Program Overview

Master of Science in Business and Technology

The Master of Science in Business and Technology is a program designed for individuals who envision a career in management focused on people-oriented problems and wish to sharpen their job market profile to be prepared for the information age. This program combines business with technological progress, enabling students to understand and communicate with technology experts and potentially lead a team of engineers and business people.

Program Description

The Master in Business and Technology primarily prepares students to solve people-oriented problems in areas like marketing, human resources, strategy and organization, or management accounting and control in times of technological progress and digital transformation. The curriculum is unique in training students to collaborate effectively with information technology experts beyond their particular management discipline. Students will learn fundamentals of information technology relevant to management, acquiring more conceptual technological knowledge compared to universities of applied sciences. This empowers them to keep up with the rapid change of technology.

Competences and Skills

The program develops various competences and skills through its modules:

• Fundamentals in Business and Technology: Creates the prerequisites to succeed in the courses of the specialization modules.
• Human Resources: Deals with central questions in human resource management, focusing on the strategic part of HRM and its influence by technological innovations.
• Marketing: Develops competence to achieve competitive advantage by designing customer value, including strategic models for marketing decision-making and digital marketing.
• Strategy & Organization: Teaches the effects of technological progress on corporate and competitive strategies and how these strategies influence organizational structures and processes.
• Management Accounting: Educates students on how to use information to support management decision-making and motivate managers to take decisions in the best interest of the company owners.
• Technology: Familiarizes students with technology concepts relevant to various application areas of information technology and business analytics, including programming, computer science skills, data analytics, and machine learning.

Career Opportunities

The Master of Business and Technology prepares students for management positions in human resources, marketing, accounting and control, consulting, and entrepreneurship. Graduates can work in profit and non-profit organizations, with career fields including brand management, digital branding, product management, advertising, sales management, and marketing research.

Focal Area of Teaching and Research

The program offers five areas of specialization: Human Resources, Marketing, Strategy & Organization, Management Accounting, and Technology. Students can combine one or two business modules with the technology module.

Program Structure

The program consists of 90 ECTS and is designed as a three-semester program starting in fall. The structure includes:

• Fundamentals in Business and Technology: 15 ECTS
• Business Fields & Technology Field: 45 ECTS (or 39 ECTS if the master's thesis comprises 30 ECTS)
• General Electives: 6 ECTS (or 0 ECTS if the master's thesis comprises 30 ECTS)
• Preparation of Master's Thesis: 6 ECTS
• Master's Thesis: 18 ECTS (or 30 ECTS)

Admission

Holders of a bachelor's degree from a Swiss university-level higher education institution are admitted without additional requirements if they have:

• At least 75 CP of undergraduate knowledge in business and economics
• At least 12 CP of undergraduate knowledge in mathematics
• At least 12 CP of undergraduate knowledge in statistics/econometrics
• An average grade of at least 5 (unrounded) in the Swiss grading system

For other bachelor's degrees, the examination committee evaluates the equivalence of the required undergraduate knowledge. Alternatively, holders of a bachelor's degree from a recognized university-level higher education institution may present a current Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) with results in the top 30% in "Quantitative Reasoning" and "Analytical Writing".

Start and Duration

The program starts in fall and consists of 90 CP, designed as a three-semester program. Registration is also possible in spring semester but may result in an extension to the regular period of study. Part-time study is possible, with a recommended completion of at least 15 CP per semester.

Fees

• Application fee: CHF 100
• Tuition fees per semester: CHF 850

Scholarships

Parents and/or the cantonal scholarship office in the parents' canton of residence are basically responsible for the funding of studies. International students should find out what scholarships they are eligible for in their home country.

Core Faculty

• Prof. Dr. Michael Beckmann: Program Director, Human Resources and Organization
• Prof. Dr. Sabine Böckem: Controlling
• Prof. Dr. C. Miguel Brendl: Marketing
• Prof. Dr. Fabian Schär: Distributed Ledger Technology/Fintech
• Prof. Dr. Ulf Schiller: Financial Accounting

Alumni

Graduates have gone on to work in various positions, including Tax and Legal Consultant, Founder and CEO of a trust and asset management agency, Finance and HR Analyst, Associate in Digital Assurance & Trust, Business Analyst, and Research and Teaching Assistant.