Business and Technology

Technology businesses are going from local to global — they need young professionals with an intercultural mindset and an understanding of the latest technologies. We at TUT welcome engineers and engineering graduates from all over the world to study in our MSc Programme in Business and Technology (B&T) in an intercultural, business-oriented learning environment.

B&T focuses on business development in international sales and sourcing networks. Companies operate in global networks; both managers and business development professionals need to understand how such networks function and can be managed. In B&T you will develop a thorough understanding of the business processes characteristic to global business-to-business markets and the ability to apply business development practices in international networks.

As a special feature, our B&T programme emphasises problem-based learning in projects with the local industry. We combine theory and practice in an appreciated way; in terms of graduate employment rates, B&T is the leading international MSc programme in Finland.

Engineering background is an advantage in aiming at an international sales career

Business development in sales and sourcing often requires managers to understand both the potential and also the limitations of technology. An engineering background, therefore, is an excellent starting point for a career in sales or sourcing.

Since B&T is targeted at young engineers and engineering graduates, technology-intensive products and services are emphasised in teaching. This pedagogical approach ensures that students are able to take full advantage of their engineering background when repositioning themselves in the management field.

We provide students with interesting career opportunities, as you can see from the following examples:

• Our graduates often find employment in the management of international sales and sourcing processes related to their own technical background. For example, mechanical engineers are great candidates for sales and sourcing positions in mechanical engineering companies and IT engineers for positions in the ICT sector (alumna Liudmila Zyaparova).
• In many cases, an engineering mindset combined with business skills is more important than the technical field itself. For example, a chemical engineer may go on to work in the field of business development in the electronics industry (alumnus Adnan Akram Zia).
• Information technology plays an important role in sales and sourcing processes. Some of our graduates with an IT background are developing management information systems used in sales and sourcing processes (alumnus Mikhail Tulin).
• An engineering background and an understanding of sales and sourcing processes are an excellent set of skills for an entrepreneur (alumnus Christoph Thür).

The curriculum of the programme combined with diverse teaching methods ensures that our students will be well equipped to pursue careers in the global business world or continue their studies towards a doctoral degree. Of the programme’s 120 credits, 90 credits (3 semesters) are composed of coursework and 30 credits (1 semester) of the master's thesis. The structure of the programme is as follows:

• Common core studies (20 credits)
• Introduction to management studies (24 credits)
• Major: International sales and sourcing (30 credits)
• Elective studies (16 credits)
• Master’s thesis (30 credits)

Introduction to Business and Business Communication

This module is designed to help our students in the transition from the engineering world to the management world. The module consists of the following courses:

• Basics of Industrial Management (compulsory)
• Speech Communication and Negotiation Skills (compulsory)
• Starting Finnish (compulsory)

The programme starts with a four-week intensive course providing everyone with an overview of management and leadership in today’s international, technology-driven business world. The aim is to ensure that all students have a holistic view on business management, forming a good starting point for other courses. Speech communication and negotiation skills are skills needed by every sales and sourcing professional, hence an integral part of the programme. In addition, even though most students work in English, both during the MSc studies and in the business world, it is recommended to have some basic understanding of the local language — at least enough to manage the daily greetings.

Managing Global Customer-Supplier Relationships

One customer-supplier relationship has two parties: the buyer and the seller. To manage such relationships successfully, both parties have to understand the needs of the other. This is why B&T integrates sourcing and sales management into one programme. This module forms the core of the programme with the following courses:

• Managing Operative Sales and Sourcing in Global B2B Markets (compulsory)
• Supply Chain Management (compulsory)
• Sourcing and Supply Management (compulsory)
• Logistics Management and Strategies (compulsory)
• Managerial Finance for Sales and Sourcing (compulsory)

This module starts with basic level courses on sales and sourcing management to ensure that students have both a theoretical and practical understanding on operative B2B purchase-delivery processes. The courses then evolve into more advanced-level courses. Though managerial finance is embedded in many other courses, there is one course focusing on it, with a special emphasis on the needs of sales and sourcing professionals.

