Master in Business Administration and Leadership

Master in Business Administration and Leadership is one of 23 English-taught Business Administration programmes at Master's Degree level in the register, offered by 6 institutions. 21 of them list an annual fee for students from outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland, from EUR 3,582 to EUR 15,000; this programme lists EUR 5,000 a year. 15 are recorded as free for EU, EEA and Swiss students.

This master's programme in Business Administration and Leadership at Roskilde University is closed for admission. Only students who hold a bachelor's degree from Roskilde University with a legal right of admission (retskrav) can still be admitted. The two bachelor's programmes that give this right are the International Bachelor in Social Sciences with Business Administration and the Samfundsvidenskabelig Bachelor with Business Administration.

What you study

The programme is interdisciplinary and focuses on leadership, management and organisation in a modern company context. You work with scientific theories and methods in business leadership and management, covering strategy, organisation, management, economics, innovation and value creation. Business ethics and sustainability run through the whole programme.

You learn to analyse the circumstances a business operates in and to act on your findings. That includes analysing organisational processes, implementing strategies, developing business plans, evaluating investments and conducting financial accounts. The programme also trains you to reflect critically on the complex dilemmas companies face.

Compulsory courses include Leadership (10 ECTS), Advanced Organisation and Change (10 ECTS) and Innovation Management (10 ECTS). You also take an elective course in Advanced Business Administration (15 ECTS) and an elective course in Advanced Methodology (5 ECTS). In the first year you choose either Project A: Project with Facilitated Empirical Data (10 ECTS) or two courses, Strategic Management (5 ECTS) and Ethics and Responsibility (5 ECTS). The second year includes Project B: Project with Knowledge Transfer or a project-oriented internship (15 ECTS), Project C: Project with Product or a project-oriented internship (15 ECTS), and the master's thesis in Business Administration and Leadership (30 ECTS). Only one internship may be taken during the programme.

How the programme is organised

Teaching is in English and uses Roskilde University's project format. You identify a problem, carry out in-depth analyses, choose and implement a methodological approach, and set up a theoretical framework under the guidance of a researcher. Courses expand your methodological and theoretical knowledge. You work closely with researchers through lectures, seminars and supervisor meetings, and in small groups on real-life problems. You meet companies through projects, field trips and panel debates with external experts and leaders.

You can spend a semester on an international exchange or an internship in a company or organisation. The study environment is international, with students and faculty from around the world. Some courses are taught jointly in English with the Danish business programme, so you get to know Danish students. Academic staff have a research focus in leadership and organising, service innovation, ethics, CSR and sustainability, and tourism.

You can also apply to follow the double master's degree in Business Administration, a two-year programme run with Christian Albrechts Universität zu Kiel that focuses on Danish-German business relations in the Fehmarn region and beyond.

Who it suits

The programme suits students who want to help build sustainable businesses and who are willing to lead and motivate themselves. You need to cooperate closely with others, because much of the work happens in teams. You should be ready to shape your own profile through optional courses and project work, and to engage actively in the academic and social life of the programme.

Admission, language and next steps

The programme is taught in English. It is closed for admission, and only holders of a bachelor's degree from Roskilde University with a legal right of admission can still be admitted. The two qualifying bachelor's programmes are named above. If you are considering the programme, contact the Study Guidance office at Roskilde University for advice on admission and on the legal right of admission. Students from the EU/EEA and Switzerland study free of charge. Other students pay a tuition fee set by the institution.

Master’s applications go straight to Roskilde University, 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.