Master of Business Administration (Full-time MBA)

Pursuant to section 13 of Ministerial Order no. 1187 of 17 December 2009 about Master’s Programmes at the Universities; section 29 of Ministerial Order no. 1062 of 30 June 2016 on University Examinations and Grading (the Examination Order); and section 20 of Ministerial Order no. 114 of 3 February 2015 on the Grading Scale and other forms of assessment of educations within the sphere of the Ministry of Higher Education and Science (the Grading Scale Order), the Dean of Education, acting on a proposal prepared by the study board, has approved the following programme regulations.

1. Students who successfully complete the programme earn the degree Master of Business Administration, in Danish master i Business Administration, and have the right to use the abbreviation MBA.

(2) This programme is governed by The Study Board for Full-time MBA.

(3) The master’s programme is a one-year, full-time programme equivalent to 60 ECTS.

(4) The programme duration refers to the number of student full-time equivalents according to which the programme is structured. A full-time equivalent corresponds to one year of work by a full-time student and corresponds to an annual workload of 1650 working hours corresponding to 60 ECTS credits (European Credit Transfer System). The workload includes scheduled classes, preparation for classes, completion of written assignments, other teaching activities, independent study as well as preparation for, and participation in examinations.

(5) The programme must be completed no later than 6 years after commencement.

1A. Requirements for admission to the full-time MBA program are as follows:

• Bachelor degree or an equivalent professional qualification*
• Academic transcript
• At least three years of full-time post-bachelor degree work experience**
• GMAT (min. 590) or equivalent GRE
• Two references, to be provided within the application software
• Two essays of between 200 and 500 words each and three short video essays
• A completed online application form
• Good command of English
• Interview (for those who are invited; see below under 'Interview Selection Procedures' for more information

* HD/Graduate Diploma in Business Administration accepted
** In certain cases internships and pre-Bachelor work experience will qualify towards this work experience. Please contact us to discuss your specific case for clarification on your eligibility.

(2) Payment of the tuition fee is required for final admission into the program.

(3) In special cases an exemption may be granted by the university to an applicant who does not meet the requirements outlined in subsection (1), but who, on the basis of a concrete assessment, is found to have comparable educational prerequisites.

2.  The full-time Master of Business Administration Program (FT MBA) offered at CBS is a graduate degree in business economics and management taught in English, and aimed at those who already hold a bachelor or masters degree, and who subsequently have obtained relevant work experience.

The program helps Danish and international students develop the competencies needed to identify and pre-pare solutions to management problems, thereby enabling them to solve tasks, and take leadership at an executive level within business or business orientated public institutions.

These qualifications are obtained through:

• Core courses and electives relating to the functioning of the business, providing the students with an appreciation of essential areas of business operations and an understanding of the interactions between a company and the business environment.
• An integrated strategy project for an organization enabling the students to develop a thorough understanding of the complexity of management related problems.
• A Leadership Discovery Process enabling the participants to develop their own leadership style and appreciation under the guidance of CBS faculty, experienced coaches and mentors, and tutelage of experienced executives.
• An emphasis on responsible management, well integrated through extended leadership and sustainability courses as well as in other courses.

3. The Study Board has prepared a detailed description of the competency profile of the program, which is available here at cbs.dk.

4. The FT MBA program is divided into seven 6-weeks modules/terms. The content of each module is defined by the individual lecturers in co-operation with the Associate Dean and the Program Manager.  The program is based on a progressive teaching process where emphasis is placed on the development of competencies and skills within the following four areas:

• Developing and strengthening the students’ skills within core business economics of operations.
• Improving the students’ analytical tools and knowledge of the financial, social and  market-related context within which international businesses and organizations operate.
• Strengthening the students’ leadership and management-related competencies and training them to think in total solutions and solving strategic management objectives in the context of international competitive situations.
• Developing and strengthening the students’ skills to better understand the implications of corporate entrepreneurship, starting up, and running an organization.

(2) The below table lists the structure of the programme and the ECTS credits of the individual courses. The course descriptions are available in the online course catalogue. Direct links are inserted in the below table.

