Introduction
Are you interested in business development and strategy?
The Master's Programme in Strategic Business Development provides you with knowledge that allows you to tackle the leadership and management of strategic processes by offering courses focused on three key areas of strategic management: Strategic analysis, Strategic choice and Strategy implementation. Our cooperation with companies is active, and business leaders are guest speakers in all our courses. Many of our students have been doing their Master's theses in cooperation with companies, not only facing challenging and interesting tasks but also approaching and solving real-life problems. We are constantly developing our course syllabuses together with companies to better meet the current and future needs of business managers. This way, we also strive to ensure our students' employability. Some examples of career prospects which our programme offers are: managing director, business developer, business consultant, project manager, sales manager, business analyst, business controller, and entrepreneur. The international EFMD accreditation is a mark of the quality of the business teaching at the University of Vaasa.
Programme outcome
The two-year studies in the Master's Programme in Strategic Business Development offer a holistic view of the strategic operations of a company; they are valuable regardless of the position and career the student is aiming at. Graduates of the programme will possess the skills required at middle and upper management level. The studies foster performance-based thinking and enhance skills in developing and implementing strategy. Studies strengthen students’ know-how in analysing various strategic alternatives.
The University of Vaasa has close ties with the businesses of the region and we use actual case studies in our teaching combining theoretical knowledge with practical examples.Vaasa is the largest energy technology hub in the Nordic countries, with 140 companies and 11,000 employees in the energy industry. The employment rate in Vaasa is the best in Finland.
To be eligible for admission to the Master's Programme in Strategic Business Development you should have completed your Bachelor's degree in an appropriate field such as business studies, marketing or management and organisation. Candidates may apply with other than Business administration field degree if they can demonstrate a proper background in business studies as follows: minimum of 35 ECTS in business studies is required. The intake of the programme is 20 students, and the application period is around December-January annually.
There are no entrance examinations for the international Master's programmes at the University of Vaasa. Admission decisions are made on the basis of the required documents, evaluating each complete application individually and selecting those with the best qualifications. The tuition fee for the Master's Programme in Strategic Business Development is 12 000 euro annually. In addition to the tuition fee students are required to pay the Student Union membership fee of approximately 110 euro per academic year. The University of Vaasa has scholarships available for students who are required to pay tuition fees in Master's Degree Programmes.
