Master in Innovation and Business Development (class 2006/2008)

Content

The programme consists of the following courses of 15 credits:

A: Compulsory courses

· A1: Philosophy of science and method (Autumn 2006)

· A2: Contractor operations and development players (Autumn 2006)

· A3: Business politics and business development (Spring 2007)

B: Optional courses

· B1: Culture and creativity

· B2: Organisational development in the public sector

· B3: Management - strategy and change

· B4: Political ruling in the regions' Europe

· B5: Tourism development – global and local challenges

· B6: Market analysis, market segmentation and customer analysis

C: Master’s thesis

· C1: Master’s thesis, 45 credits (§ 3)

The table below shows the course structure:

4. sem.	Master’s thesis (45 credits in total)
3. sem.	Optional course (15 credits)
2. sem.	Course 3: Business politics and business development (15 credits)	Optional course (15 credits) (Alternatively: start of the Master’s thesis for students taking a study period for instance abroad in the 3rd semester.)
1. sem.	Course 1: Philosophy of science and method (15 credits)	Course 2: Contractor operations and development players (15 credits)

In the autumn semester, the students are offered a course of 15 credits in philosophy of science and method. The course builds on the students’ basic knowledge of the subject from the BA programme. It is also taken into account that many of the students have taken economic-administrative courses earlier and that the student group does not only have one discipline background.

Course 1, 2 and 3 are compulsory, and the students also have two optional courses so that they can specialise in the direction that they are most interested in. Optional courses may also be taken at other places of study. The students may have different reasons for taking the optional courses another place, for instance that they would like to spend some time abroad. These students can choose to start working on the thesis instead of taking the optional course in the 2nd semester. Then they will have two optional courses in the 3rd semester, and can take this semester another place of study, for instance abroad.

The three optional courses are:

1. semester: ”Contractor operations and development players” and ”Philosophy of science and method”

2. semester: ”Business politics and business development”

Philosophy of science and method must be taken early in the programme because it is also a goal to start using the insight acquired in this course as early as possible. The order of the two other compulsory courses is primarily educational. The student target group indicates that the majority took a relatively business-oriented BA programme. It is important to begin with familiar issues in order to keep the students motivated and prevent them from quitting. In addition, the course “Business politics and business development” builds on basic knowledge from the compulsory course “Contractor operations and development players”. It is also an intended overlap and a natural connection between the last part of the course “Business politics and business development” and the first part of the course “Contractor operations and development players”.

Compulsory courses in other Master’s degree programmes at the university college can be taken as optional courses in this programme. Other optional courses are especially developed for this Master’s degree. The students can choose two of these offers. After individual application and evaluation, the students can also take other courses offered at the university college or other places of study in Norway or abroad. The students’ options may vary depending on semester, but may also vary from one year to another.

Integration of the Master’s thesis

A Master’s thesis seminar will be arranged already in the 1st semester. Here there will be focus on design and method problems.

Students who have chosen topic for their Master’s thesis can relate written work that is handed in in the different courses to the topic for the Master’s thesis. This written work may be included in the Master’s thesis, but can not be identical with e.g. chapters in the thesis. The work is also expected to have a progression from the handed-in work in the courses to the thesis which will be handed in at the end. Two students may work together on the Master’s thesis.

The optional courses may be put together so that they together with the compulsory part of the programme are directed towards the market (private sector) or towards public politics for innovation and business development. Students who wish to specialise in the market, may for instance choose either B5 or B6. Students who wish to specialise in the public sector, may accordingly choose either B2 or B3 as one of the optional courses. Students should put together the courses with help from a supervisor so that the desired profile can be acquired.

Admission requirements

The Master’s degree programme in Innovation and Business Development has the candidates in the programme in tourism and the programme in business administration at Lillehammer University College as a local basis for the recruitment of students. Together with students who have a corresponding business-administrative or business-directed Bachelor’s education from other places of study, this is the most important target group for recruitment for the programme. Also students with other education related to science, social science and culture may be admitted after individual evaluation. This applies to e.g. engineers who in their three-year education have enough economy and administration. In a changeover period there will of course also be many applicants with relevant cand.mag. combinations who will be qualified for admission.

The programme is based on and accommodated for full-time students who more or less come directly from their Bachelor’s degree programme. Even though the programme is arranged for these students, it would be an advantage to have work experience. Students who have work experience will therefore be prioritised in the application process if other qualifications are the same.

The programme offer is subject to the approval of NOKUT (The Norwegian Agency for Quality Assurance in Education), enough applicants and funds from Prosjekt Innlandsuniversitetet.

Teaching and learning methods

The students who are admitted will together with the teachers draw up a brief, individual study plan. In the study plan, the students should reason their progression and clarify the special goals they want to achieve in the programme. The choice of courses should be included in the study plan. Furthermore, the students should draft the topic for the Master’s thesis so that they can get a supervisor. The students will be encouraged to start thinking about the Master’s thesis already in the 1st semester so that the choice of topic and the writing of assignments, which must be documented as work requirements, to the highest degree possible form a basis for this final main work.

The Master’s degree programme in Innovation and Business Development amounts to 120 credits and can be taken as a full-time programme over 2 years. The programme may also be taken part-time over a longer period of time, but it is not particularly adapted for distant education other than the use of Classfronter. Part-time students should therefore primarily live in a commuting distance from Lillehammer and have an agreement with their employer so that they have the possibility of attending parts of the teaching arrangements.

Assessment

Each course is evaluated based on the principle that home assignments should be followed up by an oral test in order to show that the candidate has written the assignment. A maximum of two candidates can write an assignment together. The oral examination should also be a test in the curriculum if not a day examination serves this purpose. The work requirements which the students must have in order to sit for the examination will be supplemented by a school examination. Such work requirements may be both individual and group-based.

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