Collaboration and internationalisation at the Division of Speech and Language Pathology

National collaborations

The Division of Speech and Language Pathology collaborates with other Swedish universities with SLP programs in Lund, Gothenburg, Linköping, Uppsala and Umeå at yearly education meetings, in network and in research, and collaborates around the interactive digital learning platform for SLP students (PUMA för utbildning). Research collaborations are also established with other universities and organisations around Sweden.

Internationalisation

We aim to create possibilities and opportunities for international collaboration and understanding through internationalisation. At the Division for Speech and Language Pathology there are many different activities with this purpose, both in research and in education.

Anna Eva Hallin is the international academic coordinator at the Karolinska Institutet SLP program. Strategic decisions are made at the department level (CLINTEC) but are prepared in the SLP program steering committee with both student and teacher representation. In the strategy for internationalisation at the SLP program (2022-2027) goals for both international exchanges and internationalisation at home are outlined.

Internationalisation at home

One of the goals in the strategy for internationalisation is to have at least one international activity per semester within the regular courses of the SLP program. The purpose is to make sure that all SLP students participate in internationalisation activities during their education, regardless of student participation in physical exchange opportunities. Some examples include digital learning activities with students from universities around the world (COIL: Collaborative Online International Learning), international guest lectures, and joint learning activities with incoming exchange students.

In addition, at least one internationalisation seminar for all SLP students and teachers is arranged each academic year, where one recurring theme is that incoming exchange students or students who have been on an exchange share their experiences. These seminars are held online and recorded so that as many people as possible can access them.

Exchange studies at the SLP program

There are several exchange opportunities with different specialisations and lengths for students who have completed at least four semesters the Karolinska Institutet SLP program. More about these opportunities and how to apply can be found on the SLP program website (in Swedish).

The SLP program is part of an international network of 20 universities from 15 countries called the Speech-Language Pathology International Network (SLP-IN). Among other things, the network organises a one-week summer course in speech and language pathology in August each year.

Incoming students from our partner universities

From spring 2024, the SLP program offers a full semester taught in English for incoming international speech therapy students who attend our partner universities (ERASMUS+ or INK agreements): University of Tampere, Finland, Hanze University of Applied Sciences, the Netherlands, Aachen University, Germany, Seton Hall, USA and University of Sao Paulo, Brazil. Incoming students are offered to take courses in English together with SLP students in semester 2, 4 and 6, and will at the same time contribute to our effort to increase our internationalisation at home activities. Incoming students may also enroll in courses offered specifically for international students.

If you are a student at one of our partner universities and want to know more about courses and the application process at the Karolinska Institutet Exchange study site. You can also contact the international academic coordinator Anna Eva Hallin directly with questions.

Erasmus+ traineeship/internship

The Division of Speech and Language Pathology has no exchange agreements for Erasmus+ traineeship/internship. We cannot arrange any clinical placements or traineeships in clinical speech language pathology. In some special cases, students can come as so-called “Freemovers” and carry out an Erasmus+ internship within a specific research project, but the student will not be registered at KI or get help with accommodation, Swedish courses etc. In addition, the student will not receive a Transcript of Records (ECTS) from KI upon completion of the traineeship.

If you are interested in doing an Erasmus+ traineeship/internship in research, start by reading more about the research at our division, to see if there are areas that might match your interests and skills. Any inquiries should always be directed to the international coordinator Anna Eva Hallin.

Teacher exchanges

Opportunities to teach abroad for teachers at the SLP program are available both in the Nordic countries and in Europe through international teacher exchange agreements. The SLP program currently has bilateral Erasmus+ agreements with Copenhagen University in Denmark, Thomas More University in Antwerp, Belgium, University of Tampere and Åbo Akademi University, Finland, Hanze University of Applied Sciences, the Netherlands, and Aachen University, Germany. Both travel and accommodation can be reimbursed through the agreements. For physical teacher exchanges, the requirement is usually at least eight hours of teaching and that an agreement exists or is created between the universities.

The internationalisation strategy of the SLP program includes shorter digital teacher exchanges, and then formal agreements are usually not required, but no compensation or grant can then be offered.

If you are an international teacher/researcher and are interested in a teacher exchange (either through Erasmus+ or a shorter digital exchange), please contact the international academic coordinator Anna Eva Hallin.