Master's Programme in Management and Organisation

• 120 credits, 2 years full-time studies
• Language: English
• Degree: Master of Science in Economics and Business Administration
• Location: Helsinki, Finland

Why International Strategy and Sustainability?

International Strategy and Sustainability prepares you for leadership, management and developmental work facing sustainability goals within organisations and businesses in various socio-economic contexts globally. The programme offers a unique experience in understanding how sustainability issues can and should be integrated in core strategies of contemporary organizations. This boundary-crossing programme helps students to identify and manage organizational, governance, and sustainability challenges in various economic, social, environmental, geographic, institutional, cultural and linguistic contexts.

Studying within the master’s programme in international strategy and sustainability, you will learn to:

• Apply a variety of approaches to strategy and strategy work in various kinds of organizations.
• Identify and manage organizational, governance, and sustainability challenges in various economic, social, environmental, geographic, institutional, cultural and linguistic contexts.
• Recognize opportunities for organizations to integrate sustainability issues with international strategy.
• Employ independent and critical thinking to enhance decision making in different organizational settings.

Recommended study path:

Year 1 Fall (30 ECTS)

• Strategy and Sustainability (5 ECTS)
• Business Ethics (5 ECTS)
• Global Competence: Social Responsibility Across Business Studies (3 ECTS)
• Global Competence: Data Analysis (3 ECTS)
• Elective courses related to strategy, sustainability, and/or people management (15 ECTS)

Year 1 Spring (30 ECTS)

• Project course in Corporate Social Responsibility and Humanitarian Logistics (10 ECTS)
• Elective courses related to strategy, sustainability, and/or people management (20 ECTS)

Year 2 Fall (25-30 ECTS)

• Master's Thesis Seminar (in fall or spring, 5 ECTS)
• Research Design (5 ECTS)
• Research Methods (5 ECTS)
• Free choice of language studies (5 ECTS)
• Free choice of elective studies (10 ECTS)

Year 2 Spring (/Summer) (30-35 ECTS)

• Master's Thesis Seminar (in fall or spring, 5 ECTS)
• Master's thesis (30 ECTS)
• Graduation in June or August

Possibility of Engage.EU ‘Global Sustainability Management’ year

As an alternative to the main track of International Strategy and Sustainability, 10 students will be selected for Engage.EU’s ‘Global Sustainability Management’ track, where one semester abroad (at one of the Engage.EU partners) is mandatory. For those students, the recommended study path will be as follows:

Year 1 Fall (25 ECTS)

• Strategy and Sustainability (5 ECTS)
• Business Ethics (5 ECTS)
• Global Competence: Social Responsibility Across Business Studies (3 ECTS)
• Global Competence: Data Analysis (2 ECTS)
• Research Design (5 ECTS)
• Research Methods (5 ECTS)

Year 1 Spring (28 ECTS)

• Current Trends in Global Sustainability (4 ECTS)
• Understanding the Global Sustainability Context (6 ECTS)
• Tackling Global Sustainability Challenges (6 ECTS)
• Sustainability Transformation Lab (6 ECTS)

Year 2 Fall (32 ECTS at Engage.EU partner university)

• Reflections on Sustainability (2 ECTS)
• Electives on ‘Navigating the Global Sustainability Context’ (10 ECTS)
• Electives on ‘Addressing Global Sustainability Challenges and Opportunities’ (10 ECTS)
• Other electives (10 ECTS)

Year 2 Spring (/Summer) (35 ECTS)

• Research Seminar (5 ECTS)
• Master's thesis (30 ECTS)
• Graduation in June or August

120 credits, 2 years of full-time studies

Language: Swedish

Degree: Ekonomie magisterexamen

Please note that the studies require proficiency in Swedish, although most courses are offered in English. We offer two tracks within the studies – People Management and Strategy.

Read more about the programme on the Swedish page version.

• 120 credits, 2 years of full-time study
• Language: English
• Degree: MSc in Economics and Business Administration

The Master’s degree programme in Marketing and Management in Vaasa combines studies in Marketing and Management in an innovative manner. Studying Marketing and Management you will learn how to gather, analyse and understand market information, and how to lead organisations based on market insight. You will learn to gather and utilize information on customer behaviour in diverse market contexts and effective branding, business intelligence, and marketing communication.  

You will also get the skills required to develop and manage business strategies, business models, product and service development, and marketing communication based on customer and market understanding. As a graduate you will have knowledge to identify and evaluate strategic decisions in different organizational contexts as well as skills to analyse and implement an organization’s sustainable strategy, structure and business models taking the interests of different stakeholders into account.

Vaasa, being the "energy capital of the North" with a vibrant energy industry, offers a lot of possibilities for interesting internships during your studies, and a great start to a successful career!

You choose your major of either Marketing or Management when you make your first study plan upon arrival. However, you can change your major to the other given option at any time as long as the change take place before you start the research seminar and the Master's thesis.

Year 1 Fall

• Strategic Thinking
• Strategy as Practice
• Exploring Consumer Phenomena
• Service and Customer Strategy

Year 1 Spring

• Leadership
• Marketing the High-tech
• Research Skills
• Qualitative & Quantitative Research Methods

Year 2

• Elective courses 25 ECTS
  • internship, voluntary work, language studies, courses not related to your major
• Academic Writing course
• Global Competence module (CSR, Market Analytics)
• Research Seminar course in the Fall
• Master's thesis

• 120 credits, 2 years of full-time studies
• Language: Swedish
• Degree: Ekonomie magisterexamen

Please note that the studies require proficiency in Swedish, although most courses are offered in English. The studies in Vaasa focus on strategy.

Read more about the programme on the Swedish page version.

Minja Orava, development coordinator, Varusteleka

Why did you choose your particular major?

- I chose to major in International Strategy and Sustainability because I wanted to focus on sustainability issues while building a broad skill set applicable to a variety of organisations and roles. I believed that being a generalist would give me more flexibility and time to figure out my future direction. Sustainability, aligned with my personal values, was a natural area to explore in depth, and something I considered a necessity in every organisation in the future!

How did you make your decision?

- I was drawn to the Department of Management and Organisation because I got the impression that sustainability would be approached more holistically, beyond just compliance or PR. I was impressed by how the programme integrated sustainability, not only through theory but also by examining practical examples of sustainable organising.

How has your choice of major affected your career?

- I started working at my current position while still studying, so it certainly helped me get my foot in the door! 

In practice, sustainability often needs to be balanced with the broader goals of an organisation. Understanding how organisations are driven, how strategy is formulated, and how to influence these processes has been incredibly valuable. I believe the combination of strategy and sustainability will continue to be a key asset in my career, and its importance will only grow in the future.

What are the most important skills your major and studies at Hanken have given you for your professional life?

- The most important takeaway has been strategic thinking. My studies gave me the confidence to analyse critically both organisational and sustainability challenges and contribute meaningfully to decision-making processes.

The combination of up-to-date academic knowledge and hands-on experience with real-world cases provided the ideal balance of theory and practice. This approach allowed me to apply what I was learning directly to my work, bridging the gap between academic concepts and professional life.

Do you have any tips for students considering choosing management and organisation as their major?

- I believe management and organisation offers a strong foundation for any career. I’d recommend making the most of your free electives to tailor your studies to your interests and dive deeper into areas you're passionate about. Keep an open mind and explore different topics, so you can build a unique skillset for yourself!