Master's Programme in Intellectual Property and Business Law
The courses are based on primary research areas of our faculty, including intellectual property and tax law, and are taught in close collaboration with industry, organizations, and internationally renowned visiting professors. This ensures that the programme remains at the forefront of developments in intellectual property law and business regulations.
Our courses focus on the impact of laws and regulations on businesses and society, addressing global challenges like technological advances and sustainability. Students may specialize in areas such as intellectual property law (including data governance and trade secret law) or tax law (including also corporate governance and international taxation).
The Specialization in Intellectual Property Law covers topics such as the fundamentals of patent, trademark, copyright and trade secret law in the European Union and international treaties, as well as intellectual property strategy.
The Specialization in Business Law covers essential topics such as tax and financial policy, sustainable tax planning and compliance, for effective corporate governance. These courses help students to develop knowledge, analytical skills, and independent critical thinking in their chosen field.
Study Path Picture Explained
IP and Business Law Study Path
Degree Mandatory courses for everyone:
- Global Competence Modules (5ECTS)
- Language and Communication (5ECTS)
Program Mandatory Courses:
- Thesis (30ECTS)
- Research Seminar (5ECTS)
- Research Methodology (5ECTS)
- Business Ethics (5ECTS)
Specialization Paths
IP Specialization
- Fundamentals of IP Law (10 ECTS) - Mandatory
- Information Governance and Trade Secret Law (5ECTS) - Mandatory
- Major Elective courses - Choose 25 ECTS any advanced courses in own specialization, for example IP Strategy for Business
- Free Elective courses - Choose 25 ECTS in elective courses or do a minor, for example minor in Corporate Responsibility
Business Law Specialization
- Law of Corporate Finance (10ECTS) - Mandatory
- Nordic Corporate Governance (5ECTS) - Mandatory
- Major Elective courses - Choose 25 ECTS any advanced courses in own specialization, for example Advanced Tax Issues of Corporations
- Free Elective courses - Choose 25 ECTS in elective courses or do a minor, for example minor in Corporate Responsibility
Student activities
Students have full access to activities at Hanken, including its active student life and various events. Particularly during the first weeks and months of the first year, time is dedicated to extracurricular activities that enable the new students to bond with each other, the specialisation faculty, and the broader Hanken community. Our International Student Ambassadors and their Nordic Brilliance Blog can maybe give you some more valuable information!
International experience
We encourage are students to gain international experience! We definitely recommend students to complete an internship and support students in finding a placement. A semester abroad at one of Hanken’s partner universities can be incorporated into the programme as an optional component if the planning for it already starts during the fall of the first academic year.
Future career opportunities
Up to 98% of the 2018 & 2017 graduates had found employment within 6 months of completing their degree and to get an overview of how the careers of Hanken's Alumni look like, visit our Career Services' Explore Careers pages!
Our alumni from Commercial Law have job titles such as:
- Licensing Manager, Liaison Manager, Research Coordinator, Associate Lawyer, and many more!
- And note that the IPR University Center Opens in new window cooperation enables our students to get close to highly topical research subjects early on, already during their Master's studies.
We are also proud of our Hanken International Talent initiative, where newly-admitted international MSc students are matched with Finnish companies for mentoring!