Information Management

• Information Systems Research Methods (10 ECTS)
• IS Development and Implementation in a Business Context (10 ECTS)
• Project Management: A Practitioner's Approach (10 ECTS)

• IS Enterprise Architecture (10 ECTS)
• IS Strategy and Management (10 ECTS)
• Digital Innovation and Business Transformation (10 ECTS)

• Elective Courses (30 ECTS)

• Master's Thesis (30 ECTS)

Information Systems Research Methods

This course focuses on the production of qualified and justified knowledge, meeting the requirements of scientific quality criteria. This is essential for any candidate in business economics, who wishes to make decisions on an informed background. The course introduces a variety of research designs applicable, when carrying out research in the area of information management and related areas. In the first part of the course, focus will be on the philosophical issues pertaining to the creation of valid knowledge. In the second part of the course, focus will be on techniques in terms of data collection and analysis. These techniques include qualitative, quantitative as well as design research approaches.

IS Development & Implementation in a Business Context

This course focuses on IS development and implementation in a business context. It focuses on the challenges that we face in practice and how to cope with the complexities. The course introduces a range of methods and techniques that can be used to understand, plan and execute the processes in which IS are developed, implemented, evaluated and modified, to enable the student to participate in the IS acquisition processes of the businesses.

Project Management: The Managerial Process including PRINCE2

The aim of the course is to provide the student with knowledge about central topics related to working in projects. The course discusses several project types and relates tools and techniques and project management behaviour to different types of projects. The content in the course is inspired by the classical project life cycle, which means that focus will be on planning, carrying out and project evaluation, and from that perspective the course focuses on the content of the project management toolbox (stakeholder analysis, risk analysis, time schedule, estimation, monitoring progress etc.). The course also discusses more “soft topics” (project organisation, implementation of team building, handling of conflicts etc.).

Digital innovation and Business Transformation

The course centres on the impact of digital technologies on society in general and modern companies in particular. More specifically, the course focuses on the potential for innovation and business transformation in new and emerging digital technologies. This digital transformation course helps to assess how a company should evolve to extract utmost most value from digital technologies and business models. Learn how digitalization across an organizational value chain allows to both preserve core business and compete in new markets.

IS Strategy and Management

The aim of this course is to provide the students with an understanding of IS strategic management and how IT resources can be managed within organisations in order to create long business opportunities and benefits. The course takes the offset in the observation that planned strategy and realised strategy often diverge. To study this divergence in practice the course includes a residence period in organisations where the students can observe the creation of IS strategy “in the wild”. The final learning will emerge from comparison between practice and theory.

IS Enterprise Architecture

This course introduces the students to strategic and technological aspects of Enterprise Architecture. IS Enterprise Architecture is one of today’s best performing tools to enable long term strategic advantage. Enterprise Architecture provides a long-term view of a company’s processes, systems and technologies that create and support the core capabilities of organisations. The purpose of the course is to give the students the knowledge and tools to lead and carry out Enterprise Architecture initiatives. The course will provide the link between Enterprise and IS architecture as a tool to improve business performance through IT.

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 200 partner universities abroad. You can also participate in internship programmes either in Denmark or abroad.

The fourth semester

The fourth semester is devoted to the master's thesis. You may choose the topic of the thesis freely and 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. When the thesis has been submitted it is defended before the academic advisor as well as an external examiner.