Sweden

There are 37 public universities and university colleges in Sweden (as well as three foundation-supported or private colleges, and 14 other education providers that also award bachelor degrees). Thirteen of the 37 universities offer art degrees at the Master's level, and since 2010 twelve have cooperated in the Konstnärliga forskarskolan (the national research school in the arts), with which about 24 doctoral candidates are associated. Lund University is the responsible authority for the Konstnärliga forskarskolan.

Senior artistic researchers are located in all 12 universities and university colleges engaged in artistic education and research. They are funded by their respective university as well as, among others, the Swedish Research Council, Vetenskapsrådet. Vetenskapsrådet has special funds dedicated to artists who perform artistic research.

Only three HEI in Sweden are entitled to award artistic doctoral degrees: The University of Gothenburg, Lund University and the University College of Borås. All three also award scholarly doctoral degrees to artists who pursue postgraduate studies under the ‘old’ system. For example this year The University of Gothenburg has 31 doctoral candidates in its traditional PhD programme, and 7 in its artistic research programme, 2 of whom are associated with the Konstnärliga forskarskolan.

A research school in the borderland between research and artistic work, Aesthetic learning processes, was founded in 2001 by eight Swedish universities and university colleges in Stockholm, including four engaged in artistic education and research. The school was the first step towards a doctoral degree for artists in research education within the Stockholm region.

The 6 arts universities and colleges in Stockholm currently also host PhD students in the arts in collaboration with e.g. The University of Stockholm and KTH, Royal Institute of Technology.
Most researchers hold salaried positions at approx. € 2500 monthly. The duration of the doctorate is set at 4 years.

At the national level there is still no body that gathers the artistic research discipline to discuss and write about its conditions and circumstances, or to conduct high-level debate and development concerning the possible forms of artistic research, the methodological problems that arise, how it relates to the professions, what distinguishes it from the rest of the research community and discussions on-going there, etc.

 

The development of artistic research in Sweden 2000-2012

For an in-depth look at the changing state of artistic research in Sweden and beyond over the past decade click here to read 'The development of artistic research in Sweden 2000-2012' by Choreographer, Professor of Choreography and the Vice-Chancellor of DOCH, University of Dance and Circus in Stockholm, Efva Lilja.

See also:
Gothenburg University: www.konst.gu.se/english/doctoral_studies
Malmö Art Academy: www.khm.lu.se/phd/index.html
University College of Borås www.hb.se
National Research School: www.konstnarligaforskarskolan.se
Report Context – Quality – Continuity: www.cm.se/webbshop_vr/pdfer/VR2007_06.pdf