Curriculum for the Master of Science (MSc) in Economics and Business Administration (International Business), 2020

1: Preface

Pursuant to consolidation Act 778 of August 7, 2019 on Universities (the University Act), the following is established.

The programme also follows the Examination Policies and Procedures for Aalborg University.

2: Basis in Ministerial orders

The Master’s programme is organised in accordance with the Ministry of Higher Education and Science’s Order no. 20 of January 9, 2020 on Bachelor’s and Master’s Programmes at Universities (the Ministerial Order of the Study Programmes) and Ministerial Order no. 22 of January 9, 2020 on University Examinations (the Examination Order). Further reference is made to Ministerial Order no. 153 of February 26, 2020 (the Admission Order) and Ministerial Order no. 114 of February 3, 2015 (the Grading Scale Order).

3: Campus

The programme is offered in Aalborg.

4: Faculty affiliation

The Master’s programme falls under Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Aalborg University.

5: Study board affiliation

The Master’s programme falls under Study Board of Economics and Business Administration.

6: Affiliation to corps of external examiners

The Master’s programme is associated with the external examiners corps on External Examiners Corps on Business Administration.

7: Admission requirements

Applicants with a legal right of admission (retskrav):

• Bachelor (BSc) in Economics and Business Administration from Aalborg University.

Applicants without legal right of admission:

• Bachelor (BSc) in Economics and Business Administration from Copenhagen Business School (CBS).
• Bachelor (BSc) in Economics and Business Administration from Roskilde Universitet (RUC).
• Bachelor (BSc) in Economics and Business Administration from Syddansk Universitet (SDU).
• Bachelor (BSc) in Economics and Business Administration from Aarhus Universitet (AU).

Applicants are being evaluated and prioritized individually based on their concrete and unique situation.

8: The programme title in Danish and English

The Master’s programme entitles the graduate to the Danish designation Kandidatuddannelsen i erhvervsøkonomi, cand.merc. (International Business). The English designation is: Master of Science (MSc) in Economics and Business Administration (International Business).

9: Programme specifications in ECTS credits

The Master’s programme is a two-year, research-based, full-time study programme. The programme is set to 120 ECTS credits.

10: Rules concerning credit transfer (merit), including the possibility for choice of modules that are part of another programme at a university in Denmark or abroad

The Study Board can approve that passed programme elements from other educational programmes at the same level replaces programme elements within this programme (credit transfer).

Furthermore, the Study Board can, upon application, approve that parts of this programme is completed at another university or a further education institution in Denmark or abroad (pre-approval of credit transfer).

The Study Board’s decisions regarding credit transfer are based on an academic assessment.

11: Exemptions

The Study Board’s possibilities to grant exemption, including exemption to further examination attempts and special examination conditions, are stated in the Examination Policies and Procedures published at this website: https://www.studieservice.aau.dk/regler-vejledninger

12: Rules for examinations

The rules for examinations are stated in the Examination Policies and Procedures published at this website: https://www.studieservice.aau.dk/regler-vejledninger

13: Rules concerning written work, including the Master’s Thesis

In the assessment of all written work, regardless of the language it is written in, weight is also given to the student's formulation and spelling ability, in addition to the academic content. Orthographic and grammatical correctness as well as stylistic proficiency are taken as a basis for the evaluation of language performance. Language performance must always be included as an independent dimension of the total evaluation. However, no examination can be assessed as ‘Pass’ on the basis of good language performance alone; similarly, an examination normally cannot be assessed as ‘Fail’ on the basis of poor language performance alone.

The Study Board can grant exemption from this in special cases (e.g., dyslexia or a native language other than Danish).

The Master’s Thesis must include an English summary. If the project is written in English, the summary can be in Danish. The summary is included in the evaluation of the project as a whole.

14: Requirements regarding the reading of texts in a foreign language

It is assumed that the student can read academic texts in English and use reference works, etc., in English and other European languages.

