Programme

The master’s degree programme in International Business Management (IBM) at Arcada focuses on giving you skills in business development from the perspective of new business models, required changes in the firm’s operations, and impact on employees and other stakeholders. IBM is a holistic education in business administration with the aim of giving you up-to-date competences in central corporate functions, including strategic management, leadership, finance, and marketing. These competences give you the skillset needed to develop the firm, and act and react in a changing world. In practice, the programme gives you skills to move from a specialist role to a business leader role.

In this programme, you study a general knowledge course module, after which you choose between two specialisation modules: Business Development in the Nordics or Business Development, Digitalisation and FinTech.

The programme comprises 90 ECTS with studies lasting either one and a half years (full-time studies) or three years (part-time studies), which allows for studying alongside full-time employment. Please note that all applicants must have a minimum of two years (24 months) of relevant work experience after the completion of the bachelor's degree in order to meet the eligibility criteria.

Focus areas

Business Development in the Nordics

Arcada is the only university of applied sciences (UAS) in Finland with a master’s degree programme that focuses on the Nordic business environment. While we examine Nordic countries in particular, these learnings can also be applied in a broader context. The focus is on both theoretical and practical means for geographical expansion, as well as business opportunities in Nordic countries. We work with practical and real market entry business cases, analysed from inception to implementation.

Business Development, Digitalisation and FinTech

Digitalisation involves the use of technology to create new business models or improve the efficiency of existing operations. The focus is on various technologies that drive digitalisation, such as analytics, artificial intelligence, blockchains, and machine learning. While these technologies can be applied in a broad context, we will examine the impact particularly in financial technology (FinTech).

Top-quality teaching in a supportive environment

As a student in the IBM programme, you can expect top-quality teaching during your studies. Our teachers are a mixed group of business professionals and academics, with some having a long experience in the industry and others having done extensive research in the topics covered in our courses. In addition, we typically invite guest speakers from the industry to each course, thus ensuring that you are provided with the latest business knowledge and research.

At Arcada, we take pride in the personal guidance teachers give their students, and this is also something our students and alumni continue to highlight as one of the top advantages of studying at our UAS.

Excellent networking opportunities and strengthened intercultural competence

As Arcada is the most international Finnish UAS in relation to its size, here you are guaranteed to meet and collaborate with new people of diverse backgrounds. IBM, itself a mixture of international and Finnish students, is built on gathering curious and ambitious students of different backgrounds, who are hungry for knowledge and eager to expand their creative thinking by sharing ideas and perspectives in a diverse context. Hence, your networking opportunities are excellent and your horizons will be broadened for sure.

Specialise according to your own interests

The master’s thesis (30 ECTS) develops your skills to independently solve demanding and practical problems in a creative way. You can select a problem to be solved based on your personal interests. Often, this is done in cooperation with a client or your employer. In your thesis, you will develop new knowledge and innovative ways of working. Another crucial part of the thesis work is to learn how to argue for and defend a stance or viewpoint, typically based on previous research or new empirical data. The skills you gain will help you define a problem, gather data, and analyse data in a systematic way.