Master in Strategy, Organisation and Leadership (MSc)

Master in Strategy, Organisation and Leadership (MSc) is one of 11 English-taught Business & Management programmes at Master's Degree level in the register, offered by 4 institutions. 9 of them list an annual fee for students from outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland, from EUR 3,860 to EUR 10,800; this programme lists EUR 8,000 a year. 4 are recorded as free for EU, EEA and Swiss students.

What you study

The MSc in Strategy, Organisation and Leadership (SOL) at CBS is a two-year master's programme worth 120 ECTS. It is for people who want to understand how organisations actually work and change, not to collect fixed tools or step-by-step models. You work with topics such as strategy, leadership, innovation, identity, ethics and organisational change, and you look at how these interact across individuals, teams, organisations and society.

The programme splits its focus between two areas: Culture and society (35%) and Organisation and management (65%). In Culture and society you study how culture, values and social context shape organisations and leadership, including how diversity, globalisation and institutions affect behaviour, communication and decision-making. In Organisation and management you look at how leadership, collaboration and organisational design shape strategy and development, and how to lead people through change.

Courses on the programme include Leading Change, Strategic Leadership, Organizing Digitalization, Organizing Markets, Managing Innovation, Organizations and Society, Leadership and Business Project. Most are 7.5 ECTS. The programme finishes with a 30 ECTS master's thesis, which you write on a topic of your choice, typically with a fellow student.

How the programme is organised

The first year is built around the courses above. The first semester covers Leading Change, Strategic Leadership, Organizing Digitalization and Organizing Markets. The second semester covers Managing Innovation, Organizations and Society, Leadership and Business Project. Teaching is interactive and courses involve a lot of empirical cases, so you are expected to prepare before class and take part in discussions.

The third semester (30 ECTS) is yours to shape. You can take electives at CBS or at other Danish universities, as long as they are relevant to the programme. You can take a minor, which is a package of electives in a specific academic area, typically three courses. You can go on exchange, usually at one of CBS' more than 300 partner universities, and you can bring your SU. You can also replace some electives with an academic internship at a company in Denmark or abroad, completed with a project report. On SOL you can also apply for the CEMS Master in International Management, a double degree programme taken in your third and fourth semester, with part of it at a CEMS university abroad.

Exams vary: some are group exams with a written assignment and an oral exam on campus, some are individual written or oral exams on campus, and some are group written assignments. The programme has about 110 students, 50% of them from outside Denmark, and the average age is 24.6.

Who it suits

SOL suits you if you are curious about how individuals, groups and organisations behave and adapt in changing environments. You should enjoy big-picture thinking and want to understand strategy and leadership beyond recipes, with critical thinking and multiple perspectives. The programme is analytical and theory-driven, so you need to be willing to read and reflect and to connect abstract ideas to practical situations. Many organisational problems do not have one right answer, so you should be comfortable with ambiguity and enjoy analysing problems from several angles.

Students describe a lot of group work, a lot of reading before each lecture, and a teaching style where you are expected to participate rather than just listen. The programme requires you to take responsibility and think independently.

Admission, language and next steps

The programme is taught in English. The programme page has its own section on entry requirements, and the programme regulations describe the academic content in full, so check both before you apply. Applications for master's programmes go directly to CBS, not through optagelse.dk. Students from the EU/EEA and Switzerland study free of charge; other students pay a fee that the institution sets. You can visit CBS Open Day to meet students and staff and see whether the programme fits you.

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.