Master of Science (Economics and Business Administration) in Leadership for Change - Sustainable Business Management

Dealing with change in complex societies

The programme enables developing the kind of knowledge and expertise that is needed to lead and analyse complex change processes. It responds to the need for new kinds of leadership competencies and skills, which are in demand at local, national, international and global levels.

By interacting with staff members from various disciplines – business, governance, politics and international relations – as well as with different societal stakeholders, students will learn to foster new forms of engagement across sectors of the economy and society.

The programme prepares the graduates to work in private, public or the third sector in tasks that involve analysing, planning and steering complex change processes. The business specialisation provides students with an in-depth understanding of leading and managing change in contemporary business environments.

Students explore how societal and technological changes redefine the boundaries of and possibilities for sustainable business value creation and innovations. The focus is on understanding the challenges and opportunities business organisations face when creating innovative and sustainable solutions for future businesses. Students learn to analyse and develop business concepts which will benefit stakeholders and society at large.

The studies consists of cross-disciplinary joint programme studies (35 ECTS), specialisation-specific advanced studies (25 ECTS), elective studies (20 ECTS) and the master’s thesis (40 ECTS). When applying to the programme, you may choose from the following options: Sustainable Business Management, European and Global Politics, and Governance for Sustainable Change.

Study objectives

After completing the Master’s Programme in Leadership for Change you will have:

• an advanced understanding of the role of leadership in solving contemporary challenges at local, national, regional and global levels
• learned to examine global trends such as digitalisation, urbanisation, climate change, aging, polarisation, democratisation and integration from a multidisciplinary perspective
• the skills to foster new forms of engagement across sectors of the economy and society, learned in interaction with staff members from various disciplines – business, governance, politics and international relations – as well as with different societal stakeholders
• the theoretical and methodological skills needed to formulate relevant research problems and to undertake independent scientific work
• the skills to analyse and debate the challenges that leadership faces today and to communicate your views to multiple audiences using different channels of communication.

Study contents

1) Governance for Sustainable Change

This specialisation in administrative sciences provides students with sound academic skills for anticipating, analysing and responding to the complex, dynamic challenges facing contemporary public sector organisations and institutions. Key topics covered by the specialisation include governance in the context of public sector reforms, changing modes of public service delivery, and evidence-based policy making. A cross-cutting theme of the specialisation is the role of public governance in fostering socially, ecologically and economically sustainable societies.

The specialisation considers governance challenges at local, regional, national and international levels and offers students the opportunity to specialise in issues best responding to their particular interests. The teaching faculty comprise distinguished experts in the fields of public administration and management as well as environmental and regional policy.

Students graduating from this specialisation will be awarded a Master of Administrative Sciences degree.

2) European and Global Politics

The specialisation in politics gives students a solid academic basis to understand the interaction of political processes at local, national, regional, international and global levels. The focus is on analysing and leading change with regard to political participation and decision-making, dynamics of integration and disintegration, international security issues as well as questions of political economy and governance.

Students of the politics specialisation have the opportunity to specialise in these questions in the context of EU and European politics, EU-Russian relations as well as the political dynamics of Northern Europe and Wider Europe. The teaching staff of the politics specialisation comprises several internationally esteemed experts in the field of European and Russian politics.

Students graduating from this specialisation will be awarded a Master of Social Sciences degree.

3) Sustainable Business Management

The specialisation in business provides students with an in-depth understanding of managing change in the contemporary business landscape. Students will explore how societal and technological changes redefine the boundaries of and possibilities for the sustainable renewal of business value creation and innovations. Focus will be placed on understanding the challenges and opportunities business organisations face when trying to create sustainable solutions for future businesses. Students will learn to develop current and to create future business concepts in a sustainable way for the benefit of customers, employees and owners as well as other stakeholders and society at large.

The business specialisation consists of studies in management and organisations, economics and risk management, customer oriented marketing and management accounting, as well as in responsible business. The teaching faculty comprise leading Finnish and international scholars in corresponding fields.

Students graduating from this specialisation will be awarded a Master of Science (Economics and Business Administration) degree.

Structure of studies

The programme (120 ECTS credits) consists of four elements:

• Joint programme studies (35 ECTS) form the core of the Master’s Programme. The focus is on cross-disciplinary perspectives on leadership in complex societal processes. This module also focuses on a variety of important academic skills, which are also beneficial for future employment (e.g. research methods, academic writing and presentation skills).
• The advanced studies module (25 ECTS) enables the students to acquire in-depth theoretical, methodological and conceptual knowledge in their chosen specialisation: business, politics or public administration.
• Through elective studies (20 ECTS), students can develop a unique study profile based on their interests.
• Master’s thesis (40 ECTS) is an individual research project that enables the student to demonstrate his/her in-depth knowledge in the chosen specialisation.

Career opportunities

The programme prepares the graduates to work in private, public or the third sector in tasks that involve analysing, planning and steering complex change processes, which unfold at local, national, international and global levels. Students learn to carry out academic research on these phenomena and acquire skills required for a potential academic career.

Bachelor’s degree - nationally recognized first cycle degree

an applicable bachelor’s degree at a university or a university of applied sciences in Finland
a bachelor's degree completed in a university outside Finland which provides eligibility for equivalent University master’s degree studies in the country in which it was awarded.
with a minimum scope of 180 ECTS credits, three to four years of full-time study
from a relevant field for the master’s degree programme that you’re applying to
from a recognised institution of higher education