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Study Plan for Master of Science in Economics and Business Administration (2023–2025)

Study information

Through our research-based curriculum at Molde University College, we give our students the opportunity to build the deep understanding of Economics and Business Administration which is necessary to achieve a successful career in the modern world.

Your choice of study programme is important. It advertises to future employers what your interests are and what kind of work you can do. A master’s degree in Economics and Business Administration advertises to future employers that you are interested in economics and business and that you can handle difficult decisions. Our graduates are well-equipped to work as managers, advisors, or specialists, within various organizations in both the private sector and the public sector.

Our programme focuses on developing our students’ analytical skills to a high level. Analytical skills are important when you face difficult business decisions. The main profile of the programme is economic analysis. Our students learn how to use insights from economics to analyse important decisions both within the private sector (financial economics) and within the public sector (infrastructure investments, trade, growth, & sustainability). Our programme supports the development of economic knowledge with training in important analytical tools such as decision and game theory, statistics, and econometrics. Our goal is to equip our students with the necessary tools to write a master’s thesis which they proudly can show to potential employers as evidence of their capabilities. Our programme also gives our students the opportunity to broaden their knowledge by choosing electives from other fields within business administration such as organization, marketing, strategy, and logistics. Students may also choose to spend one semester abroad at one of our partner institutions to broaden their cultural knowledge.

What do you learn?

Degree/title obtained

Master of Science in Economics and Business Administration

Learning outcomes

We divide the goals into three categories, general knowledge, specific knowledge, and skills. The goals for each category are listed below.

General Knowledge

• Be able to communicate ideas and research effectively

• Be able to criticize ideas and research constructively

• Be able to use digital tools efficiently

• Be able to use the specific knowledge and skills in new creative ways

Specific Knowledge

• Understand how the financial markets work, how corporations are financed, and how investments are evaluated

• Understand how rational decisions are made, and what types of mistakes real flesh-and-blood people are likely to make

• Understand how globalization and international trade affect the development of individual countries, and how national strategies affect the outcome

• Understand how investments in the public sector are evaluated, and the theoretical foundations of these evaluations

• Understand how statistics and econometrics may be used to support rational decision-making with relevant software

• Understand how to identify relevant research questions, and how to develop strategies to answer these

Skills

• Be able to use arbitrage-pricing-theory and game-theory to evaluate investment decisions and financing decisions

• Be able to use decision and game theory more generally, and be aware of behavioural pitfalls

• Be able to discuss the pros and cons of different national strategies for development and trade

• Be able to use cost-benefit analysis to evaluate public sector investments

• Be able to use empirical methods to support the skills above

• Be able to develop a research question, and to do relevant research to answer the question

Admission

The MSc programme in Economics and Business Administration is open for both Norwegian and international applicants who fulfil the admission requirements.

Academic Requirements:

Applicants must have completed a bachelor’s degree, or a combination of a bachelor’s and master’s degree, equivalent to a Norwegian bachelor’s degree in Economics and Business Administration (180 ECTS credits). 

The minimum subject/course requirements are as follows:

• 30 ECTS within administration subjects (for example organization, marketing, and strategy)

• 30 ECTS within business economics subjects (for example financial accounting, management accounting, investments, finance)

• 15 ECTS economics subjects (for example microeconomics, macroeconomics)

• 20 ECTS within methodological subjects (for example mathematics, statistics, and methods in social sciences)

• 7.5 ECTS ethics (for example ethics, corporate social responsibility, sustainability)

• In addition, the first three areas mentioned above must cover a minimum of 90 ECTS (for example 30 ECTS administration, 30 ECTS business economics, and 30 ECTS economics)

Applicants should have an average grade equivalent to a Norwegian grade C in the ECTS grading system. Preferably First Class/First Division, Second Class Upper Division or equivalent grades like a CGPA of 3.0 of 4.0.

Applicants who have completed only a HND (Higher National Diploma) or similar Diploma/Advanced Diploma Educations do not qualify for admission.

Financial requirements:

Admitted students from countries outside EU/EEA and Switzerland will be required to transfer a minimum of NOK 137 907 to our Deposit Account for International Students, and NOK 197 000 in tuition fee for the first academic year of the degree programme (unless they are found to qualify for an exemption), within a deadline first stated in the letter of admission.

All admitted students must pay a minor semester fee of NOK 745 per semester.

English language requirements:

International applicants from some countries will be required to complete a recognised English test with a sufficient score result:

• TOEFL iBT: minimum total score of 79

• IELTS Academic: minimum overall band score of 6.0

• PTE Academic - Pearson Test of English Academic: minimum score of 53.

For full information about the English language requirements for different countries, please see the information under application procedures and the the country list.

Application deadlines

• 15 January 2024
  Applicants who are citizens of a country outside EU/EEA and Switzerland or have a temporary residence permit in Norway.

• 15 April 2024
  Applicants who are citizens of a country within EU/EEA and Switzerland or have a permanent residence permit in Norway.
  

Administrative contact for international applicants 
Advisor Odd Arne Eidem: odd.a.eidem@himolde.no

Structure and content

Programme content

Through our research-based curriculum at Molde University College, we give our students the opportunity to build the deep understanding of Economics and Business Administration which is necessary to achieve a successful career in the modern world.

Your choice of study programme is important. It advertises to future employers what your interests are and what kind of work you can do. A master’s degree in Economics and Business Administration advertises to future employers that you are interested in economics and business and that you can handle difficult decisions. Our graduates are well-equipped to work as managers, advisors, or specialists, within various organizations in both the private sector and the public sector.

Our programme focuses on developing our students’ analytical skills to a high level. Analytical skills are important when you face difficult business decisions. The main profile of the programme is economic analysis. Our students learn how to use insights from economics to analyse important decisions both within the private sector (financial economics) and within the public sector (infrastructure investments, trade, growth, & sustainability). Our programme supports the development of economic knowledge with training in important analytical tools such as decision and game theory, statistics, and econometrics. Our goal is to equip our students with the necessary tools to write a master’s thesis which they proudly can show to potential employers as evidence of their capabilities. Our programme also gives our students the opportunity to broaden their knowledge by choosing electives from other fields within business administration such as organization, marketing, strategy, and logistics. Students may also choose to spend one semester abroad at one of our partner institutions to broaden their cultural knowledge.

Content and structure of the programme

The master’s programme in Economics and Business Administration follows the Norwegian guidelines for master’s programmes in Economics and Business Administration (the UHR-ØA-plan). The plan sets forth the following requirements for the programme.

• A major consisting of at least 30 ECTS (economic analysis)

• A minor consisting of at least 20 ECTS (organization, marketing, strategy, or logistics)

• A master’s thesis of at least 30 ECTS (economic analysis)

Presently, the mandatory programme consists of 37.5 ECTS economic analysis and 22.5 ECTS statistics, econometrics, and research methods. The elective part of the programme is 30 ECTS and allows for some specialization in economics analysis but is mainly used to satisfy the requirement for a minor of at least 20 ECTS.

Elective courses in Norwegian.
Norwegian-speaking students may choose elective courses held in English or Norwegian.
Suggested courses - in Norwegian only:

• ADM745 Makt, ledelse og retorikk

• ADM805 Grønn vekst – Strategier og ideologier

• ADM815 Innovasjon

Assessment

Most courses have traditional written exams with grades A – F. Sometimes grades will be based on written assignments or digital home exams (for example during the corona pandemic). Sometimes grades may be approved/not approved rather than A – F.

Future studies

Our master’s programme in Economics and Business Administration also gives you an excellent background to pursue further studies at the PhD-level.