5.  The programme consists of the examinations listed below. The learning objectives and the regulations of the individual examinations are prescribed in the online course catalogue. Direct links to the individual examinations are inserted in the table below.

The exams amount to 60 ECTS credits in total.

5A.  The following courses have compulsory assignments or requirements about active class participation. Further specifications and regulations are listed in the relevant course description  in the online course catalogue, see the below link(s).

6. This degree programme is covered by the body of external examiners for the business administration programmes.

7.  The general pass requirements are stipulated in section 26.

(2) If an examination consists of partial examinations, the grade for each partial examination must be at least ‘00’.

8. Participation in the regular exam is a requirement for registering for and participating in a re-take examination.

9.-10. (Not in use)

11. The teaching is organised in a collaboration between the Programme Director, the course coordinators, if any, and the teachers. The Study Board approves the organisation of the teaching.

12.  Examinations are conducted in English; see however subsection (2).

(2) If a course has been taught in a language other than English, the examination is conducted in that language.

(3) The Study Board may decide to deviate from the rules stipulated in subsections (1)-(2), except when documenting the student’s skills in a specific other language is part of the objective of the examination.

 (4) The provisions in subsections (1)-(2) apply to oral and written sit-in examinations and to all types of written take-home assignments (seminar papers, projects etc.) subject to assessment.

13. Besides the examinations listed in section 5, which are included in the final grade point average, on some courses there are one or more compulsory activities. That means that as part of the teaching, one or more written assignments must be submitted for assessment and/or one or more oral presentations etc. must be carried out. In order for students to participate in the final examination of the course in question, it is a condition that, within a set deadline, the required number of compulsory activities have been submitted/carried out and have been assessed approved. A blank submission is not regarded as having made an attempt in the activity. Further specifications regarding the number of compulsory activities, format etc. are stated in the course description of the individual course.

(2) A student who, within the deadline determined under subsection (1), is short on having one or more activities approved as regards the required number of approved activities in the course may, to a reasonable extent, be given one or more extra assignments/participate in one or more extra activities, prior to the ordinary examination (1^st examination attempt) in the final examination in the course, see however subsection (3). However, it is a precondition that the student has made an attempt in all set activities, unless it can be documented that lack of submission/participation was caused by illness or similar circumstances. If necessary for practical reasons, a different type of activity may be decided.

(3) In courses where the number of set activities during the teaching period is higher than the number of activities that are required to be approved (x number of y number set activities must be approved), the student may not be given extra assignments/participate in extra activities prior to the ordinary examination in the final examination in the course; this also applies in cases of illness or similar circumstances.

(4) A student who, prior to the re-exam (2nd examination attempt) in the final examination in the course, is still short on having one or more activities approved as regards the required number of approved activities in the course may, to a reasonable extent, be given extra assignments/participate extra activities prior to the re-take examination. However, it is a precondition that the student has made an attempt in all set activities, unless it can be documented that lack of submission/participation was caused by illness or similar circumstances. Further specifications regarding the number of compulsory activities, format etc. are stated in the course description of the individual course.

14. Students who are enrolled on a course with one or more examinations are automatically registered for this/these examinations as regards the regular examination. The deadline for withdrawal of registration is 1 month before the start of the examination in question.

(2) If the deadline for withdrawal from an examination is not met, the examination will be considered started, and it will therefore count as one attempt, see section 27(1).

(3) The Study Board may waive the rules stipulated in subsections (1) and (2), including the specified deadline, if warranted by extraordinary circumstances.

15. A student who has been prevented from completing a regular exam due to documented illness or due to other documented reasons must be given the chance to take the exam as soon as possible.

(2) A make-up examination is only available to students who have been registered for the regular examination. Thus, a make-up examination will not be held for students who have been prevented from sitting a re-examination due to illness.

(3) The make-up examination will be held as soon as possible after the regular examination, i.e. usually in the same examination period or immediately after.

(4) For the requirements regarding documentation etc. concerning illness during an examination are laid down reference is made to CBS’ rules regarding illness in connection with an examination. Attention must be paid to the documentation deadline stated in those rules.

