Högskolenivå

Högskolenivå is a Swedish term used to describe education at the level of higher education. It covers degree programmes offered by universities and university colleges (högskolor) and corresponds to the first and second cycles of higher education in the Bologna Process. At this level, students pursue bachelor’s degrees (kandidatexamen) and master’s degrees (magister- eller masterexamen) and study subjects that combine theoretical foundations with professional or applied competence.

The term is used in official classifications, course catalogs, and policy discussions to distinguish higher education from grundnivå (undergraduate) studies and from forskarnivå (doctoral studies). Doctoral training is typically categorized as forskarnivå and occurs primarily at universities with a strong research profile, while högskolenivå covers the initial two cycles at both universities and högskolor.

Historically, the term reflects the division between universities (universitet) and university colleges (högskolor). While several högskolor have attained university status, the designation högskolenivå remains in use as a level descriptor across higher education institutions.

In international contexts, högskolenivå corresponds to tertiary education at the bachelor and master level under the Bologna framework and is broadly comparable to first- and second-cycle studies in many European countries.