I was enrolled in the graduate school program for business masters in Sustainable Management at Uppsala University Campus Gotland for the 2023-2024 school year. FYI this is a real and authentic review by yours truly. I have written both a review for the actual thesis masters course and for the program itself that you can refer to. But before I even get into it, be warned that I recommend you only apply if you genuinely aim to study at this university and are alright with living in a more remote and quaint Swedish town. If not you will be sorely disappointed. The program was disorganized, the professors/instructors were disengaged and apathetic to your needs as a graduate student stifling the possibility of a ripe and healthy learning environment and classmates actively ignored and/or excluded me to the point of being bullied and discriminated against. In fact, my experience was so terrible I was turned off in pursuing a doctorate and now am back to square one. I especially don't recommend this program and/or school for international students notably from English-speaking places such as Canada, USA, UK, Australia, etc. as I don't find they strive to do their best to offer the accommodations for us let alone deal with the mistreatment. If you can stay closer to home or go to one of the commonwealth countries with a similar education system I would opt for this. If I had the chance to opt for a 30 day refund policy for tuition as an international student I would have done so. Unfortunately I noticed red flags from the onset including at least more than a handful of students dropping out of the program. I'm not saying there was false advertising showcased with the school itself but there was a lot of disinformation delivered so I was misinformed. Plus, the program was quite disorganized throughout the academic year making it difficult to cope for someone that comes from an entirely different education system unlike the Swedish one which is far more independent and requires a thesis to be written at the bachelors level. So if anything compared to your classmates you’ll be at a disadvantage and the faculty including professors and supervisors won't bother actively helping you defeating the purpose of mentorship. Although I'd already submitted the course evaluation I don't find it does it justice to those of you prospecting this program for grad school and I don't want you to make a mistake and be disappointed like I was. Atop of lost time and tuition you must take serious consideration too if you have to resign from your job as I did and am now struggling. I faced everything from bullying, discrimination, racism, implicit biases, abuse to judgmental personalities that weren't tolerant of myself, defeating the purpose of learning about "sustainable development." I was surprised at the candidates they selected at most seemed to have an ulterior motive or at least no serious disposition for being there and were better off enrolling in a generic MBA program instead. If you can, please check out more reviews like this or at least ask a former alumni their thoughts and opinions before committing to this program so you're not duped into signing up for something that doesn't meet your expectations for a business education. Albeit the main Uppsala campus isn't as problematic I heard as the turnover rate is not as high with people dropping out like flies from other masters programs whilst others were getting cancelled such as the sustainable tourism and game design. But I too saw reviews that the sustainable development program diverged from what was expected to be taught. I found that I went from being a staunch advocate and loving sustainability in my undergrad and championing it to hating it after my experience here. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate Visby and the island life itself and in fact even adopted a school year long sustainable lifestyle challenge to have no impact based on changing my habits and behavior to be more eco-friendly (e.g. no red meat, no straw, no car). But beyond that my teachers, classmates, faculty thereof all were awful. (Basically the whole reason for me being there...). The program itself seems to cater to privileged EU students or international students from somewhere in Asia looking to migrate, making for awkward and dysfunctional class dynamics. Again this program can be a great fit for you if you are alright with not participating in a standard business school curriculum and are flexible and broad-minded enough to be teachable for their new age concepts. But I heard most business schools in Sweden/Stockholm are not like this as Campus Gotland is an outlier so don't actually expect to learn about standard processes and be given the tools to analyze a case study. If you find a need to write a thesis with the bare minimum amount of help or aim to relocate to Sweden then this may work out well for you. But for myself a lot of it was repetitive knowledge from my bachelors/undergrad and I don't find I learned anything entirely new leaving me perplexed and disappointed. It's odd too because the school doesn't have an official appeals process for students so you cannot exactly file a grievance against an instructor or course leaving you hanging. This is an investment of one year of your time so choose wisely and make an informed decision! All the hassle to get my immigration approval to move abroad and taking out student loans wasn’t really worth the effort as I don’t find I reaped the rewards. If you haven’t paid your tuition and are still waiting on your PR I would revoke the decision to go here if it is possible unless you genuinely hope to experience things other than academia. Perhaps in retrospect and upon reflection I may think otherwise and I’m still processing everything. But for the most part this recount is accurate in what I had participated in. Please share this too if you can. OK, here is my feedback for the graduate school program.
