Master's Degree Programme
| About the programme Language: English (See language requirements) | Place of study: Aarhus | Commencement: August / September (no winter intake) |
The MSc programme in Digital Business Management addresses the increasing demand for business professionals who are able to apply digital technologies and data-driven methods to create new business opportunities and who understand the effects of digital technologies on management, organisation and work in corporations. The Digital Business Management track qualifies you to contribute to the acceleration of the digital development and to bring new digital skills into companies that are born digital or are on the threshold to a digital transformation.
Digital technologies have become a driving force behind business transformation for companies of all sizes across all industries and sectors. Digital transformation involves the development of structures and processes that allow the company not only to leverage data and algorithms to improve its efficiency, but also to facilitate interactions with customers, suppliers and other stakeholders as well as to create new business models, products and services. As a result, it is imperative for companies to address digitalisation as a holistic, company-wide change process that blurs the line between business and technology. This implies a fundamental change in the management and organisation of companies and creates new demands for innovative employees with digital skills, who are qualified to work in the intersection between business and technology within various areas of the business.
The MSc programme in Digital Business Management addresses the increasing demand for business professionals with digital competencies that cover both technical skills (e.g. programming skills) and non-technical skills (digital business understanding and the ability to drive digital innovation). The programme builds on business administration, digital technologies, IT and data science as well as organisational and management perspectives. It provides you with a deep understanding of theories and strategies within the field of digital business as well as hands-on experience with advanced methods and tools used in the intersection between business and technology.
The MSc programme in Digital Business Management has been developed in collaboration with relevant representatives from the business community to ensure that it fulfils the future needs of the job market. The close collaboration with the business community ensures the continuing relevance of the programme and enables a fruitful dialogue between you as a student and the business community. The teaching activities on the programme include hands-on work with real cases and guest lectures, and you have the opportunity to go on an internship in a company (in Denmark or abroad) on the third semester of the programme.
The MSc degree in Digital Business Management prepares you to lead and manage the digital transformation of companies of all sizes and to create business opportunities using digital technologies and data-driven methods. Meet potential employers here.
Positions include:
Applicants with a Bachelor's degree in Economics and Business Administration (HA) from Aarhus University have the right to be admitted to the Master's degree programme in Economics and Business Administration (cand.merc.) at Aarhus University on the condition that application is made for admission to the Master’s degree programme no later than three years after completion of the Bachelor’s degree programme. The legal right of admission requires receipt of the application by Aarhus University within the appropriate period of time.
The following Bachelor’s degrees fulfill the admissions requirements for the Master’s degree programme in Economics and Business Administration at Aarhus University but are not automatically secured a spot at the programme:
* With a diploma older than 2000, your Bachelor’s degree will be assessed according to the specific admission requirements described under the section: “Students that hold a degree from another university”.
Other Bachelor´s degrees can provide admission to the Master’s degree programme. When you apply the university will access if your Bachelor´s degree corresponds in level, extent and content to a BSc in Economics and Business Administration/HA from Aarhus Universitet. The assessment will prioritize the sufficient content of the following subjects and ECTS-points:
Subject | ECTS |
Methods* | 15 ECTS |
Marketing | 7,5 ECTS |
Finance | 7,5 ECTS |
Accounting | 7,5 ECTS |
Organisation- and Leadership Theory | 7,5 ECTS |
Microeconomics | 5 ECTS |
Operations Management | 5 ECTS |
Additional ECTS points within the abovementioned areas | 25 ECTS |
Total ECTS within Economics and Business Administration | 80 ECTS |
*Please note, applicants must have at least 15 ECTS within methods including at least 10 ECTS within quantitative methods or statistics. However only 5 ECTS can be covered by Mathematics.
In order to meet the admission requirements for the MSc programmes in Economics and Business Administration, applicants with a specific professional bachelor’s degree must have completed specific elective courses as part of their qualifying exam. In this table the requirements for elective courses are laid out.
As English is the language of instruction in all subjects, all applicants are required to provide evidence of their English language proficiency.
Please see the page on language requirements.
If you apply for admission with an international Bachelor's degree, you must fill in this appendix and upload it in the application portal. The appendix serves to help the Admission Board assess your Bachelor's degree in regard to the admission requirements.
As from the intake 2022, the Master’s degree programmes in Economics and Business Administration (cand.merc.) only admits a limited number of students each year. Therefore, meeting the admission requirements does not in itself guarantee admission to the programme.
Please note, for programmes with restricted admission special rules regarding supplementary Bachelor’s courses apply. Therefore, we no longer offer pre-assessments for the programme in Economics and Business Administration (cand.merc.).
Read more about supplementary Bachelor’s courses.
If there are more qualified applicants than available seats, the Admissions Committee assesses each applicant based on the average mark (i.e. GPA) of the Bachelor’s degree at the time of application. Marks/grades obtained after the application deadline will not be included in the GPA. The Admissions Committee assesses each applicant’s marks based on the information provided by diplomas and transcripts.
Below is an outline of the courses and a description of all the courses.
The study programme consists of two semesters in the first year which cover the compulsory courses in the programme specialisation and two semesters in the last year which are reserved for the student's own specialisation.
In the first semester you follow the prerequisite courses that form the methodological and academic basis for the further study programme.
In the second semester you follow the specialisation courses of the programme.
In the third semester you can choose elective courses within your areas of interest. The courses can either be taken at Aarhus BSS during the semester, at the Summer University or at one of our more than 300 partner universities abroad. You can also participate in project-based internship programmes either in Denmark or abroad.
The fourth semester is devoted to the final thesis. You may choose the topic of the thesis freely and so get a chance to concentrate on and specialise in a specific field of interest. The thesis may be written in collaboration with another student or it may be the result of your individual effort.
