Master in Accounting, Strategy and Control (MSc)

Master in Accounting, Strategy and Control (MSc) is one of 3 English-taught Accounting programmes at Master's Degree level in the register, offered by 2 institutions. 3 of them list an annual fee for students from outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland, from EUR 8,000 to EUR 15,000; this programme lists EUR 8,000 a year. 2 are recorded as free for EU, EEA and Swiss students.

MSc EBA ASC is a two year master at Copenhagen Business School in Frederiksberg. It is full time, worth 120 ECTS and taught in English. The programme treats accounting as the language of business: you learn to use financial and non-financial information to understand how a company performs and to support the strategic choices that shape its future.

What you study

The core is management accounting for planning and decision-making. You learn to measure product costs, customer profitability and company value, and also employee satisfaction, carbon footprint and other sustainability indicators. You look at what different measurement tools can and cannot do, and at how value is created inside an organisation and at what cost.

Courses on the programme include Management Accounting for Decision Making, Financial Statement Analysis & Valuation, Management Control, Data & Analytics in Management Accounting, Performance Management and Incentives, Risk Management and Corporate Finance, Accounting for Sustainability and a Business Project. You finish with a master's thesis (Kandidatspeciale) of 30 ECTS, usually written with a fellow student.

The teaching draws on three areas: accounting and auditing (40%), finance (30%), and organisation and management (30%). Performance management and incentives is a big part of it: you learn to design and analyse performance and risk measurement systems, and to build incentive systems that align departments, teams and individuals with company goals. You also strengthen your data analytics skills and your ability to communicate insights, so you can act as a financially informed business partner.

How the programme is organised

The first year is made up of set courses across four quarters, with oral and written exams on campus. The third semester is yours to shape: you can take electives at CBS or at other Danish universities, take a minor (typically three courses in one academic area), go on exchange at one of CBS' more than 300 partner universities, or do an academic internship at a company in Denmark or abroad, completed with a project report. You can also apply for CEMS, a double degree in international management studied alongside your CBS degree in the third and fourth semesters, partly at a CEMS university abroad.

Students are strongly encouraged to work in teams, and the programme has corporate partners from the finance functions of large Danish corporations and consulting firms. Many students combine study with a student job.

Who it suits

You should enjoy working with numbers and financial data and be curious about what drives them. The programme mixes quantitative analysis with psychological and sociological perspectives, so you need analytical skills and an interest in how people think, act and are motivated. The cohort is international: 85 students, 60% from outside Denmark, average age 24.7.

Admission, language and next steps

Everything is taught in English. Applications for master's programmes go straight to CBS, not through optagelse.dk. Check the entry requirements on the CBS programme page before you apply. Students from the EU/EEA and Switzerland study free of charge; other students pay a fee that CBS sets. CBS holds Open Days where you can meet students and staff, and the programme page links to the programme regulations and the full course list.

Master’s applications go straight to Copenhagen Business School, not through optagelse.dk, and the institution sets its own deadline. Entry requirements and language tests are set by the institution, so start from the official programme page. Our guides cover tuition fees, residence permits and housing.