Advantages --
-Diverse Breadth of Learning Outcomes: I found it quite interesting that the program curriculum itself diverged from generic business education thereby challenging the status quo. I find the program strives to integrate sustainable development to the very core of business education rather than taking it on after the fact, unlike most standard master of business administration (programs) which tend to greenwash the learning outcomes as they fail to acknowledge the uncomfortable truth of the paradox in being, doing and acting sustainably in business activities. As a result, I find the department is trying to be experimental with this master’s programme. However, they must err on the side of implementing more critical thinking into the course learning outcomes. I find that the program proctors assumed most admitted students had a basic knowledge of sustainable development which was not necessarily true. Most did not even have elementary knowledge making for lackluster class discussions. Nonetheless, it was intriguing that the program highlighted concepts such as business ethics, eco-feminism, posthumanism, environmental justice, etc. which is not conventional in business courses. If they could have better applied these esoteric concepts to experiential business learning objectives it would have made for a more engaging education experience allowing students to better connect the dots.
-Informal Performance Expectations (Grading System P/F): The Swedish education system is inherently unique, especially the P/F grading system so I found myself feeling less distress and pressure to perform academically speaking for marks, especially for minor assignments. As a result, I could genuinely focus on learning the course content instead of maintaining a 4.0 GPA. Now that I reflect I was way more stressed out about school and grades in general during my undergraduate experience. Overall, your effort was genuinely the best measure of your progress so there was no pressure to do grade grubbing.
-Alternative Learning Modes and Teaching Styles: I also appreciated that except for one course, there were no final examinations as that’s not how I learn best. I prefer assignments such as essays or writing prompts. I also admired that the professors here seem to have outlets such as creative writing which can be integrated into an academic writing style somehow such as poetry, etc. which is unheard of in most academic institutions. I find that it’s unique that they don’t follow the stereotypical approach to a standard business education curriculum to set a new precedent in academia but not everyone may appreciate this.
Disadvantages
- Mandatory Advanced Pre-requisite: A lot of classmates lacked advanced knowledge of basic sustainable development so you should require at least a bare minimum of knowledge to allow for improved class dynamics. Most seemed either overly enthusiastic or uninterested and disengaged allowing for lackluster class discussion and dialogue. The whole point of graduate school is to conduct rigorous academic research by engaging in healthy discussion and debate but my experience was not like this. Class discussions lacked depth and focus and were for the most part forced by the instructors and even then no one bothered to engage in hearty dialogue. Again, this goes back to the admission processes and vetting potential candidates with the skillset instead of based on dollars and bank accounts to make a profit for the school. If not, the quality of the program I guarantee you is going to plummet. I know this isn’t a professional program but a research-based one. But the fact is these days a sustainable manager is considered a vocation in many companies so it can become a more verified requirement or professional body.
- No Guidance or Mentorship: Because I didn’t receive the help I needed for example the fact that these 60 ECTS credits would even transfer to Canada for further doctoral studies I decided to opt out of doing a doctoral degree. It seems they cater only to the Scandinavian/EU students and the rest of us are just cash cows. The profs even opt not to have mandatory office hours and seem to be mostly avoidant. It only got worse during the final thesis project which is a significant part of the degree program. I have to change my career trajectory now because I was so turned off after participating in this program.
