Master’s Programme in Sustainability Management

Students without a bachelor’s degree in business administration or equvialent degree as described in 1a in Admission requirements, must complete a 2-month intensive online preliminary course in disciplines such as accounting, finance, general economics, and statistics (Matriculation programme at UGM) before the first semester (during the summer).

Students with a bachelor’s degree in business administration may also take the preliminary course voluntarily. The preliminary course provides a sound basis for the mandatory coursework in the first semester.

Faglig grunnlag

a) Bachelorgrad (180 studiepoeng). Egnet akademisk bakgrunn er fra økonomi, ledelse, miljø- og biovitenskap, ingeniørvitenskap, statsvitenskap, geografi eller juss. Søkere med annen relevant høyere utdanning kan også søke.

b) Minimum to års relevant praksis

c) Dokumentasjon på engelskkunnskaper

i. IELTS Academic - The British Council's International English Language Testing Service - minimum overall score of 6.0

ii TOEFL - Test of English as a Foreign Language - minimum score of 80 (internet-based), 550 (paper-based) or 213 (computer-based)

iii.Tilsvarende tester

General admission criteria is completed bachelor’s degree or equivalent education with a scope of minimum 3 years’ duration.

1. Academic basis: Economics, management, life sciences, engineering, political science, geography or law are studies that are considered as a suitable academic basis.

1a: For applicants with a specialisation of at least 80 ECTS credits or a coherent vocational or professional programme of study of at least two years duration in business administration, marketing, management or similar, the following applies:
The subject areas below must be included in a total of at least 60 ECTS credits:

• Business Economics
• Economics
• Methodology
• Marketing
• Organisational and management subjects

All subject areas must be covered.

1b: Applicants with a specialisation of at least 80 credits or a coherent vocational or professional programme of studyof at least two years duration within life sciences, engineering, political science or law. Applicants with this academic basis must complete a compulsory 2 – month preliminary course before beginning their studies,

1c: Applicants with another relevant higher education may be found to be qualified after an individual assessment. Applicants with this academic basis must complete a compulsory 2-month preliminary course before beginning their studies.

There is no conditional admission for applicants to this study programme. Admission takes place in accordance with the Regulations concerning admission to programmes and courses at the University of Agder.

The majority of the core courses at UGM follow a learning method within the student-centered learning (SCL) paradigm. In this approach, students are active learners to find and construct their own knowledge. The lecturer serves as a facilitator to help students achieve learning objectives and develop interpersonal skills. The courses offered will consist of a variety of methods combining lectures, interactive discussions, case studies and assignments with current relevant issues to students. All students will be expected to share insights and experiences relating to the class material. In the concentration courses the students will for example practice mock persuasive communication, and mock global negotiations, have field visits and do group work.

The programme puts a strong emphasis on the interplay between theory and practice. Students will engage in real-life projects involving not only local students and academic staff, but also different businesses, and there will be a variety of guest lecturers from different business and sectors involved. Through the master theses course that involve an internship placement, the students will be able to combine theoretical knowledge and state-of-the-art research with practice and situated learning.

To support the learning process, UGM has developed an information system called SINTESIS (Integrated Information System of Economics and Business). Most courses will be held at UGM Campus, but one of the courses (Sustainable Business Strategy) will be offered in cooperation with Harvard Business School through online modules.

The programme will make use of different digital learning and communication tools in order to improve the overall learning environment and to stimulate collaboration.

Hvorfor velge dette studiet?

Kandidater fra dette studiet oppnår en MBA-grad (Master of Business Administration) fra en av Asias ledende handelshøyskoler, som er del av Gadjah Mada University i Indonesia. Dette er en toårig master som undervises intensivt over 18 måneder. Ved å ta siste semester i Norge oppnår du en fellesgrad fra UGM og UiA. Graden kvalifiserer for stillinger i private selskaper og offentlig forvaltning, der det kreves kompetanse på kopling av bedriftsøkonomisk lønnsomhet og miljømessig bærekraft. Du får delta i et moderne og tverrfaglig masterprogram med norske og asiatiske forelesere, og med omfattende kontakt med praktikere fra private bedrifter og statlig forvaltning gjennom gjesteforelesninger og arbeidspraksis (internship). Du vil også ta del i et spennende alumni-nettverk med deltakere fra mange land. Studieprogrammet støttes av det norske Utenriksdepartement, og 20 av totalt 30 studenter på hvert kull skal komme fra land i Sørøst-Asia (ASEAN).

Du må betale en semesteravgift på 50.000 kroner til UGM (Indonesia) de to første semestrene. For norske studenter dekkes dette av stipend og lån fra Lånekassen.

NB! Vi gjør oppmerksom på at et obligatorisk forkurs vil bli gitt i november 2022.

Hva lærer du?

Som student på dette programmet lærer du en tverrfaglig tilnærming til løsninger på viktige miljøproblemer, som energiforsyning, storbyvekst, matvaresikkerhet, forurensning, tilgang til reint vann, avskoging, tap av artsmangfold, og konsekvenser av globale klimaendringer.

