Study Guide

Descriptions

Study objectives:
The Master's Degree Programme in Technological Competence Management is part of Turku University of Applied Sciences (TUAS) Master School. TUAS Master School brings together all TUAS Master’s degree programmes in the fields of Business, Culture, Healthcare and Social Services, and Technology. It gives the students an excellent opportunity to create new networks with other experts beyond fields, both in Finland and globally. In the School of Leadership Excellence the students study and acquire skills and competences needed as a business leader and manager whereas in the School of Professional Excellence the focus is on developing into a specialist in the selected discipline.

In the leadership (MBA) studies the student develops his/her managerial profile as a motivating and effective leader who achieves results and change while ethically conducting people, and who renews and develops the organisation based on appropriate methods and research data.

The degree programme provides skills and expertise to manage and develop a technology-driven organisation as well as to act as a leader in production, product management, product development, innovation, process and quality management, and management within a company or organisation. It also develops the student’s skills to recognise the requirements of other functions and stakeholder groups in the organisation as well as of the economic boundary conditions, which will expand his/her role in representing and managing the entire organisation.

The education provides the capability and expertise to anticipate technological changes in working life and to exploit their potential from a change management perspective, to develop a technology strategy and roadmap in a customer-oriented and organisational manner and to identify and exploit the potential of digital transformation. The education also teaches students to implement and manage development projects and project activities, to manage and develop the expertise of an organisation, teamwork, and networking from the strategy perspective, competitiveness and efficiency as well as to continuously identify and develop their own leadership profiles and management skills.

The Master's Degree Programme in Technological Competence Management is primarily directed to people in working life who have either a Bachelor's degree in Engineering (60 ECTS Master Programme) or a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management (90 ECTS Master Programme) with the aim of providing the capacity to develop towards managerial tasks. It is well suited, for example, to production, product development and product managers, and people who seek or have just started in such careers. The programme can be carried out alongside the work. The students graduate with a Master of Engineering or Master of Business Management degrees.

The Degree Programme in Technological Competence Management develops technology-oriented business expertise, managerial skills, organisational competence development, process and quality expertise, system thinking and project management skills. Working during the education and linking the learning assignments and the thesis development project to the student's work makes it also possible to develop the employer organisation.

More about the language of instruction:
The main tuition language Finnish, but some of the studies are conducted in English and learning materials in English are used. The students have the opportunity to participate in international research, development and innovation projects (RDI), where the working language is English.

Study contents:
The Master’s degree consists of core competences, complementary competences, and the Master’s thesis. Part of the mandatory core competence studies is common for all MBA programmes, and part is specific for the Degree Programme in Technological Competence Management. Complementary competence studies include elective studies that can be taken freely from other TUAS Master’s programmes or from the Masters’ programmes of other universities. The Master’s thesis is in most cases done as a working life development project. At the beginning of the studies, the student creates an individual study plan with the tutor teacher.

Choosing a main subject or field of specialization:
The elective studies (20 ECTS) allow the student to expand or deepen learnings to meet individual learning goals.

Structure of studies:
The extent of the study programme is 90 ECTS. The studies consist of
• Compulsory core competences 40 ECTS
• Elective complementary competences 20 ECTS
• Master’s thesis 30 ECTS.

The advanced studies common to each leadership programme include studies in research methods and in future operating environments. The rest of the compulsory studies deepen the insight specific to each leadership programme. Students may further deepen or expand their competences by choosing elective courses from other programmes. At TUAS Master School the students study in a flexible way. The studies can be completed while working full-time and from anywhere in Finland. The programme is built on mixed-mode studies including lectures, seminars, e-learning, teamwork, and independent work. There are two days of contact sessions monthly. The planned length of the studies is 2 years.

Final project:
A central part of the Master's studies is the Master’s thesis. The thesis work starts already at the beginning of the studies and it is carried out as a working life oriented development project. The thesis will not only develop the student’s knowledge and skills in a certain study field and specific topic but also gives a possibility to enhance skills in leading teams and workgroups.

Career opportunities:
After graduating, the student has created new knowledge and reformed the working life with the Master's thesis. The student’s network has expanded both in Finland and globally. The student has also developed his/her expertise and acquired tools to advance his/her career.