16. Students who have not participated in, who have withdrawn from or who have not passed the regular examination are entitled to register for the re-take examination. However, the Study Board may lay down requirements about participation in the regular exam being a requirement for participating in the re-take examination; any such requirement will be laid down in the programme specific regulations in part 1, see ss. 8-10.

(2) Re-take examinations are held as soon as possible after the regular examination, i.e. in the same examination period or immediately after.

(3) Participation in a re-take examination counts as one attempt at the examination in question.

17. Make-up examinations and re-examinations are subject to the learning objectives of the regular examination of the examination in question.

(2) Make-up examinations and re-examinations are conducted according to the examination regulations of the regular examination of the test in question, except when:

1. the examination regulations for the examination in question explicitly contain differing provisions for make-up examinations/re-take examinations, or
2. it is a written examination and the number of registered candidates for the make-up examination/re-take examination warrants that it may most appropriately be held as an oral examination.

(3) It is not possible to determine another examination form for the master project.

Extraordinary re-exams and offers of re-assessment / re-exam

18. If an extraordinary re-examination is arranged or offered in accordance with section 21 of the Examination Order (regarding examination irregularities) or the offer of a re-evaluation/re-examination is given in accordance with section 36 or 41 of the Examination Order (regarding assessment complaints), the re-examination is subject to the learning objectives of the regular examination of the examination in question.

(2) Examinations under subsection 1 can be conducted in accordance with the regulations of the re-exam if the examination is an offer of an extraordinary re-exam.

19. Examinations are organised as individual examinations or as group examinations. The specific examination form of a given examination, including whether it is an individual or a group examination, or a mixture of the two, is stated in the relevant course description, see links in section 5.

(2) At both individual and group examinations the student’s individual performance must be assessed, and grading must be individual, see subsections (3)-(4).

(3) At oral group examinations the individual student must be examined in such a way that it is ensured that the student’s individual performance is assessed.

(4) If a written product is produced by more than one student, and if there is no oral defence of the product, the students must show what their individual contributions are, and in such a way that it is ensured that individual assessment is possible. See ‘Individualisation of group papers etc.’ in the study administrative rules (SAR).

(5) For group examinations, see subsection (1), rules about those of the following factors that are relevant for the examination form in question must be stated in the regulations of the individual examination:

1. maximum group size
2. the allotted time at the oral examination – see subsection (3)
3. requirements regarding individual contributions – see subsection (4).

(6) Where it is stipulated in the regulations of a given examination that it is a group examination, it is stated in the course description if the students can choose to take the examination as an individual examination instead, see however subsection (7). When the examination in question contains both a written and an oral part, both parts must then be taken as an individual examination.

(7) The student can choose to write the master’s project individually. When the master’s project has been made by a group, the student can choose to have an individual oral exam.

(8) When it is an oral exam based on a written product, the following applies to all variations:

1. Submission of the written product is a requirement to be able to attend the oral examination.
2. Both the written product and the oral presentation count in the assessment.
3. The assessment is an overall evaluation of the written product and the oral presentation.

20. All students have an obligation to familiarise themselves with and to observe the examination rules of the examinations which they participate in, including the general rules that apply to the individual examination. Those rules are in particular:

• The examination rules of the course in question, see links in section 5.
• Rules about written sit-in examinations at CBS, including rules about electronic aids, see section 21(3).
• Rules on good academic conduct, see section 4 of Copenhagen Business School’s rules and regulations on academic conduct, including penalties.

(2) Students are not permitted to make audio and/or picture recordings during an examination or the examiners’ discussion of a student’s performance.

(3) It is stipulated in the examination regulations of the individual examination what the maximum number of pages is for a given written product. In addition, the following applies:

1. In the page count the front page, the bibliography and any appendices are not included. Appendices are not part of the assessment.
2. All pages must have a margin of min. 3 cm in top and bottom and min. 2 cm to each of the sides. The font must be minimum 11 points.
3. Tables, diagrams, illustrations etc. are not included in the number of characters, but will not justify exceeding the maximum number of pages.
4. On average, one page must not contain more than 2,275 characters (including spaces).

(4) Upon digital submission the student declares that the submitted product complies with the rules for good academic conduct, form requirements and maximum size, via a digital declaration of authorship. All written products composed at home must contain – in all copies submitted for assessment – a declaration of authorship.