Technology Management in Global Business Networks

The focus on a technology-driven environment means that it is important to understand how different technologies create customer value and how new business models are changing the ways companies do business. This will be enhanced — from the managerial perspective — through the following courses:

• Technology and Innovation Management (compulsory)
• Turning Technology into Business (compulsory)
• Technology Strategy (elective)

In today’s global business environment, to manage product and market development, it is important to understand and analyse the evolutionary patterns of different technologies, technology diffusion to new markets and market segments, as well as the social shaping of technology. New technologies are created by people and, hence, the development process is impacted by peoples’ opinions, beliefs and prejudices making the process complex to manage. Furthermore, technologies and solutions used in one area have an impact on technologies in other areas and, therefore, managers need to have a systematic view on technology and its development — for example, HD televisions would be useless without HD movies.

Business Information Management

Information is power! Managers need relevant and up-to-date information to make decisions. Furthermore, successful innovations — whether related to business concepts, markets or products — are increasingly based on acquiring new knowledge or analysing existing information in innovative ways. That is why the following courses are offered:

• Basics of Information and Knowledge Management (compulsory)
• Data and Information Management (elective)
• Information Security Management (elective)
• Knowledge Networks and Value Creation (elective)

This module ensures that students are able to analyse information from both the business and technology perspectives. These courses emphasise the management perspective on the role that different information systems play in organisational settings and how they support and add value to different managerial activities. Sometimes very simple, yet novel analyses based on some data mining or even existing information can provide young managers with significant informal power within business organisations. Students with an IT background, in particular, tend to choose all the electives in this module.

Project Management

About one third of all business deals, in terms of monetary value, can be classified as projects; typical examples where production is managed as projects can be found in construction, film, IT, consulting and ship building industries. In addition to such project deliveries, product development and business development endeavours are often managed as projects, too. Thus, project management is an essential skill of any business development professional. We offer the following courses in project management:

• Project Management (compulsory)
• Management of Project Business (elective)
• Project Business and Networks (elective)

Project Management is the only compulsory course in this module, focusing on project planning and project management from the point of view of project managers. The more advanced, elective courses then focus on how corporate strategy can be impacted through projects, how to manage HR resources in large projects and how to manage a portfolio of simultaneously ongoing projects. The more advanced courses also emphasise the special challenges faced in large, international projects.

Business Competence and Leadership Skills in Multi-Cultural Context

Leadership skills are always appreciated. That is why our programme includes several general management and leadership courses:

• Strategic Management (compulsory)
• Organisations and Leadership (compulsory)
• Business Management Cases (compulsory)
• Industrial Service Systems (elective)´

Thus, to ensure a successful career in business development, the knowledge on sales and sourcing strategies must be complemented with a wide variety of perspectives on management and leadership. The courses in this module provide an overview of many areas that successful business development professionals need to be aware of.

Research Methodology and Reporting Skills

The MSc programme concludes in a Master’s Thesis and therefore you need to be prepared for it. B&T includes two courses focusing on research methods and writing skills in order to prepare all students for the thesis:

• Literature Study in Business and Technology
• Business Development in Sales and Sourcing
• Master’s Thesis

This module will teach you how to build a theoretical framework and also how to apply it in a real business case. The first two courses result in a written report containing the key elements of the Master’s Thesis, preparing for applying for Master’s Thesis positions in companies.

It is not possible to apply to a Master’s programme on the basis of a Master’s degree. The only exceptions are the one-tier degree programmes where the first cycle degree is not compulsory and the so-called long cycle degrees.

Applicants who are seeking admission to their first Master’s programme are given preference in the admissions process. Applicants for a second Master’s degree may be admitted only under special provision and only if they are able to show that the courses that count towards a degree at Tampere University of Technology provide the applicant with genuinely new knowledge and skills. 

