Second-cycle courses and study programmes shall be based fundamentally on the knowledge acquired by students during first-cycle courses and study programmes, or its equivalent.
Second-cycle courses and study programmes shall involve the acquisition of specialist knowledge, competence and skills in relation to first-cycle courses and study programmes, and in addition to the requirements for first-cycle courses and study programmes shall:
- further develop the ability of students to integrate and make autonomous use of their knowledge
- develop the students‘ ability to deal with complex phenomena, issues and situations, and
- develop the students‘ potential for professional activities that demand considerable autonomy, or for research and development work.
Knowledge and understanding
For a Degree of Master (60 credits) the student shall
- demonstrate knowledge and understanding in the main field of study, including both an overview of the field and specialised knowledge in certain areas of the field as well as insight into current research and development work, and
- demonstrate specialised methodological knowledge in the main field of study.
Competence and skills
For a Degree of Master (60 credits) the student shall
- demonstrate the ability to integrate knowledge and analyse, assess and deal with complex phenomena, issues and situations even with limited information
- demonstrate the ability to identify and formulate issues autonomously as well as to plan and, using appropriate methods, undertake advanced tasks within predetermined time frames
- demonstrate the ability in speech and writing to report clearly and discuss his or her conclusions and the knowledge and arguments on which they are based in dialogue with different audiences, and
- demonstrate the skills required for participation in research and development work or employment in some other qualified capacity.
Judgement and approach
For a Degree of Master (60 credits) the student shall
- demonstrate the ability to make assessments in the main field of study informed by relevant disciplinary, social and ethical issues and also to demonstrate awareness of ethical aspects of research and development work
- demonstrate insight into the possibilities and limitations of research, its role in society and the responsibility of the individual for how it is used, and
- demonstrate the ability to identify the personal need for further knowledge and take responsibility for his or her ongoing learning.
The education program consists of a program with the opportunity for students to choose a specialization course in either Human Resource Management, or Marketing, or Accounting, hereafter called the chosen specialization. The goals are divided into general goals for all students in the program and specific goals that apply to the three different specializations.
1.3.1 General goals which apply to all students within the program
The education program will enhance the understanding of both management and also the chosen specialization, while the program will provide advanced skills and ability to follow the research front, which aims to integrate these two fields of knowledge.
Knowledge and understanding
After completing the program, the student should be able to:
- demonstrate insight regarding how formal and informal knowledge is generated and diffused within and between organizations and how such streams of information can be managed
- demonstrate insights regarding how social responsibility in organizations can be effected regarding, accounting, management and marketing.
Competence and skills
After completing the program, the student should be able to:
- evaluate the need for improvements regarding social responsibility in a given organization
- analyze the need for Knowledge Management in a given organization.
Judgement and approach
After completing the program, the student should be able to:
- evaluate generated plans for improvements from the view of different stake holders.
1.3.2 Objectives of the program’s specializations
Human Resource Management
Knowledge and understanding
After completing the specialization, the student shall be able to:
- understand and explain the analytical contribution of different theoretical perspectives applied in studies of International HRM.
Competence and skills
After completing the specialization, the student shall be able to:
- identify and evaluate strategic and operational challenges faced by HR professionals in transnational organisations,
- critically review and evaluate the practice of International HRM, including identification of contextual factors that international HR professionals need to consider when making decisions.
Judgement and approach
After completing the specialization, the student shall be able to:
- show critical awareness of consequences of globalisation on the design of HRM policies and practices in international organisations,
- show critical awareness of how decisions made by international HR professionals impact on various stakeholders, considering also ethical aspects.
Marketing
Knowledge and understanding
After completing the specialization, the student should be able to:
- demonstrate deeper knowledge regarding theories and methods of marketing, particularly with respect to international trade.
Competence and skills
After completing the specialization, the student should be able to:
- critically analyze theories on marketing of goods and services for international markets
- conduct business landscape analysis for the development of marketing strategies.
Judgement and approach
After completing the specialization, the student should be able to:
- demonstrate insights on how globalization affects businesses and marketing from an ethical perspective.
Accounting
Knowledge and understanding
After completing the specialization, the student should be able to:
- demonstrate how globalization affects the development of accounting and management accounting.
Competence and skills
After completing the specialization, the student should be able to:
- critically analyze theories regarding accounting and management international enterprises
- analyze the development of applied praxis in accounting, particularly regarding international businesses.
Judgement and approach
After completing the specialization, the student should be able to:
- evaluate how different accounting principles and praxis reflects international businesses from an ethical perspective.
The program is a one year program where the students after graduation receive a Degree of Master of Science (60 credits) in Business and Economics, Main Field of Study: Business Administration and Management. In Business Administration and Management, students may choose between the three different specializations mentioned above.
The program‘s first semester includes three research-related courses. The first course focuses on how one with the help of ethical guidelines can steer a successful work with CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility). CSR often means that child labor or pollution, etc. is not allowed, but can also mean that a company sponsors or donates funds to nonprofit organizations. To address these issues, it is important to understand the basics of CSR both as a phenomenon but also how CSR affects the organization‘s operations, management and the internal and external communications. This first course thus involves all three optional specializations in the program. The second course in the program (which is compulsory for all three specializations) concerns Knowledge Management - a concept that was originally created as a transfer of knowledge in organizations made possible by new IT systems and databases. Recently, the concept has been expanded to include the dissemination of expertise, the dissemination of project experience, etc., within and as well as between organizations. The theme of the first two courses are accounting, marketing, and management of corporate social responsibility (CSR) (7.5 credits) and Knowledge Management (7.5 credits). After the two introductory courses students choose a specialization: Human Resource Management, Management and Marketing, or Management and Accounting, where students can immerse themselves in the field they want to write their thesis. In preparation for the upcoming thesis project, students will during the spring semester take a course in research methodology and philosophy of science where the focus will be on how to carry out a literature review, understand the underlying scientific theories of Business Administration and immerse themselves in the various methods and strategies relevant for a thesis. The program ends with a master thesis in which students independently get to work with frames of reference, data collection, processing and presentation of data.
The program‘s required courses and graduate course work is compulsory for all of the above three specializations, but where supervision of thesis work will be done by teachers from each of the specializations.
All courses in the program are included within Business Studies.
Compulsory courses (30 credits):
Accounting, Marketing and Control with Social Responsibility 7.5 credits - Advanced Level
Knowledge Management 7.5 credits - Advanced Level
Research Design, Science Theory and Methods 15 hp - Advanced Level
Elective specialization course (15 credits):
International Business and Marketing 15 credits - Advanced Level
Accounting and Control in Global Enterprises 15 credits - Advanced Level
Studies of International Human Resource Management 15 hp - Advanced Level
Thesis (15 credits)
Master’s thesis in Business Administration 15 credits - Advanced Level