(5)  Any violation of rules and regulations under subsections (1)-(2) will be sanctioned in accordance with  Copenhagen Business School’s rules and regulations on academic conduct, including penalties.

(6) Violation of form or layout requirements stipulated in subsections (3-4) or form requirements laid down under section 6(4) may result in a rejection of the exam paper, see section 24(3) of the Examination Order. If the exam paper is rejected, it will not be assessed, and the student will have used an exam attempt.

21. The examination aids that students are allowed to bring with them to written sit-in examinations are specified in the examination regulations of the individual examination/course.

(2) Unless otherwise stated in the examination regulations, see subsection (1), no examination aids, whether written or technical, are allowed in the examination room, except simple writing and drawing utensils.

(3) In cases where the examination regulations, see subsection (1), stipulate that electronic aids can be brought to the examination room, the provisions stipulated in Rules about written sit-in examinations at CBS, including rules about electronic aids apply.

22. The Study Board may decide to deviate from the examination regulations stipulated for the individual examination with the purpose of allowing students with special needs to sit examinations under special circumstances. Such exemption can be granted to students who are physically or mentally disabled, to students whose mother tongue is not Danish, and to students who have similar difficulties when this is considered necessary in order to place them on even terms with their fellow students in the examination situation. It is a condition that it does not change the academic level of the examination.

(2) When it is stipulated in the objectives of the examination in question that the student’s spelling and writing skills are included in the assessment, the Study Board may grant exemption from this to a student who is able to document a relevant and specific impairment.

(3) Students who wish to apply for permission to sit an exam under special circumstances according to subsection (1) or apply for an exemption according to subsection (2) must submit an application, including the necessary documentation, to the assistant to the Study Board no later than 1 month before the exam is to take place.

23. The university may conduct examinations at a Danish representation or at other locations abroad, provided the reason for doing so is that the student is unable to participate in the university's examinations in Denmark for practical or financial reasons and if the student and the exam location reach an appropriate agreement. Danish examinations held abroad must comply with all the other rules laid down in the Examination Order.

(2) The Programme Director decides whether the examination can be conducted abroad and appoints or approves invigilators and other persons to organise the practical aspects of conducting the examination abroad.

(3) The university defrays the special costs associated with conducting examinations abroad.

(4) The Ministerial Order on Payment for the Services of Civil Servants Serving Abroad (Bekendtgørelse om betaling for tjenestehandlinger i udenrigstjenesten) applies to conducting examinations at Danish representations abroad.

(5) The university may ask the student to pay part or all of the costs incurred by the university to conduct the examination abroad. However, it is a condition that the student confirms in writing in advance his or her willingness to pay the costs in question, on the basis of an estimate made by the university of the expected costs. The university may make it a condition for conducting the examination that the amount is paid in advance.

(6) When an examination is conducted abroad, the conditions and regulations in CBS’ guidelines for examinations conducted abroad apply.

24. Examinations are either internal or external:

• Internal examinations are assessed by one or more teachers (internal examiners) appointed by CBS from among the teachers at the university or from other universities that offer the same or similar study programmes.
• External examinations are assessed by one or more internal examiners and one external examiner (in Danish: censor) appointed by the Danish Agency for Science and Higher Education.

(2) It is stipulated in the exam regulations of the individual examination whether it is an internal or an external examination, see link in section 5.

(3) Assessment of the examinations is carried out in accordance with the Grading Scale Order.

(4) Compulsory assignments and class participation, see section 13, are assessed by the teacher(s) of the specific course. The assessment type ‘Approved/Not approved’ is used.

25. In connection with examinations where the result is not announced immediately after the examination, the result must be announced within 4 weeks after the examination has been held, see however subsection (2). The month of July is not included in the calculation of these 4 weeks.

(2) In connection with bachelor projects, master’s (candidatus) theses and master’s projects, the result must be announced no later than 6 weeks after the project/thesis has been submitted.

(3) When special circumstances warrant it, the Programme Director can set aside the deadlines stipulated in subsections (1) and (2). If the assessment cannot be completed by the fixed deadline, the student(s) must be notified as soon as possible and be informed about the reason for the delay and when the result will be announced.

