Study programme

Sustainable Business and Innovation is a two-year Master’s programme taught in English. The programme consists of courses, projects, and an optional internship, and awards a total of 120 credits within the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS). On this page, you will find information about the curriculum, courses, educational methods, examinations, and extracurricular opportunities.

Curriculum

In the first year, you will explore sustainability challenges as well as technological and organisational solutions. Your knowledge will be deepened through natural and social science theories, methods, and research skills. You will apply these skills and insights in a consultancy project at the end of the first year and in your Master’s thesis during the second year.

The programme combines natural and social science courses. A basic understanding of the natural sciences at Bachelor’s level is required for admission. Throughout the programme, you will further develop academic and professional skills such as presenting, writing, leadership, negotiation, and the use of digital tools and software.

Natural and social science issues

To become an effective sustainability change agent, you need a solid understanding of the major sustainability challenges facing modern societies. These include climate change, air, water, and soil pollution, energy and resource issues, and food- and health-related challenges. You will also learn about clean and efficient production, sustainable supply chains, circular economy approaches, and methods for assessing environmental impacts and sustainability performance. In addition, the programme focuses on the organisational and societal dimensions of sustainability transitions. You will gain insight into the factors that influence the success or failure of sustainable innovations, including business strategies, governance approaches, leadership, behavioural change, and cultural transformation.

Course overview

Year 1

Year 2

Elective courses

Besides the courses named above, you follow 15 EC of elective courses. This allows you to specialise in a field of your interest, possibly related to your graduation topic. You can find a list of recommended electives below. Recommended electives do not need to be approved by the programme leader or the Board of Examiners.

For electives that are not on this list, the most important restriction is that their relevance for the field of Sustainable Business and Innovation has been made clear, and that they are part of a Master's programme or of a comparable level.

Educational Methods

• Lectures and Seminars
• Consultancy project (work in a small group on a project assigned by a real-life company, while working part-time in the company)
• Independent research/thesis and optional internship

Examinations

The examinations are a mix of exams on theoretical knowledge and case study reports, both of fictive and real cases. The practical-oriented courses have scientific- and consultancy-oriented reports and articles as their end results. Examinations include:

• Final research papers
• Short papers or written exams
• In-class presentations
• Active participation and concluding reports
• Thesis