The School of Business was founded at the end of the 1950s and initially operated on a small scale as part of the Stockholm School of Economics. It became an independent department of Stockholm University in July 1962. By the end of the 1960s, the School had grown significantly in size and is now one of the largest departments at the University with around 3,500 students and some seventy lecturers/research staff, thirty doctoral students and about thirty administrative staff. The School of Business is part of the Faculty of Social Sciences at Stockholm University.
Business Administration in Sweden
The academic subject of Business Administration was first introduced in Sweden when Stockholm School of Economics was founded in 1909. Marcus Wallenberg played an important role in the early days of the School of Economics. At that time the subject was known as Commercial Studies and it focused mainly on accounting. The School of Economics in Gothenburg was founded in 1923, and by the end of the 1950s there were also Business Administration departments at Uppsala and Lund Universities.
A modest start in the 50s
The School of Business had a modest beginning at the end of the 1950s. A system with two different grades was initially established when the School of Economics offered a dozen study places to students at the Stockholm College (the University was founded in 1960). However the number of places increased rapidly due to a lot of interest from students. The School of Economics was responsible for the initial teaching when it began in 1958. It consisted of a half term course that combined Accounting and Statistics with a foundation course in Business Administration. This was followed by studies in cost/ revenue analysis, Human Recourses and Business Organisation, Auditing and Finance, and Distribution Economics.
Towards independence as a separate department
Two people in particular were of great significance during the establishment of the School of Business as a department of Stockholm University; Professor Gerhard Törnquist and Professor T. Paulsson Frenckner. The latter became responsible for both the organisation and the administration of the School’s activities during the first few years. In a University memorial publication from 1967 this is confirmed:
”During the eight years that followed the introduction of Business Administration at the Stockholm College/University the organisation and the full responsibility for teaching and examination fell on the School of Economics professor Paulsson Frenckner, who took on this burden due to his own personal interest. The University is very grateful for all of his efforts in this regard”.
Facilities through the years
In 1962 the School of Business moved into its first premises at Fredsgatan 10. The building, which had only one lecture hall and around a dozen rooms, was destined for demolition and the School left the 850 square meter venue in June 1964 and instead moved into an apartment with seven rooms on Upplandsgatan 32. In January the following year the department moved again, this time to facilities on Hagagatan 23 where it remained until the summer of 1970 when space became available in the South buildings of Frescati. Finally, in the year 2000, the School of Business could move into the Veterinary College’s old but restored buildings in Kräftriket, beautifully located in Brunnsviken. The department has remained in this location and has developed into one of Northern Europe’s largest teaching departments.