Providing commissioned education gives the university new impetus and knowledge, which aids the development of our education and research.
Your department can get help with:
- project management and coordination in the development of new education projects
- services relating to course administration, information and marketing
- major tasks relating to needs inventories and sales initiatives
- planning and calculation templates and other support documents
The document entitled "Commissioned education guidelines" contains details of Umeå University's policy and management rules with regard to commissioned education and the responsibility held by faculties, departments and the Research Support and Collaboration Office.
Need advice and support?
The Research Support and Collaboration Office can help you in matters relating to commissioned education at Umeå University.
The university also has a network for commissioned education. This consists of a contact person for each department and represents a communication channel for the spread of information about commissioned education and current tenders, and for sharing experiences.
If you have not yet announced who is the contact person for your department, please do so to Kerstin Reinholdsson, the coordinator for commissioned education issues at Umeå University.
About commissioned education
Commissioned education is education that is arranged by the university following receipt of an order from a person or organisation who is not a student. It can be for short courses or seminars, but also longer education programmes. In the first instance, it is the departments that provide the education, but, if necessary, they can also bring in additional expertise.
What distinguishes commissioned education from ordinary university education is the financing, the method of designating the participants and the participants' rights and responsibilities vis-à-vis the university. As the education is provided as the result of an order, it is the customer that designates the participants and finances the education. The admission regulations of the Higher Education Ordinance therefore do not apply to commissioned education.
The participants in the education are not students at the university and are therefore not covered by the Higher Education Act's rules regarding disciplinary action or the rules on, for example, the equal treatment of students, compulsory personal injury insurance, or the entitlement to an email account at the university.
Commissioned education is education that is arranged for a fee from a legal entity that can be in either the public or the private sector. It is always the customer who designates the participants and the commissioned education is always based on a contract between the university and the customer. The financing and the specific manner of designating the participants is what sets commissioned education apart.
Commissioned education is not standard university education. It can be credit-bearing or non-credit-bearing, and participants receive a degree certificate or course certificates. Participants who did not previously fulfil the entry requirements for the university may be given credit for the education as general entry requirements.
Calculation of costs
When the university calculates the cost of commissioned education, all the costs of the education must be included:
- salaries and fees for course leaders and administrative staff, premises and refreshments
- travel expenses
- technical support
- marketing
- course materials and consumables
- administrative surcharge
There is a complete template for calculating commissioned education costs, showing which items should be included.