-Constant Dismal Disorganization: Overall the program itself was incredibly disorganized from unannounced and last-minute scheduling changes for study breaks, to the syllabus and learning content for each course not being elaborated on, to grading schemes and rubrics for assignments not being explained in-depth, to final exams taker longer than usual to grade, to giving no budget for thesis research to so much more. This left me disoriented at times. For me, I think I had finally gotten fed up with it all when they made us plan our graduation or celebration. They had done that throughout the school year and in previous courses by feeding us to the sharks to fend for ourselves without giving proper instructions such as organizing a conference claiming that it’s the best way to learn. I disagree. For the event planning and eco-lution, I understand that it was a learning lesson in and of itself. But the fact that they drop you on your arse and provide no funds for academic research and then make you plan graduation by paying for it out of pocket when they should have a committee that organizes blew my mind. The end of the semester was easily the most stressful and planning a grad event is the last thing on our minds. Plus for the thesis course, we had only one monthly seminar in which I gained the bare minimum because again the seminar group was overly judgmental and chose not to listen. I also find the thesis supervisor’s hands-off approach to be very unprofessional as they didn’t guide us properly instead listening more to the heckling by the dysfunctional classmates resulting in me splitting up with my thesis partner at the last minute and having to redo the whole damn thing myself with no help. I started to question why I paid tuition for dropping 13K plus only not to be guided or mentored properly either and that I regretted ever coming here. BTW I ended up failing the final thesis paper due to this neglect.
-Bad Miscommunication: There needs to be more intercultural communication training as a lot of classmates had conflicting viewpoints and didn't seem tolerant so this led to unhealthy disagreement and dysfunctional group work in which you had a few classmates bulldoze and dominate everyone else. I found mostly nobody talked with me but talked at me being patronizing and condescending. If I did respond to class discussions I was mostly judged and ignored as nobody accepted my opinion as valid nor were they willing to engage in a healthy and rigorous academic debate which is the whole point of being in grad school to begin with.
-Racism and Discrimination: BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Colour) training is needed as I noticed there was a lot of prejudice going on in the classes. There were a lot of implicit biases going on in the class too which resulted in intentional and unintentional discrimination including racism. I was consistently excluded from both inside and outside of class activities to the point where I quite quit bothering to even engage in class anymore. As a Canadian, I’ve never really experienced this before as one’s skin colour doesn’t determine if you are valid. There also needs to be better representation as the class consisted of EU students and international students from China creating awkward group dynamics. I found personally that the white students were less racist than the Asians as most of them haven’t experienced a multicultural environment making it a living hell for someone like me who came from Canada, a place that’s known to be very accepting. The class environment was toxic and dysfunctional and unfortunately, very high school as some students didn’t seem to grow out of that phase. For example, the Swedish/EU students would blatantly ignore you not wanting to accommodate English speakers and the Asians oftentimes stuck to themselves. I get that you will deal with bullies in school or at the workplace but it’s not justified as the program coordinators or teachers could have made a PSA to raise awareness of what was going on. I of course had to find outlets outside of my program like meeting like-minded peers in other programs which shouldn’t have been the case. Imagine being stuck in a small town for school for longer than this and not fostering a tight-knit connection with your classmates? It’s pathetic. Being alone and isolated will affect your mental health especially when it gets darker and colder into the autumn months. If anything, those who proctor the program shouldn’t force friendships amongst classmates but at the very least must step in if bullying is going on which unfortunately they failed to do at all. At times it even felt like I was living in a bad reality TV show. I find that when students are being onboarded during orientation week these things need to be addressed from racism to abuse and assault.
-Dysfunctional Class Dynamics: Again as mentioned the class itself was dysfunctional and toxic when brought together but I’m sure each one of them had to redeem qualities as individuals. Most seemed like they had MBA personality types of bulldozing personalities and cutthroat competition though not understanding care ethics and expressing empathy. I find most enroll in school programs like this to appease their egos full well knowing they are not suitable for working with sensitive situations, especially marginalized voices. Perhaps doing interviews with potential candidates for the program atop of checking for prior knowledge of sustainability would weed out those who don’t have good intentions. But again, I find the school cares more about profiteering than creating a healthy and prosperous learning environment conducive to learning. However, the shitty group work as I mentioned in previous course evaluation surveys was dreadful and a hassle. It was so terrible that I found myself wanting to drop out of the program just because of that. Again, I find it was due to three key reasons: students had ulterior motives (e.g. finding a job here in Sweden or getting immigration by screwing someone over), communication in a cultural context as international students from different backgrounds were mingling together, and lastly a lack of genuine knowledge about sustainable development. So just to be blunt it was either EU students with white privilege who mostly refused to be tolerant of different perspectives or Asians that were desperate for immigration it seems and kissing arse making for a crummy and odd learning environment.
