Umeå School of Business and Economics (USBE) Umeå School of Business and Economics (USBE), one of Sweden’s five business schools, is a campus school at Umeå University.
Although it was founded in 1989, education and research in business dates back to 1966. The school offers five undergraduate programs, seven Master’s Programs, doctoral programs, and a large number of courses, with a total enrolment of approximately 2000 students. Leading research is being conducted in e.g. the field of sustainable development and the school is environmentally certified. The school is known for its high level of education, research, corporate connections as well as its strong focus on internationalization. The students, lecturers, and researchers represent a stimulating mix of people from different countries around the world. USBE has a strong student orientation and strives to provide a high-quality, open, and creative educational environment for all students. USBE is known for its open-door policy and for valuing the opinions of the students. In 2014, for the fourth consecutive year, Umeå University was ranked #1 in the overall average ranking in Sweden according to the International Student Barometer-survey in regards to which higher education institution is appreciated best by international students.
Sweden (Sverige) is the largest of the Nordic countries, with a population of about 9.5 million. It borders Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark via the bridge of Öresund (Öresundsbron). The Baltic Sea lies to the east of Sweden, as well as the Gulf of Bothnia, which separates Sweden from most of Finland. The northernmost part of Sweden belongs to the Arctic.
Umeå is a clean and green city in Northern Europe, where people and businesses respect the beautiful northern landscape and really care about protecting the environment. The city’s green credentials are underlined by the fact Umeå is known as the “City of Birches”. Almost 3000 birch trees were planted along the city’s wide avenues following a devastating fire that destroyed large parts of the city back in 1888.As one of the fastest growing cities in Sweden, Umeå successfully manages to balance its environmental commitments with its trade and
industry ambitions, attracting some of the world’s most creative and enterprising businesses to the region. The city has tremendous IT know-how and IT and communications industries are
particularly well established here.
Student life at Swedish universities is as varied as the universities and cities themselves. Whether you’ve chosen to study in an urban centre or a traditional university town, you’ll have a host of activities at your disposal. The hub of student activity is each university’s student union, which organizes social events for students. However, you’ll also find many ways to get involved in your local community and in outdoor and sporting events.
A top priority for new students in Umeå is how to secure a place to live. The International
Housing Office (IHO) offers guaranteed student housing to exchange students and full-degree
students that are citizens of countries outside the European Union (EU), European Economic
Area (EEA) or Switzerland. If your student(s) do not like the type of housing we have to offer, they are of course welcome to make their own housing arrangements.
The town of the silver birches does not only offer top-class culture. Some of the very best restaurants in northern Sweden are to be found here and they serve local culinary delicacies with singular precision. Add to that an exceptional outdoor life and you’ll understand why tens of thousands of students feel so at home in Umeå. Due to allemansrätten, berry- and mushroom-picking is largely unrestricted, except of course in gardens and plantations. Angling is allowed in seawater (including the Baltic Sea), as well as major lakes (Vänern, Vättern, Mälaren, Hjälmaren and Storsjön). Fishing in other bodies of water often requires a license.