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FINANCE AND INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS

Master's Degree Programme

About the programme 
Language: English  (See language requirements)  | Place of study: Aarhus  |  Commencement: August / September (no winter intake)

Introduction

The MSc in Finance and International Business (FIB) is meticulously crafted to equip you with advanced corporate and financial skills and prepare you for diverse and rewarding career paths in the global business landscape. This FIB programme places a strong emphasis on practical experiences and the development of competencies essential for making informed financial decisions within an international context. 

Skills

The heart of the curriculum lies in specialised courses that teach you key aspects of theoretical and empirical corporate finance, valuation, international finance, risk management, and empirical methodology. These courses collectively equip you with a comprehensive set of skills, ranging from financial modelling and valuation techniques to the dynamics of international markets, strategic and financial risk management techniques, econometric methods, and empirical testing in the corporate finance context. The integration of theoretical knowledge with practical applications ensures a well-rounded skill set for addressing complex challenges in the global business environment.

Learning

Our dynamic learning environment fosters a global perspective, attracting students from diverse countries and cultural backgrounds. The programme is led by faculty members with extensive international experience, ensuring that you receive guidance from experts in the field who bring real-world insights into the courses they teach.

Career

As the world becomes increasingly interconnected, the demand for professionals with a broad international perspective and exceptional financial acumen is higher than ever. Upon successful completion of the FIB programme, you'll emerge not only with a robust skill set but also a nuanced understanding of how to apply these skills in complex financial scenarios. This prepares you to pursue a range of exciting career options, including but not limited to: 

  • Corporate Financial Analyst
  • International Investment Banker
  • Risk Manager
  • International Financial Consultant
  • Treasury Analyst
  • International Trade Analyst
  • Investment Manager
  • Financial Controller
  • Financial Software Developer
  • Entrepreneur in International Business
  • Government Economist or Policy Analyst
Views
MSc in Finance and International Business Sune from Norlys Digital and Karoline from Rambøll explains why they chose this degree programme and how it opened up a lot of career opportunities. Simon from Danske Commodities explains why there is a need for graduates from this degree programme.

Admission requirements

In this section you can learn more about the admission requirements relevant to the master's degree programme in Finance and International Business. Depending on your educational background and your qualifications, there are different ways to meet the admission requirements: 

1. International and other qualifications


This section is relevant for you, if you have: 

  • a Bachelor's degree or equivalent from an institution outside of Denmark or
  • a Bachelor's degree or equivalent from a Danish institution, which does not ensure you a 'Legal right of admission´ or 'Direct admission'.

The two sections listed below are relevant only for students with a bachelor's degree from a Danish institution: 

2. Legal right of admission
3. Direct admission


Below you will also be able to learn more about language requirements and find out whether or not this master's degree programme has a limited intake. 


1. International and other qualifications

If you have an international educational background, you must meet both the general admission requirement and the specific admission requirements: 

General admission requirement

You must have a bachelor's degree or equivalent that is comparable to a Danish bachelor's degree in both level and duration (180 ECTS). 

For more information about how your bachelor's degree is assessed, please see the national database

Specific admission requirements

If you meet the general admission requirement, the university will continue on to assess whether or not you meet the specific admission requirements. 

You can be admitted to the master's programme if the university assesses that your education has a level, scope, and content that corresponds to the academic requirements specified below. 

Subject area Number of ECTS

Methods 

The following subject areas must be covered:   

  • 10 ECTS within quantitative methods or statistics  

  • Only 5 ECTS can be covered by Mathematics 

15
Marketing  7,5
Finance  7,5
Accounting  7,5
Organisation and leadership theory  7,5
Microeconomics  5
Operations management  5
Additional ECTS points within the abovementioned areas  25
Bachelor’s project  10
Total 90
Applicants with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Commercial Law (HA (jur.)) with commencement of study September 2014 or later from Aarhus University must have passed a total of 10 ECTS within the business economics subjects below: 
  • Supply Chain Management and Sustainability - 5 ECTS 