Applicants are required to demonstrate a high level of proficiency in the English language. TUT accepts internationally recognised academic language tests as demonstration of language proficiency. The accepted tests are IELTS Academic, TOEFL iBT, TOEFL PBT, PTE Academic and CAE/CPE. 

To better further your success in the admission process generally the overall grade (CGPA) of the degree should reach at least 70 %. The CGPA (Cumulative Grade Point Average) is an average of all of your grades for the courses in your previous degree.

Students admitted to a Master’s degree programme may be required to complement their earlier degree with complementary studies. All students with a Finnish University of Applied Sciences (AMK) degree are required to complete a study package which generally includes courses in Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry depending on the student's background. For more information on the complementary studies, please contact the academic coordinator of the degree programme.

The student selection is made by an admissions committee on the basis of the academic qualifications and merits shown in the application documents. Please note that not all applicants fulfilling the requirements can be admitted. 

English language tests

TUT accepts internationally recognised academic language tests as demonstration of language proficiency. The accepted tests are IELTS Academic, TOEFL iBT, TOEFL PBT, PTE Academic and CAE/CPE. Please note that the language test needs to be taken before the application deadline. We cannot accept language tests taken after the application deadline.

If you take the language test close to the application deadline and cannot submit the test results together with the other application documents, please contact the TUT Admissions Office (admissions@tut.fi) for further instructions.

If your language test score is expiring during the application period you should contact the TUT Admissions Office well before it expires.

IELTS Academic (score 6,5)
Tampere University of Technology verifies all IELTS test results from the test organiser. Upload a copy of the IELTS score slip on your application. It is very important that you indicate your IELTS test report number on the application form.

TOEFL (score: TOEFL iBT 95, TOEFL paper based test 580)
When registering for the TOEFL, enter the code of Tampere University of Technology 0599 into the Score Report Recipient field. TUT verifies all TOEFL test results online from the test organiser. Indicate your test score and test date on the application form.

If you have already taken the TOEFL test you will need to request the test organiser to make the test score available to TUT online.

PTE Academic (score 62)
Your online PTE Academic account allows you to send a secure copy of your test scores to Tampere University of Technology online. TUT will then be able to access and verify your test result online. Indicate your test score and test date on the application form.

Cambridge Language Certificate (Proficiency CPE or Advanced CAE)
Upload your test results on your application. Your results will be verified from the test organiser. Include your Candidate's ID and secret code.

Tuition fees for english-taught degree programmes:

• 10 000 € per academic year for the Bachelor’s programme
• 12 000 € per academic year for all Master’s level programmes

For students who are citizens of countries within the European Union (EU), the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland, studies in all degree programmes will remain free of charge. Tuition fees will also not affect those non-EU/EEA students who have the right to permanent residence in Finland (residence permits A, P and P-EU).

TUT offers a generous scholarship programme for fee-paying students. With the help of the TUT scholarship, TUT continues to provide excellent international students with high-quality, yet affordable, education. The TUT scholarship programme consists of the TUT academic excellence scholarship and tuition fee waivers.

TUT academic excellence scholarship

In 2018, TUT is awarding the TUT academic excellence scholarship to up to ten of the most talented applicants. The TUT academic excellence scholarships include a full tuition fee waiver as well as an allowance of 7000 € per academic year to cover living costs. The scholarships are awarded for an academic year and considered on an annual basis.

Tuition fee waivers

The majority of TUT scholarships are awarded as tuition fee waivers to the most talented students. The fee waivers awarded may cover either 50 % or 100 % of the full tuition fee. Tuition fee waivers are awarded during the admissions process or can be earned during the studies. The tuition fee waivers awarded in conjunction with the student admission process are full tuition fee waivers which cover 100 % of the tuition fee. The tuition fee waiver is awarded to a sizeable proportion of the admitted students.