Qualification:
A Master’s degree awarded by a university of applied sciences provides the same eligibility for public posts as a degree awarded by a university. The education provides general competence for management and development tasks. Extensive development and expertise in the field make national and international mobility possible. The education follows the European Qualification Framework (EQF) proficiency level descriptions and the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) proficiency descriptions. The level corresponding to the Master’s degree is 7.

Possible jobtitles after graduation:
· Research and Development Manager
· Project Manager
· Production Manager
· Product Manager
· Quality Manager

Internationalization:
Students have the opportunity to complete part of their studies outside Finland at the higher education institutions with which Turku University of Applied Sciences has signed a cooperation agreement. In addition, students can integrate internationalisation in their studies e.g. by participating in the intensive weeks organised by the international networks as well as by participating in international conferences and projects. International professional and research literature form a significant part of the learning materials and part of the teaching can be in English.

Co-operation with other parties:
The studies at the School of Leadership Excellence are designed and implemented in collaboration with working life. The working life connection is primarily built around the student, the student's workplace, networks and education. The interaction between the students working in different positions plays an important role in the development of professional skills and the creation of collaborative networks.

The most important element of the degree is the Master’s thesis, which is done as a development project that serves the working life. The thesis increases the student's professional skills and competence and serves the development needs of working life. Local, national and international actors are also involved in the research and development activities.

Students can apply for courses at other higher education institutions and include these in their degree. Students can also take advantage of the joint online study offering at CampusOnline provided by the Finnish universities of applied sciences. http://campusonline.fi/ The industry participates in the development of the education.

Research focus:
Studies including different tasks, projects, and Master's thesis are characterised by a research and development approach and collaboration with working life. The students are welcome to join the research and development projects running at Turku University of Applied Sciences.

Postgraduate study opportunities:
The studies provide eligibility for further academic studies. Universities may set conditions on granting rights for further studies in the form of, for instance, supplementary transitional studies.

Objective

After completing the programme, the student is able to:
· develop his/her own leadership identity towards becoming a motivating and capable executive/manager
· manage people and change in a results-oriented and ethical way
· renew and develop the organisation and its operations by applying appropriate methods based on facts
· manage and develop a technology organisation
· master business and financial management principles in a technology-oriented organisation
· anticipate technological and other changes in businesses and working life and exploit their potential from the change management perspective
· develop a technology strategy and roadmap aligned with the requirements of the organisation
· identify and exploit the business potential of digital transformation
· implement and manage development projects and project activities in an organisation
· lead skills and capabilities development, build up teamwork and networking according to the organisation’s strategy, competitiveness and efficiency

Development

The pedagogical approach applied in the leadership (MBA) studies is Innovation pedagogy that refers to an approach of constructivist and problem-based learning. Master´s students study alongside their work and want to broaden and deepen their theoretical knowledge and get models to apply theory to their own work.

Studying is part-time and involves both contact and distant learning. In addition to individual learning, collaborative learning in teams is applied to meet the needs of working life. Integration between studies applied RDI activities and working life orientation plays an important role in the studies. Learning takes place partly online and in multi-disciplinary environments. On average, there are two consecutive contact teaching days in a month. The student creates an individual study plan (ISP) at the beginning of his/her studies, where he/she selects Master’s studies related to, among others, the completion of the Master´s thesis. A central part of the Technological Competence Management leadership studies is the Master´s thesis in which the student will not only develop the knowledge and skills in a certain study field and specific topic, but will also have the possibility to develop his/her work and workplace.

Further information

The objectives for the skills levels in a Master’s degree are based on the legislation on universities of applied sciences and the European Qualification Framework (EQF). The level corresponding to a Master’s degree is level 7. The assessment criteria for each course are described in its implementation plan. Performance requirements vary depending on the objectives, the content and the method of implementation. The courses and the thesis are assessed on a scale of 0 to 5. The assessment focuses on competence and its development. The course assessment methods vary according to the objectives of the study module. Assessment may focus on the outcome (for instance, a report or a seminar presentation), on the process (the student’s own activity and actions during the course) or on both. Students receive regular feedback on their performance from their teachers. Peer- and self-assessment, as well as client company feedback on performance, are also utilised. The degree assessment framework is used as the basis for the assessment.

The Degree Programme is developed according to the principles of continuous improvement. In the development work, feedback from the students and working life, as well as their initiatives, play a key role. Feedback is collected with, for instance, student questionnaires and group-specific development discussions.