26. Each examination must be passed separately. An examination shall be passed when the student achieves a grade of at least 02 or the assessment ‘Pass’.

(2) Each examination can be retaken separately. However, passed examinations cannot be retaken.

(3) If a grade consists of several partial grades for various categories of performance (partial examinations), the grade shall be the average of the partial grades, rounded off to the nearest grade on the grading scale, see however subsection (4). The grade shall be rounded up if the average is half-way between two grades.

(4) If the partial grades are given different weights when the combined grade is to be calculated, this is stipulated in the exam overview in section 5. If so, the grade shall be the sum of the individual grades, each multiplied by the weighting of the grade, divided by the sum of the weightings and then rounded off to the nearest grade on the grading scale. The grade shall be rounded up if the average is half-way between two grades.

(5) If an examination consists of partial examinations, each partial examination can be retaken separately. However, passed partial examinations and not-passed partial examinations that are part of a passed examination cannot be retaken.

(6) Any requirements about a certain grade on the grading scale being required as achieved in one or more partial examinations are stipulated in section 7.

(7) The calculation of the overall grade point average is based on the weights of the individual grades, which are listed in the table in section 5.

(8) If a student retakes an examination or another type of assessment, the highest grade applies – see however section 37(4) of the Examination Order.

27. Students have a maximum of three attempts in passing each examination. The Study Board may grant more attempts, if warranted by extraordinary circumstances. The question of academic aptitude may not be included when assessing whether extraordinary circumstances apply.

(2) Students who are to have their class participation assessed a second time may require an examination instead. However, where class participation includes practical exercises, it cannot be replaced by an examination.

28. CBS issues a diploma to students who have completed their study programme, in accordance with the requirements stipulated in section 31 of the Examination Order. The diploma is issued to the graduate no later than 2 months after the final examination has taken place and the grade has been published. July is not included in the calculation of these 2 months.

(2) Students who leave the programme without having completed it are entitled to receive a transcript documenting the completed parts of the programme, with the relevant number of ECTS credits stated.

29. It is not possible to be granted a leave of absence.

30. The programme regulations and various regulations etc. referred to in this document are publicly available on CBS’ website, more specifically onstudieordninger.cbs.dk and in the study administrative rules (SAR).

31. The university may, when warranted by extraordinary circumstances, grant exemptions from those rules in the programme regulations which are solely laid down by the university.

(2) An exemption from the programme regulations that requires an exemption from a ministerial order may be brought before the Danish Agency for Science and Higher Education.

32. Programme elements passed at another university are regarded as equivalent to corresponding programme elements covered by these study regulations.

33. The Study Board may grant approval for students to substitute passed programme elements from another Danish or foreign programme of the same level, for programme elements covered by these regulations.

(2) The Study Board may grant approval for students to substitute programme elements which are not yet passed from another Danish or foreign programme of the same level, for programme elements covered by these regulations, provided that the students subsequently pass the programme element in question (pre-approved credit transfer).

(3) Credit transfer of Master theses is not possible when the thesis is the basis of the awarding of a different title in another Master programme.

(4) Decisions on (1) and (2) are made on the basis of a professional assessment.

(5) Programme elements which students wish to have transferred from other programmes will be transferred on the basis of the normalised workload specified in ECTS points and stipulated in the relevant degree regulations. Due to the structure of the programme, discrepancies may occur between the equivalent number of ECTS credits and the actual amount of ECTS transferred, as the number of ECTS credits for the programme must total 60 ECTS.

34. If the programme element in question is assessed according to the 7-point grading scale or the 13-point grading scale at the academic institution at which the examination was taken, and if this programme element equates or replaces a programme element which according to the exam regulations of these study regulations is assessed according to the 7-point scale or the 13-point scale, the grade will be transferable, but converted into the 7-point scale if assessed according to the 13-point scale. In all other cases, the assessment will be transferred as ‘Pass’. Examinations transferred as ‘Pass’ are not included in the calculation of the final grade point average.

35. Applications for credit transfer (incl. pre-approval) must be sent to the Programme Office on a special form, with the relevant documentation enclosed.

