Winter Course

Arctic Science, 4.5 ECTS (Arktisk Vetenskap, 4,5 hp)

February 2013, Kiruna, Sweden

Spring term 2013. Application code: UMU-53123

The course in Arctic Science is a distance course that will run in the spring of 2013 with a meeting in Kiruna during a four day period (Wednesday to Saturday) in February. The course is given in English. During the intensive programme in Kiruna homework tasks are given out that are to be completed at home and submitted by e-mail by the end of the course. We expect to have about 35 students on the course, which has already been successfully run 6 times. This course is free of charge to all EU/EEA and Swiss citizens. See more details on how to apply below.

The course schedule for the last course in 2012 can be seen here: Course schedule "Arctic Science 2012 " .


The exotic town of Kiruna lies in the north of Sweden, above the Arctic Circle, which means that in December and January the nights are very long and the days very short! Temperatures down to −20 degrees Celsius are common in the winter in Kiruna. The town's northerly location makes it an ideal place to observe auroral phenomena, which has lead to the establishment of space research organisations, industry and space educations in the area. We are currently just over two and a half years into the current solar cycle which means that the solar activity is increasing all the time and auroral activity with it. Spaceport Sweden was inaugurated in Kiruna in January this year, a consortium of organizations aiming to provide a Spaceport in Kiruna for space tourists. The village of Abisko, 100 km northwest of Kiruna, is home to the Climate Impact Research Centre, which is undertaking research on how climate and environmental changes are impacting the environment in the north. We invite students from Sweden and abroad to come to Kiruna to participate in our winter course and experience the Arctic winter first hand. This course is given in English by the Department of Physics of Umeå University. It is particularly suitable for exchange students in the department to give them the opportunity to visit the northern part of Sweden during their studies. It is also suitable for students of physics and engineering in Sweden and abroad as well as further training for school teachers. There is no fee for this course for most European students, however students must cover their own travel and living costs while attending.
A snowflake photographed in Kiruna 2009 by Professor Kenneth Libbrecht

Course contents: The course will be given by the course coordinator together with other lecturers in Kiruna. The first course assignment from last year is to be found here: Assignment 1 .

The formal course plan in Swedish can be found on the web pages of the Physics Department. The course is split into three parts: a theoretical part consisting of lectures, examined in the form of a problem sheet which students complete during the course, a project part consisting of a study of a scientific publication and a practical part consisting of an exercise in which students are assigned the task to observe and categorise aurora borealis during the Kiruna visit.

Making an Application

To be eligible to take the course you should fulfill the general requirements of eligibility for university studies. For foreign students these are:
  1. A completed Upper Secondary Education, e.g. Abitur, Baccalaureate, GCSE O and A levels and corresponding to the Swedish National Programme (gymnasium) is required
  2. Proof of proficiency in English
and fulfill the special eligibility requirement for this course which is a physics major at upper secondary school level or have similar qualifications. More detailed information regarding how you can fulfill the general requirements of eligibility if you have GCE- and GCSE-qualifications from the United Kingdom. Contact the course coordinator if you have questions regarding other countries. All applications must be made on-line. Late applications will be accepted from students as long as places are available. It should be noted that an account can be created in English on the website www.universityadmissions.se, but the actual selection of the Arctic Science course can done at a later date using the Swedish interface www.antagning.se for European students. The two interfaces are coupled, the same username and password works on both and the selection of courses is done in the same way on both, but the courses available are not the same on both. If one has trouble understanding instructions on the Swedish site one can use Google Translate to translate from Swedish to English. All EU/EEA and Swiss citizens are required to submit proof of their citizenship to University Admissions in Sweden in order to prove that they are exempt from paying admission and tuition fees. The easiest way to do this is to submit either a copy of your valid passport, valid national ID card, or valid identity card where your citizenship is indicated together with your application. This copy of your passport or valid identity card must be an attested copy. This means that another person must print their name, provide their signature and telephone number on each document page and write that it is a true copy of the original. This person can be a friend, relative or a person of authority. Once you have entered your on-line application you need to print out a cover sheet and send it with regular post together with your supporting documents to the address given (applications are not accepted via e-mail). Any paper clips, staplers and bindings delay the handling of your application so please avoid using them. On arrival the documents are sorted and sent to the International Admissions Office at the university. You will be able to check that your supporting documents have been registered on 'Your pages/Your application'. Note that all the applications are processed by the International Admissions Office and that the physics department plays no role in the selection process. To be accepted by the admissions office it is imperative that you send the correct documentation to support your application. You must prove that you fulfill the general and special eligibility requirements which for most people will mean sending attested copies of your school leaving certificates, NOT proof of university studies. Original letters written by university tutors are sometimes acceptable if the certificates are not available. Please note that if you are an international student who has previously registered on studera.nu, your account has been transferred to the new website. The university has an additional web page for the course: Arctic Science homepage.

Travel and Accommodation

Kiruna is accessed by plane in approximately 90 minutes from Arlanda, Stockholm's international airport ( Scandinavian Airlines ), by train or by bus from various locations in Sweden. The programme is intensive and students from previous years have expressed regret at not staying for an extra day in order to explore Kiruna more, so it is wise to consider staying an extra day.

We shall reserve rooms close to the city centre, which will be available for successful applicants on a first come first served basis.

Keeping warm!

It is important to keep warm during your stay. Inside buildings it is of course warm, but when outside it can be very cold and warm shoes, a hat and gloves are absolutely essential. You will be spending time outside each day and even digging in the snow. For more information about how to dress for the cold look at the advice given by the ICEHOTEL.


Arctic Science course participants 2011 (Photo:Carol Norberg)



Visit to the Aurora Sky Station in Abisko, winter course 2011 (Photo:Andreia Magdalin)



Students listening to a presentation in Abisko, winter course 2010 (Photo:Carol Norberg)



Students studying snow layers, winter course 2011 (Photo:Carol Norberg)

For more information about the course or help with the application procedure, write to: winter@space.umu.se
Course coordinator: Dr. Carol Norberg, Reader in Space Physics, Swedish Institute of Space Physics, Box 812, SE-981 28 Kiruna, Sweden. Tel +46-70-2793999
Follow Arctic Science on Facebook: www.facebook.com/arcticscience
Page updated 29 March 2012