  • Investments and Corporate Finance - 10 ECTS 

  • Investments - 5 ECTS  

  • Corporate Finance - 5 ECTS 

  • Introduction to Empirical Economics – 10 ECTS 

  • Regnskabsanalyse og værdiansættelse - 10 ECTS 

  • Privatøkonomi - 5 ECTS 

  • Behavioural Finance – 5 ECTS 

  • Entrepreneurship and Business Planning – 10 ECTS 

  • Behavioural Economics – 10 ECTS 

  • The Economics of Strategic Decision Making 5 ECTS 

  • Decision Analysis – 5 ECTS 

  • Financial Statement Analysis – 5 ECTS 

'Professional Bachelor's degree' and other Danish qualifications

Certain Professional Bachelor's degrees or similar covering specific subject areas from other Danish institutions have been determined to fullfill the admission requirements to this master's degree programme:

Required subject areas – Professional Bachelor’s degree in Financial Management and Service from Business Academy Aarhus 

Industry specialisation in Accounting (“Programme specialisation subject A – external accounts” and “Study programme subject B – strategic accounting”) 

With the following electives:   

  • Quantitative Research Methods 10 ECTS 

  • Financial Investment Strategies 5 ECTS  

  • Operations Management 5 ECTS 

Industry specialisation in Finansielle forretninger (this industry specialisation is only offered in Danish) 

With the following electives:   

  • Quantitative Research Methods 10 ECTS 

  • Financial Investment Strategies 5 ECTS  

  • Operations Management 5 ECTS 

Required subject areas - AP degree in Marketing Management in combination with a Professional Bachelor’s degree in International Sales and Marketing from Business Academy Aarhus  Number of ECTS
BSS module (including Methods 5 ECTS, Finance 5 ECTS, and Operations Management 5 ECTS)  15

For applicants who hold one of the abovementioned professional bachelor's degrees from another business academy, it will be assessed whether the electives correspond to abovementioned electives. 

For applicants who hold another professional bachelor's degree, the degree will be assessed according to the requirements described in the section “International and other qualifications”.  

We cannot assess in advance whether your specific degree will meet the above requirements. Therefore, we recommend that you apply for the programme if you believe that you meet the academic requirements. In this regard, it is a good idea to compare your degree with the programmes that provide direct admission. 

2. Legal right of admission

The following Bachelor's degree programme(s) from Aarhus University entitles you to an offer of admission to the Master's degree programme in Finance and International Business: 

  •  Bachelor's degree programme in Economics and Business Administration (HA)  

Please note that you must apply for admission to the Master's degree programme within three years of completing your Bachelor's degree programme. 

Learn more about Legal right of admission.

3. Direct admission

Certain Bachelor's degree programmes from Aarhus University and various other Danish Universities have been determined to meet the admission requirements to this Master's degree programme in Finance and International Business:  

  • Bachelor's degree programme in Economics and Business Administration (HA) from Aarhus University* 
  •  Bachelor's degree programme in Business Administration with supplementary subject (Erhvervsøkonomi med tilvalg) at study plan 2017 and onwards from Aarhus University. 
  •  Bachelor's degree programme in Economics and Business Administration (HA - general business economics) from Copenhagen Business School, University of Southern Denmark, Aalborg University or Roskilde University*


* With a diploma older than 2010, your Bachelor’s degree will be assessed according to the specific admission requirements described under the section: “International and other qualifications”. 

Download appendix for your application

You must fill in this appendix and upload it to the application portal. The appendix helps the Admission Board to assess your application.
Download appendix


Limited intake and selection criteria

This master's degree programme has a limited intake. 

Because of the limited intake all qualified applicants will be prioritised according to a set of selection critieria (see below). 

Meeting the admission requirements does not automatically ensure your offer of admission. Only if you have a specific bachelor's degree from Aarhus University with a so-called 'legal right of admission' will you be guarenteed an offer of admission to this master's degree programme.


Selection criteria

If there are more qualified applicants than available student places, the selection will be based on the following criteria (each criterion counts for 1/3): 

  1. Grades from the qualifying degree 

  2. Grades achieved in relevant subject fields:

    • Finance 

    • Methods 

Please note that grades achieved after the application deadline are not included in the grade point average (GPA). 

  1. Relevant subject fields (measured in ECTS). In this assessment, ECTS credits that are a part of the admission requirements described under “International and other qualifications” are not included.  