The MSc programme in Digital Business Management focuses on digitalisation from a business perspective, technological perspective and a data perspective. This tripartite focus is reflected in the structure and progression of the programme.
The MSc programme in Digital Business Management focuses on digitalisation from a business perspective, technological perspective and a data perspective. This tripartite focus is reflected in the structure and progression of the programme.
The business perspective focuses on why it is important for companies to transform into a digital business (Value Creation in the Digital Economy 1st semester), and how organisations can create structures and processes to benefit from new digital opportunities (Organising for Digital 2nd semester)
The technological perspective focuses on providing you with a digital mindset that enable you to understand the technical premises for digitalisation and the business potential of emerging technologies (Digital Fundamentals for Emerging Technologies 1st semester) and how technology and business are becoming interwoven (Enterprise Architecture Management 2nd semester).
The data perspective provides you with an understanding of advanced quantitative and qualitative methods (Research Methods for Digital Business 1st semester) and how to use data-driven methods in decision-making processes and in solving business problems (Data Science for Business 2nd semester).
Contact Christiane Marie Høvring if you have questions about the track or the individual courses: cmoh@mgmt.au.dk
Learning in an International Context
At Aarhus BSS, we conduct research at the highest academic level.
All researchers employed are engaged in research projects covering a wide range of different subjects and focusing on knowledge and skills considered essential for professional business activities in the global marketplace. All faculty have both research and teaching responsibilities, which means that our teaching is continually based on the latest research results.
Aarhus BSS is very internationally oriented. The broad scope of our research activities and educational programmes enable us to attract researchers, teachers, and students from all over the world, and this creates an international environment for research and learning in which academic views are exchanged, experiences are gathered and friendships are formed.
Aarhus University is a leading university in Denmark in building student exchange opportunities. The university encourages all students to spend time studying abroad. Every year, more than 700 students from Aarhus BSS go abroad to participate in exchange programmes around the world at our more than 300 partner universities. About the same number of students from all over the world come to participate in the exchange programme in Aarhus, and this contributes to a truly international learning atmosphere.
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The MSc degree in Digital Business Management prepares you to lead and manage the digital transformation of companies of all sizes and to create business opportunities using digital technologies and data-driven methods. After completing this programme, you will be able to:
Positions include:
1) What makes the MSc in Digital Business Management unique from your perspective?
The degree programme is unique because it has strong focus on the commercial aspects of digitalisation. Many businesses focus extensively on digitalisation but often forget to analyse the external business opportunities provided by digitalisation, including preparing specific business cases or in-depth market analyses. This applies in particular for Danish SMEs. IT and digitalisation have traditionally been placed in finance departments, but recent years have seen a shift towards involving sales and business development to a greater extent, and this demands more of the commercial skills of employees.
2) What competencies demanded by your business does the degree programme provide?
The coupling between technical and commercial aspects enables students to ask critical questions and understand the opportunities as well as the problems arising from digitalisation. Broad understanding of various technological tools and business case modelling enables graduates to independently analyse issues/opportunities and then develop the relevant and most profitable solutions.
3) What type of job function will an MSc Digital Business Management graduate be able to fill at your business (or at your customers)?
Graduates will be able to independently perform tasks related to analysing the opportunities and potentials involved in digitalisation; as a product owner or a business development consultant internally in the businesses of our customers, for example, or on a consultancy basis in the scooping/implementation processes in IT companies such as ours. I see a huge potential in graduates taking on jobs within project management, because they not only understand the technical aspects of a digital product, they also have a good understanding of stakeholder interests, as well as the commercial value created by the digital solution.
1. What makes the MSc in Digital Business Management degree programme unique from your perspective?
Businesses in general are undergoing digital transformation, and understanding technologies and their potentials has highest priority for many, regardless of the industry.
Digital Business Management hits this right on target in this regard because Digital Business Management graduates can use digital technologies to reinvent business models or transform products and customer experiences and to ultimately create value for businesses.
2. What competencies demanded by your business does the degree programme provide?
This degree programme provides core competencies within communication and collaboration which are essential for successful digital transformation that cuts across the entire organisation. We are looking for people with competencies within digital business, and with technical skills; such employees are also in much demand throughout the labour market.
3. What type of job function will an MSc Digital Business Management graduate be able to fill at your business (or at your customers)?
As a management consultant at Capgemini Invent, you will be a trusted advisor to managements in various types of business. You will get to work with strategies, analyses, business cases, technology selection, process optimisation, change management, data management, agile coaching, and more.
1. What makes the MSc in Digital Business Management unique from your perspective?
The degree programme provides a commercial perspective on the future use and development of IT, as well as insight into how to navigate and manage this development. The programme provides a unique basis for taking on various IT and business roles in businesses with large or small IT projects.
2. What competencies demanded by your business (or that of your customers) does the degree programme provide?
At IBM, we are particularly positive about the commercial perspective provided by the degree programme, which means that any future employee will be able to innovate and create meaningful value both internally in our own business and as a consultant with our customers. Furthermore, the programme focuses on data science and AI, and these are both having an ever-greater impact on IT development.
3. What type of job function will an MSc Digital Business Management graduate be able to fill at your business (or at your customers)?
Many components of the programme provide a solid foundation for fast-track career advancement, because elements of the subjects touch on challenges related management. This means that the foundation you obtain as a graduate can lead you to job opportunities that you would otherwise not be able to achieve as a new graduate. More specifically, the job functions that IBM sees as a possibility for newly graduated students include agile consultant, IT business consultant, associate project manager, business analyst, etc.
