MBA Program Digital Business and Management in Full Swing

10.9.2020

News Master of Business Administration, Digital Business and Management

The popular program received over one hundred applications to its 20 study places. New students gathered to begin their master’s studies on Friday 4 September, some virtually and others on-site at the campus in Vaasa.

The Master of Business Administration, Digital Business and Management program focuses on digitalization and the deepening of the students’ competence within business expertise. Students can partially customize the program in order to develop their key competencies. The studies are a combination of individual learning and teamwork, mostly taking place in digital learning environments with a couple of meetings at the campus per semester. The program prepares the students to become leaders and experts within their own fields and meets the labour market’s needs. It is directed at persons who want to grow into future leaders in a digitalized business world.

The seminar was opened by President and CEO Örjan Andersson, who emphasized the important experiences that the students take away from the program and the value of sharing these with others. Dean Camilla Ekman also encouraged the students to actively network during their studies. Ulf Nylund, Managing Director of Vaasan Osuuspankki and Chairman of the Board of the Ostrobothnia Chamber of Commerce, spoke of the opportunities made possible by digitalization and of seizing them.

Principal speaker Tim Wallin, CEO of Gambit, spoke of digitalization as a tool in change management and the importance of creating an atmosphere of safety and trust for people to manage changes. Safety and trust are also necessary for creativity to flourish.

Wallin encouraged the students to share their crazy ideas and break free from old habits, at the same time stating that big budgets are not always necessary. The other principal speaker, Dr Outi Ihanainen-Rokio, spoke of sustainable leadership, experience-based economics, and the social responsibility of companies. It’s more important to have a good reputation than a good status, and our choices are based on our own and others’ experiences.

We interviewed two new students after the seminar, Svetlana Björkman and Janne Harju.

Svetlana Björkman
- I have judicial training from Saint Petersburg, and I’ve worked in e.g. the UN’s human rights projects. I’ve been with Wärtsilä since 2011, first as a Legal Counsel and later as a Business Development Manager. I was interested in doing an MBA program in Great Britain but couldn’t find one that I could’ve completed alongside my work. I was already familiar with Novia because my husband studied here, so I began to look for suitable programs.

- My own goal with this program is to find new avenues and means for improving current processes. Digitalization is important for Wärtsilä, and I want to contribute to the positive development of this within my own field and do the right things in the right way.

- I already have the practical knowledge, so it’s great to now also receive the theoretical foundation. Already at this stage it feels like I’ve gained a lot from the studies.

Janne Harju
- I graduated as a Sea Captain (UAS) from Novia in 2009, and I’ve worked in the maritime industry since then. I’ve always been interested in economics, and when I saw an ad for the program and the opportunity to do distance studies, I decided to apply.

- I see the program as a complement and continuance to my previous experiences and as something that can eventually bring about new opportunities as e.g. a self-employed person. It’s always good to learn more about leadership, and knowledge about digitalization’s opportunities is needed everywhere.

The next application period is on 7–20 January 2021, and the application can be filled online at studyinfo.fi.

For more information, please contact
Yrkeshögskolan Novia, Master of Business Administration, Digital Business and Management, Head of Degree Program Rosmeriany Nahan-Suomela,
tel. 050 305 8620