15: Competence profile on the diploma

The following competence profile will appear on the diploma:

A Candidatus graduate has the following competency profile:

A Candidatus graduate has competencies that have been acquired via a course of study that has taken place in a research environment.

A Candidatus graduate is qualified for employment on the labour market based on his or her academic discipline as well as for further research (PhD programmes). A Candidatus graduate has, compared to a Bachelor, developed his or her academic knowledge and independence so as to be able to apply scientific theory and method on an independent basis within both an academic and a professional context.

16: Competence profile of the programme

The purpuse of the Master of Science (MSc) in Economics and Business Administration (International Business) is that the candidate has the following comptence profile after graduation:

Knowledge:

• Must possess knowledge of international business which is based on the state-of-the-art international research within the subject area.
• Must be able to understand and scientifically reflect on the knowledge of the subject area as well as be able to identify scientific issues.

Skills:

• Must master the scientific methodologies and tools of the subject area as well as master general skills related to work within international business.
• Must be able to evaluate and select among the scientific theories, methodologies, tools and general skills of the subject area, and scientfically set up new analysis and solution models.
• Must be able to communicate research-based knowledge and discuss professional and scientific issues with both peers and non-specialists.

Competencies:

• Must be able to manage work situations and developments that are complex, unpredictable and require new solution models.
• Must be able to independently initiate and carry out discipline-specific and interdisciplinary collaboration and assume professional responsibility.
• Must be able to independently take responsibility for their own professional development and specialisation.

The employer can expect that the candidate will be able to:

• independently organize and conduct analyses of key issues within international business and translate this knowledge into solutions.
• compare complex theoretical and practical issues within international business and argue for the pros and cons associated with different solution suggestions.
• lead and in constructive ways support that group processes function in professional ways that add value to the core of the business.
• actively contribute to professional and interdisciplinary team processes in relation to international business.
• independently, and in cooperation with others, apply international business theoretical knowledge to concrete solutions.
• assume a professional responsibility to lead people and processes within international business from idea phase to implementation.
• provide strategic and operational sparring in relation to international business of commercial importance.
• translate abstract international business theoretical and professional practical knowledge and insights into understandable communication for different audiences.

At the Master of Science (MSc) in Economics and Business Administration (International Business) we put great emphasis on the student's development and learning. These expectations are expressed in the knowledge, skills and competencies the student acquires throughout the programme and in the respective modules.

The program is anchored in a problem-based approach to learning (PBL), where the student’s abilities in identifying, analysing and presenting solutions to actual and concrete business challenges is supported thorugh independent and team-based activities both in courses and project work.

Hence, PBL is an integrated aspect of both projects and course activities, such as lectures, case work, exercises and business cooperation.

The programme values highly interdisciplinary work, teamwork, individual learning, and progression of PBL competencies. A supportive learning environment ensures that the student, alone and in teams, gradually strengthens his or her ability to build and bring together practical and theoretically anchored competences in reflexive ways.

Furthermore, the student manages to argue and transform these competences into concrete solutions.

The programme supports PBL progression by empowering the student’s problem-oriented, interpersonal, structural and reflective skills. The student achieves this by testing and gaining experience with various issues, cooperative relationships, project forms and reflection processes.

The aim is to make sure that the student's curiosity, motivation and interest in the business economics core disciplines within the Master of Science (MSc) in Economics and Business Administration (International Business) have optimum possibilities to be succesful.

17: Structure and Contents of the programme

The Master in International Business is a pre-experience generalist programme in international business and management. Graduates will have been educated and trained for a career in strategic, operational or consulting roles in international companies – from multinational corporations and small or medium-sized internationally operating firms to exporting companies, born globals, and international new ventures.

The student will develop sound theoretical foundations and skills in critical thinking needed for decision-making in international strategic and operational management. The programme nurtures students to become culturally competent creative talent in international organisations. Graduates from this programme work in diverse organisations and countries across the globe.