    • Finance 

    • Methods

* The relevant subject fields are evaluated based on the following point system: 1 point per additional ECTS within the relevant field. You can earn a maximum of 15 points in this criterion. Example: If you have 10 ECTS in a relevant field where the requirement is 7.5 ECTS, you will receive 2.5 points.

English language requirements

In order to be admitted to this programme you must meet the university's english language requirements

Students with bachelor's degree from Aarhus University with a so-called 'Legal right of admission' are exempt from the English language requirement. 

Assesment of qualifications

Unfortunately, Aarhus University is not able to assess your qualifications beforehand. In order for your qualifications to be assessed you must apply for admission. To learn more, please go to Assessment of your qualifications


Programme Structure

ACADEMIC REGULATIONS

Below is an outline of 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.    

Contact

Contact Niels Strange Grønborg (ngroenborg@econ.au.dk) if you have questions about the track or the individual courses.

Student Life

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.

Follow the student life at Aarhus University

-experienced, photographed and filmed by the students themselves.

With thousands of pictures #AUInternational, #AarhusUni gives insight into the everyday life as a student at AU; the parties, procrastination, exams and all the other ways you’ll spend your time at university.

The photos belong to the users, shared with #AUInternational and #AarhusUni.

Career

Tasks as a Graduate

The chart shows the five most common types of work for graduates 1-2 years after finishing their degree. The data is derived from a survey made by Epinion for the Ministry of Higher Education and Science and Aarhus University in 2020.

Job profile

With an MSc in Finance and International Business you will be able to undertake job functions such as

  • Corporate Financial Analyst
  • International Investment Banker
  • Risk Manager
  • International Financial Consultant
  • Treasury Analyst
  • International Trade Analyst
  • Investment Manager
  • Financial Controller
  • Financial Software Developer
  • Entrepreneur in International Business
  • Government Economist or Policy Analyst

The international aspect of the programme is of course an ideal basis for a career in the international business community.

 

Profile of competencies

The research-based MSc in Economics and Business Administration builds on the competencies and insights acquired in the BSc study programme in Economics and Business Administration.

The study programme provides the graduate with specialist knowledge within the disciplines of the study programme that give the graduate high academic qualifications to develop solutions to issues pertaining to business administration in companies and organisations in the public and private sectors.

The study programme also qualifies the graduate for further studies, including PhD studies.

Through the study programme, the graduate has acquired knowledge that enables the graduate to

  • Understand and analyze investment, financing, and risk management decisions in an international corporation.
  • Use financial, strategic, and accounting information to assess the financial performance and position of an international corporation.
  • Make strategic decisions concerning difficult and complex financial matters in an international context.
  • Understand and consider knowledge pertaining to the various disciplines as well as identifying academic issues
  • Master the scientific methodologies and tools of the various disciplines as well as mastering general skills associated with employment within the areas studied
  • Assess and choose among the scientific methodologies and tools of the various disciplines as well as developing new analysis and solution models
  • Discuss professional and academic issues with both specialists and laymen
  • Manage work and development situations that are complex, unpredictable and require new solution models
  • Initiate and carry out, on an independent basis, monodisciplinary and interdisciplinary collaboration and take professional responsibility
  • Take responsibility, on an independent basis, for own professional development and specialisation

Jobs

Below you can find information about what a number of our alumni work with in their first job after graduation.

Economy and Accounting
Accounting, audit, bookkeeping, budgeting, controlling, currency hedging (valutasikring), forecasting, funding and sweeping accounts, consolidation, liquidity management, risk management, trade, valuation, wealth management og treasury.

Administrative
Recommendations, authorities consideration (myndighedshåndtering), meetings, coordination, planning, presentations, reporting and correcting (rettearbejde).

Analysis
Interviews, business analysis and research.

Sale
Telephone sale, sales coaching, direct sale and e-sale development.

Management and Organisation
Compliance management, policies, management, restructuring and strategy.

Other
Counselling, client relationship management (kunderelationer), communication, exam preparation, trainee interviews, innovation, implementation, matching, teaching, training , writing and workshops.
 

From studies to first job

”The first job is about getting the basics - building the foundation for your future career (within the same or another company)”.
(Msc in Finance and International Business)

We want to help our students find successful careers. Students can always contact our Career Services for advice and assistance with getting onto the Danish labour market. Check out our careers page to see the range of services we offer.