Etter fullført studium skal du kunne anvende kritiske, etiske og helhetlige perspektiver på bedriftsledelse og offentlig forvaltning, der målet er å kombinere økonomisk effektivitet og langsiktige miljøhensyn.

Som student får du en grundig innføring i vanlige handelshøyskolefag, som finansiell økonomi, markedsføring, strategi og ledelse, og organisasjonsteori. Du lærer også om tekniske løsninger og ledelsesutfordringer på felt med spesielle miljøutfordringer, som energiforsyning, matvaresikkerhet og klimagassutslipp. Gjennom tverrfaglighet og et nært samarbeid med ledende virksomheter i Asia og Europa oppnår du en unik teoretisk-praktisk innsikt i hvordan miljøutfordringer kan håndteres i ulike kontekster. Den obligatoriske praksisperioden medvirker til høy grad av samfunnsmessig relevans i studiet og skal bidra til å skape gode jobb- og karrieremuligheter.

The programme is a full-time 2-year master’s degree programme (120 ECTS), but mandatory courses are taught intensively over 18 months. The selected multidisciplinary approach makes this master programme unique. The programme is a joint degree in cooperation with Gadjah Mada University (UGM) in Indonesia, where all the coursework (90 ECTS) is taught in Indonesia over two expanded semesters (one full year), while the last full semester with master thesis/internship (30 ECTS) is offered by UiA. The programme will have students from both Norway, Europe and ASEAN countries. The courses are taught jointly by professors from UGM and UiA, and practitioners from private businesses and public offices are invited as guest lecturers in most courses.

Combining competence from business school disciplines, such as Finance, Marketing, Strategy and Business Ethics, with knowledge and experiences from environmental sciences, like Forestry, Agronomy and Engineering, this programme brings students towards a deep understanding of environmental problems and solutions. A practical case study approach throughout the courses will educate and train the students in economic-ecological system analyses. Throughout the study programme, students will learn about the necessity of multi-stakeholder engagement and corporate and public social responsibility.

The language of instruction is English in all courses.

The programme is in nature international, and we expect that students participating in the program will come from at many different countries. The second and third semester will be given by UGM in Indonesia, and the master theses in the fourth semester will be given by UiA.

Core courses; first semester (6 x 3 credits / 7.5 ECTS)

• Business Ethics for Sustainability
• Financial Management
• Marketing Management
• Operations and Technology Management
• Leadership and Organizational Behaviour
• Leadership Communication

Focus courses; second semester (3 x 3 credits / 7.5 ECTS)

• Strategic Management
• General Business Environment
• Research Methods

Electives/ Consentration courses; second semester (2 or 3 credits / 5 or 7.5 ECTS; 4 courses)

• Marine Resources and Coastal Management (2 credits/5 ECTS)
• Energy Resource Management (2 credits/5 ECTS)
• Urban Planning and Management (2 credits/5 ECTS)
• Food Security, Sustainable Agriculture, and Conservation Management (3 credits/7.5 ECTS)

Internship, data collection and thesis research/writing; third semester (12 credits / 30 ECTS)

The pre semester is a dedicated digital PRE-MBA courses in Business and Management, Accounting and Finance, Managerial Economics, and Statistics.
The first semester is composed of six standard business school core courses, each 7.5 ECTS, and all with a thematic focus on environmental sustainability.
The second semester is thematically divided into two parts. The first, called Focus courses (each 7,5 ECTS). In the second part, there will be elective courses that the students can choose from. These are more technical than the Core and Focus courses and will offer the students a practical specialization. Both second and third semester will be in Indonesia at UGM.
The last (third) semester combines an Internship with data collection and thesis research/writing, representing 30 ECTS in total. Internships shall be made under academic and practical supervision and take place in selected private enterprises or public organizations offering practical challenges and operations in combining economic progress and environmental sustainability.

Graduates from this program can expect to have careers in private enterprises or public offices dealing with environmental challenges. There is an increasing demand for candidates with the combined competence and understanding of business administration, environmental impact analyses, and viable technical solutions in various sectors. As markets and corporations put higher priority on the environment while consuming and producing goods and services, we see an increasing number of Chief Sustainability Officers (CSOs) being employed. They work on analysing and improving institutions’ environmental impact, and thereby their recognition. In government offices at central and local levels, there is also an increasing need for candidates who can understand and implement environmentally defendable solutions. This competence could be relevant in public service supply, urban planning and management, conservation management, and in the management of all sorts of natural resources use. Students in this study program will get in close contact with business leaders and public officers through practitioners’ guest lectures and, not least, by the Internship offered both in Norway and in ASEAN countries. This is expected to facilitate students’ early employment and successful careers.

Successful completion may also qualify for admission to the PhD programme at the School of Business and Law at UiA, and to other PhD programmes in Norway and abroad.