(2) Concerning complaints about credit transfer decisions, see part 3.

Complaints about examinations etc.

36. A student is entitled to file a complaint about an examination or other assessment. Concerning the specific rules and procedures, including deadlines, for filing written and reasoned complaints reference is made to the rules in part 7 of the Examination Order and to CBS’ guidelines on CBS' student intranet.

Complaints about decisions concerning credit transfer

37. Complaints about decisions made by the Study Board on whether education qualifications acquired at another Danish University may replace parts of the programme (credit transfer) as well as complaints about the decisions made by the Study Board on whether Danish or foreign education qualifications, not yet passed, may replace parts of the programme (pre-approval of credit transfer), may be brought before the Appeals Board for decisions on credit transfer, see Ministerial Order no. 1517 of 16 December 2013 on the Appeals Board for decisions on credit transfer in university study programmes.

(2) The deadline for filing a complaint is 2 weeks from the date when the complainant was informed of the decision. The complaint must be addressed to the Appeals Board for decisions on credit transfer but sent to the President of CBS; the reasoned complaint should be sent to CBS Legal, Solbjerg Plads 3, 2000 Frederiksberg. It is also possible to send the complaint to: legal@cbs.dk. CBS has the option to process the application again. If the decision is upheld, CBS will forward the complaint to the Appeals Board, accompanied by a statement. CBS will give the complainant the opportunity to comment on the statement within a time limit of 1 week. The complainant’s comments, if any, will be enclosed when the complaint is forwarded to the Appeals Board. The Appeals Board will make the final administrative decision.

38. Complaints about decisions made by the Study Board on whether education qualifications acquired abroad may replace parts of the programme (credit transfer) may be brought before the Qualifications Board, see Assessment of Foreign Qualifications etc. Act.

(2) The deadline for filing a complaint is 4 weeks from the date when the complainant was informed of the decision. The complaint must be addressed to the Appeals Board for decisions on credit transfer but sent to the President of CBS; the reasoned complaint should be sent to CBS Legal, Solbjerg Plads 3, 2000 Frederiksberg. It is also possible to send the complaint to: legal@cbs.dk.. CBS has the option to process the application again. If the decision is upheld, CBS will forward the complaint to the Qualifications Board, accompanied by a statement. CBS will give the complainant the opportunity to comment on the statement, within a time limit of 1 week. The complainant’s comments, if any, will be enclosed when the complaint is forwarded to the Qualifications Board. The Qualifications Board will make the final administrative decision.

Complaints about other decisions

39. Complaints about decisions made by the Study Board or the Programme Director according to these study regulations have to be filed with the President of CBS. The deadline for filing a complaint is 2 weeks from the date when the complainant was informed of the decision.

(2) A decision made by CBS according to subsection (1) may be appealed by the complainant to the Danish Agency for Science and Higher Education when the complaint is concerned with an error of law or procedure. The deadline for lodging an appeal is 2 weeks from the date when the complainant was informed of the decision. The reasoned appeal should be addressed to the agency but sent to CBS Legal, Solbjerg Plads 3, 2000 Frederiksberg. It is also possible to send the complaint to: legal@cbs.dk. CBS will forward the appeal to the agency, accompanied by a statement. CBS will give the complainant the opportunity to comment on the statement, with a time limit of at least 1 week. The complainant’s comments, if any, will be enclosed with the other case files when the appeal is forwarded to the agency. 

(3) Moreover, students are referred to CBS’ Guidelines regarding students' right to file a complaint about decisions made by study boards, programme directors and programme administration.

Complaints about the teaching etc.

40. Complaints about the teaching, academic supervision or other issues concerning the organisation of the degree programme can be brought before the Study Board.

41. These Programme Regulations are effective for students enrolled in the programme in September 2018 or later, and for students who are transferred to these Programme Regulations, see section 42.

(2) The 2017 Programme Regulations are repealed as of 1 September 2018.

42. Students who began their studies under the 2017 Programme Regulations or according to the transition regulations in those regulations were transferred to the 2017 regulations are transferred to these 2018 Programme Regulations, so that these Programme Regulations are effective for the remainder of the programme.