During the programme, students will develop competences in critical thinking, analysis and synthesis. The programme design reconize that the modern dynamics of international business require from our students to “think outside the box”, to be creative and innovative, to set clear objectives, to be able to appreciate and work with managers from different cultural background, to be team players who can step outside of their own cultural paradigms in order to discover what is important to international partners, suppliers and customers.

The programme is offered in English.

The programme is based on a combination of professional, problem-oriented and multidisciplinary approaches. It is organised on the following forms of work and evaluation, which combine skills and academic reflection:

• lectures
• class teaching
• project work
• workshops
• problem solving (individually and in groups)
• teacher feedback
• peer review
• digitally supported learning
• academic reflection
• portfolio work

The student must at least accumulate 90 ECTS in the chosen MSc Economics and Business Administration programme. The student has the option to choose elective courses for maximum 30 ECTS. The elective courses may be followed in the first, second and/or third semesters.

If, during the third semester, the student wishes to travel abroad to attend a specialisation course or another 30 ECTS course, which has been pre-approved by the Study Board of Economics and Business Administration, the student must follow the elective courses offered within the chosen MSc Economics and Business Administration programme in the first and second semester - or electives from one of the other specialisations, which are considered constituent and are marked with an asterisk in the electives catalogue.

18: Overview of the programme

In addition to the above options, the student will in the third semester have the option to choose “specialisation modules within the academic key areas”. This choice gives the student an opportunity to expand his/her knowledge, abilities and skills within the field of economics and business administration by following the first semester of one of the other MSC in Economics and Business Administration programmes offered by Aalborg University.

Alternatively, the student may attend a semester at a Danish or foreign university. The “specialisation modules” must be pre-approved by the Study Board of Economics and Business Administration and evaluated as specified in the host’s curriculum. The Social Data Science (SDS) semester in the curriculum for the Master's Programme in Economics at Aalborg University is by default preapproved the by The Study Board.

This choice is an opportunity for students who have followed the elective modules offered within their chosen MSc in Economics and Business Administration programmes in the first and second semester. For the Master of Science (MSc) in Economics and Business Administration (International Business) these electives are: "Internationalisation of diverse organisational forms" and "MNCs and ecosystems: innovation and value co-creation for sustainable development" at the first semester and "Internationalisation in emerging product and geographic markets" and " Global environmental dynamics and firm responses" at the second semester - or electives from one of the other specialisations, which are considered constituent and are marked with an asterisk in the electives catalogue.

Prior to each registration period, the Study Board informs the students about which electives from the curriculum that will be offered in the coming semester.

The Study Board reserve the right not to provide elective subjects if the number of students signed up do not meet the minimum requirements. If an elective course is not provided, the students will be offered other options.   

19: Additional information

For further information please visit the programmes website: https://www.en.aau.dk/education/master/economics-and-business-administration/specialisations/international-business-economics

Regulations regarding written products are to be found here: https://www.business.aau.dk/education/students/

Regulations regarding written products are to be found here: https://www.studieservice.aau.dk/studielegalitet

20: Commencement and transitional rules

The curriculum is approved by the Dean and enters into force as of 1 September 2020.

The Study Board does not offer teaching following the previous curriculum from 2016 (Business Economics) after the summer examination 2021.

The Study Board will offer examinations following the previous curriculum, if there are students who have used examination attempts in a module but have failet to pass. The number of examination attempts follows the rules in the Examination Order.

21: Amendments to the curriculum and regulations

The Vice-dean has on November 9, 2020, approved a revision of the following modules valid as of February 2021:

• The modules "International Business Theory: Trade, Investment and the MNE" and "International Entrepreneurship" have seperate examinations
• The modules "International Strategic Management" and "International Management Functions" have separate examinations
• The modules "Qualitative Research Methods in International Business" and "Quantitative Research Methods in International Business" merge into the new module "Research Methods in International Business"

The Vice-dean han on December 9, 2020, approved a revision of the module "Promoting Innovation and Entrepreneurship" valid from February 2021. The module is now 5 ECTS.

The Vice-dean has on December 9, 2020, approved a prerequisite for participation in the Master's Thesis valid as of spring 2021.