Information regarding Master’s Degree Certificates

Title of qualification

For students admitted to the programme “Master of Business of Administration”, the correct title for degrees awarded varies individually depending on contents of previous studies.

The title of a general qualification such as “Master Degree (60 credits) of xxx” (as opposed to professional qualification such as teachers’ or nurses’), is generally stated with a suffix for the main field of study “…with a major in Business Administration”. The main field of study is one of the denominators of whether the degree will be “of Arts” or “of Science“.

Business Administration as a main field of study (on its own) renders a qualification “of Arts” for bachelor’s and for master’s 60 cr.

Prefix to title of qualification

The way of using a prefix to a title of qualification is commonly in Sweden a way to signal knowledge in a specific area. Hence, detailed requirements prevail for obtaining a specific prefix (Teknologie, Ekonomie, Medicine) and concern the subjects included in studies (current of previous), not the title of previous qualifications.

So, in order to be admitted to the programme in question, you need a Bachelor’s degree with main field/major/specialization in Business administration. With not having to fulfil any other requirements than passing the programme, your degree would be Filosofie magister med huvudområdet Företagsekonomi (Degree of Master of Arts (60 credits) with a major in Business Administration).

In the case of Ekonomie magister med huvudområdet Företagsekonomi (Degree of Master of Science in Business and Economics (60 credits) with a major in Business Administration), it is the prefix “Ekonomie” that signals previous studies contain studies in Economics. And so, “Ekonomie”( =previous studies in economics to a minimum of 30 credits) changes the qualification into a “Master of Science in Business and Economics”, because Economics as a main field of study renders a qualification “of Science in Business and Economics”.

Degree of Master (60 credits)

National Qualification Requirements according to the Higher Education Ordinance
(1993: 100)

The Master degree is obtained after completed course requirements of 60 second cycle level (advanced level) credits. The student must have within the framework of the course requirements:

• studies of at least 30 higher education credits with specialization in the main field (main area) of the education

• independent work (degree project) of at least 15 higher education credits in the main field of study
  

• previous bachelor degree, artistic bachelor's degree, professional degree of at least 180 higher education credits or equivalent foreign degree
  

• meet the specified requirements of the university.
  

Specified Qualification requirements according to the University of Gävle, Local
System of Qualifications, HIG-STYR 2019/116, and Local Qualifications Descriptors,
HIG-UTB 2019/146
Filosofie magisterexamen – Degree of Master of Arts (60 credits) requires:

• studies of at least 30 credits in the main field on the second cycle level (advanced level),
• a maximum of 15 credits may consist of courses at the first cycle level.

Ekonomie magisterexamen – Degree of Master of Science in Business and Economics (60 credits) with a major in Business administration requires:

• studies of at least 30 credits in the main field of Business Administration at the
  second cycle level (advanced level).
• a maximum of 15 credits may consist of courses at first cycle level,
• a minimum of 30 credits in Economics which may have been included in the
  previously completed degree or have been completed thereafter.

More information

The central regulations that govern the way in which HEIs operate are contained in the Higher Education Ordinance (1993:100), which is laid down by the Swedish government.

In addition to stipulating the degree regulations, the Higher Education Ordinance also allows each university to regulate further qualification requirements.

University of Gävle uses a System of Qualifications (reg. no. HIG-STYR 2019:116) decreed by the Board of the university and Local Qualification descriptors (reg. no. HIG-UTB 2019:146), decreed by the Board of undergraduate studies.

The Higher Education Ordinance