to the municipalities in the county.
1983: The Munksjö School starts a Prosthetics and Orthotics programme, focus: orthopedic technician, which is still now the only in its kind in Sweden.
1987: The Munksjö School's university educations within the health sector are renamed the School of Health Sciences.
1988: First engineering programme starts at Jönköping University College.
1994: Jönköping University Foundation was founded, with three schools; the School of Education and Communication, the School of Engineering and Jönköping International Business School as well as University Services. A joint faculty for the three schools is founded and the first right to award master's degrees are given to Jönköping University. Host company activities start at Jönköping International Business School and the School of Engineering.
1995: Jönköping University is given the right to award doctorates in four business school subjects. Research education is started at Jönköping International Business School.
1996: The first professors' inauguration at Jönköping University. Organized support for student business ventures is started by two students.
1997: The new campus is opened which includes the President's Office, Jönköping International Business School and University Services. In 1998 the School of Engineering moves to campus. First doctoral thesis defence. 1999: First conferment of doctoral degree at Jönköping University. The School of Health Sciences is given the right to award degrees in Social Science.
2000: The School of Education and Communication's new building stands ready.
2001: Education in vocational education is started at the School of Education and Communication. Science Park Jönköping opens near the university and takes over, among other things, the support of student enterprises.
2002: The School of Health Sciences becomes the fourth school within Jönköping University. The Students' House is opened.
2004: The university is given the right to award doctorates within the Humanities and Social Sciences. First international scientific magazine published in Jönköping, the Journal of Media Business Studies.
2005: The University Library is named Library of the Year in Sweden.
2007: 1 January 2007 Ingenjörshögskolan is reorganized as Tekniska Högskolan i Jönköping. The name is not changed in English. A long term collaboration with Chalmers and KTH is set up.
2010: The university is given the right to award Licentiate and Doctoral Degrees in Engineering, research area: Industrial Production, Machine design, Material and manufacturing processes, and Production systems.
2011: The first fee-paying international students from countries outside the EU/EEA are welcomed to Jönköping University.
2013: The university’s sports centre, Campus Arena, is inaugurated.
2015: As the first business faculty in Sweden, Jönköping International Business School received both AACSB and EQUIS accreditation.

Education

Jönköping University offers courses and study programmes taught in Swedish and in English. Education is within the fields of health, nursing, social work, education, media and communication studies, technology, science and engineering as well as economics, law and informatics.
Jönköping University offers courses and study programmes taught in English on all three levels: Bachelor, Master and Doctoral.

Accreditations

is accredited by EQUIS and AACSB since 2015. It is the only institution in Sweden that holds both accreditations.

Doctoral programmes

Jönköping University is entitled to award licentiate and doctoral degrees within the humanities and social sciences. The university is also entitled to award licentiate and doctoral degrees in engineering, research area: industrial production.

Research

The university is entitled to issue licentiate and doctoral degrees in the disciplinary research domain of humanities and social sciences. Within technology, the university can issue licentiate and doctoral degrees in the field of industrial product development. Focus for research is entrepreneurship, ownership and business renewal, technical expertise and know-how to small- and medium-sized enterprises, the conditions for education and communication, and health, care and social work from a unique holistic perspective.
Jönköping University's first full professors were inaugurated in 1996, and the first PhDs were conferred in 2000.

Research centres and institutes

Jönköping International Business School:
  • Centre for Family Entrepreneurship and Ownership
  • Centre for Entrepreneurship and Spatial Economics
  • Media Management and Transformation Centre
School of Education and Communication:
  • Encell - National Centre for Lifelong Learning
School of Engineering:
  • CIC - Casting Innovation Centre
  • Ceebel - Centrum för Energieffektiv Belysning
School of Health Sciences:
  • Centre for Oral Health
  • The Jönköping Academy for Improvement of Health and Welfare

    Honorary doctors

Science Park Jönköping

JU is partner of and strongly engaged in the development of Science Park Jönköping which provides support for the start-up, development and growth of business ventures. Science Park Jönköping is a member of SiSP- Swedish Incubators and Science Parks