-Missing Official Course Professors or Proctors: One thing I found appropriate was that they had doctoral candidates as the teachers for a couple of the courses and not associate professors. This is unheard of in academia, usually, they need to be verified with all their credentials before proctoring a course. For example, I couldn’t ask for a reference letter from a doctoral student as it wouldn’t be considered legitimate.
Recommended Area of Improvement --
Here are my future recommendations for the masters programme:
Official 30-Day Refund Policy: I find there should be a flex period for the first month or so for the BSN course for a student to decide if the program is right for them. I had to pay the tuition fees upfront out of pocket on a line of credit and later use government student loans so I didn’t have the option of dropping out as I had to immediately pay back the funds. Most universities offer a drop date but Uppsala Campus Gotland did not. This is highly problematic because students shouldn’t be forced to stay here if they know the school program won’t progress their careers. As an international studentI have to pay double for everything including living costs so studying abroad is a big investment for me and I must reap what I sow by making an informed decision. I get that Uppsala U doesn’t vet candidates for quality but mostly cares about making money and profit off of international students. But if that’s the case the rigor of the academic program is going to deteriorate as anyone can get admission just because they want a master's degree.
Proper Onboarding For International Students: I know a bunch of webinars were posted last summer notifying international students on what to expect. One of the most relevant ones was on the Swedish Education System which addressed the fact that the learning environment for university is more independent compared to other countries. I find you need to do more of these, especially program-specific ones relevant to the subject matter. For example, communication in a cultural context for people from global destinations that have no clue of how to interact respectfully with others in class seminars, or sustainable basics 101 to understand what they are actually even studying.
Offer Different Cohort Sections: If for some reason a student is struggling in their class they should have the option to switch to another section. I find having smaller class sizes would allow for improved class dynamics and give a student a failsafe option or backup in case they feel ostracized in their current class. Also, if there is bullying going on it’s the responsibility of the program head and course instructors to step in and intervene to mediate the conflict. But I noticed the teachers were being bulldozed by the students themselves!
Hiring Teaching Assistants (TAs): Again, I’ve mentioned this before due to low-quality teaching hiring teaching assistants to help proctor the courses would allow for a significantly improved learning experience. Besides this, I found that former alumni of the SM program did a much better job at teaching us course content for some course lectures so even hiring doctoral candidates for these positions would be better.
Crisis Communication: Accommodation is a must for a personal crisis such as a family emergency instead of telling students to put their program on pause. We cannot do this due to immigration purposes as it takes time to be approved for a study-based PR. It was a major inconvenience knowing that these parameters were not in place even for the last month or so of the semester when accommodations for remote study could have easily been managed. Again this goes back to the ignorance and lack of empathy of the department heads. It’s common for academic institutions to make accommodations for emergencies so I was quite appalled that my plea was outright ignored and shoved aside.
Grievance And/Or Course Appeals Process: There must be official procedure for a student to file a complaint against a professor for a course, especially if they find they have been unfairly treated. I find the policies at Uppsala U Campus Gotland have these odd loopholes in which they don’t want the student to question anything, making this very problematic and hypocritical defeating the purpose of a right to critical thinking.
Read more >
Diverse Breadth of Learning Outcomes, Informal Performance Expectations (Grading System P/F), Alternative Learning Modes and Teaching Styles
Mandatory Advanced Pre-requisite, No Guidance or Mentorship, Constant Dismal Disorganization, Bad Miscommunication, Racism and Discrimination, Dysfunctional Class Dynamics, Missing Official Course Professors or Proctors
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