OIE - Master of Science (MSc) in Social Sciences in Organizational Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Pursuant to section 45 of Ministerial Order no. 1119 of 19 September 2025 on Full-time Programmes at Universities and Corporate Master Programmes (the University Programme Order); Ministerial Order no. 288 of 17 February 2026 on Admission and Enrolment on Full-time Programmes at Universities and Corporate Master Programmes (the Admission Order); Ministerial Order no. 1121 of 19 September 2025 on University Examinations and Assessments (the Examination Order) and Ministerial Order no. 1125 of 4 July 2022 on the Grading Scale 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.

Part 1: Programme specific regulations

Part 2: General regulations for master's (candidatus) programmes

  12. Teaching and examination language
  13. Prerequisites for participating in the exam: compulsory activities
  14. Registration for and withdrawal from courses and exams
  15. Re-exams
  16. Extraordinary re-exams and offers of re-assessment / re-exam
  17. Entrepreneurs
  18. Examination forms
  19. Examination rules
  20. Examination aids
  21. Examinations under special circumstances
  22. Conducting virtual examinations and examinations abroad
  23. Assessment
  24. Announcement of results
  25.-26. Pass requirements and exam attempts
  27. Diploma
  28. Leave
  29. Programme regulations
  30. Exemption from the programme regulations
  31.-34. Credit transfer

Part 3: Complaints

Commencement and transition regulations

1A. No bachelor degree gives the right to admission to the MSc of Social Sciences in Organizational Innovation and Entrepreneurship programme.

(2) The following bachelor degrees give access to admission to this programme, see however subsections (4) and (6):

From CBS:

• BA IMK
• HA PRO
• HA(kom.)
• HA(psyk.)
• BSc in Business Administration & Sociology
• HA(fil.)
• BLC
• ASP
• IBP
• BSc in Business Administration & Service Management
• HA Almen
• IB
• HA(it.)
• HA(mat.).

From other educational institutions:

• Bachelor in Organisatorisk Læring (AAU).

(3) Admission to the MSc of Social Sciences in Organizational Innovation and Entrepreneurship programme requires that the applicant has completed a qualifying bachelor degree, among these  a professional bachelor degree, or other Danish or foreign degree at the same level. During the education the applicant must have covered the following academic disciplines to a sufficient degree on an overall, individual assessment:

Min. 30 ECTS-points within one or more of the following areas:

• Organisation
• Management
• Strategy
• Innovation and entrepreneurship
• Social science methodology
• Media, communication and design.

(4) The language requirement is English A, see: cbs.dk/graduateadmission.

(5) Standard assessments of a number of degrees from CBS or other universities are available on cbs.dk/graduateadmission.

 (6) In the event that there are more applicants who fulfil the admission requirements than there are places offered at this programme, the selection shall be made according to criteria laid down in advance and published on cbs.dk/graduateadmission.

(7) Available at cbs.dk/graduateadmission are the application and admission procedures, including deadlines, as well as information about the date when the offer or the rejection of a place of study is made and about the requirement to accept a place of study.

2. The Master of Science  (MSc) in Social Sciences programme is a graduate, theoretical degree program based on a relevant bachelor or corresponding degree.

(2) The objective of the Master of Science (MSc) in Social Sciences programme is to qualify graduates to identify and analyze complex social and business economic issues based on theoretical and methodological competencies and skills in a diversity of academic and professional traditions, thus preparing them to serve in private and public enterprises and organizations.

(3) With these acquired competencies and skills, graduates, through a use of a combination of a holistic outlook and specialist knowledge, will be able to make use of their in-depth knowledge of the field while simultaneously absorbing, producing and applying new information when solving social and business economic issues.

(4) Throughout the programme, students also receive training in handling and solving cross-disciplinary issues in collaboration with individuals that have the same or a different educational background.

(5) The purpose with the Master of Science (MSc) in Social Sciences in Organizational Innovation and Entrepreneurship (OIE) is to develop students with knowledge, skills and competencies that enable them to:

• Act as innovator and entrepreneur primarily in contexts of formal organizations, as well as analyze the conditions for innovation and entrepreneurship in such contexts.

(6) The OIE programme will provide the means for the student to develop these competences. The programme builds on a learning philosophy that combines developing theoretical-analytical skills with developing competency to identify problems and solutions in concrete contexts – provided by cases and guest lecturers. Innovation and Entrepreneurship in organizational contexts are therefore related to a thorough insight into how management and organization operate so as to be able to diagnose the conditions for the new in such organizational contexts. This overall purpose is pursued by focusing on three primary areas of skills and knowledge, which together forms the basis for the competency profile of the organizational innovator/entrepreneur:

• Analytical skills: The student learns to independently identify, analyze and provide adequate solutions for problems/challenges related to innovation and entrepreneurship within organizational settings. The student will learn to master knowledge of organizational entrepreneurship and to apply this in specific contexts.

• Communicative skills: The student learns to argue for, promote, and proficiently communicate entrepreneurial/innovative ideas in ways that take managerial decision-making as a necessary but insufficient point of departure for organizational innovation and entrepreneurship.

• Organizational skills: The student learns to analyze and understand the organizational conditions under which innovation and entrepreneurship take place. This involves a clear understanding of the organizational conditions (i.e. organizational politics, governance, power-relations and the role of informal decision-making), but also an ability to promote, create and facilitate the conditions necessary for organizational innovation and entrepreneurship (i.e. managing and leading heterogeneous groups).

(7) The competency profile will thus be achieved by giving the student the knowledge and skills:

• To analyze, promote and organize organizational innovation and entrepreneurship on the conceptual/theoretical basis of: Innovation (including art, aesthetics, and creativity), Management (including innovation and strategic management), Entrepreneurship, Knowledge Creation (including method and methodology), Leadership and Organization Studies.

(8) These competencies will be achieved by learning processes that give the OIE students opportunities to:

• Independently apply concepts and methods in concrete case studies focused on processes of entrepreneurship (entrepreneurial value creation), innovation and organizational creativity, as well as on managing and leading such processes.

• Promote entrepreneurial ideas, arguments and methods in an academically as well as a business oriented manner.

• Perform in and make creative use of dynamic and heterogeneous (i.e. multidisciplinary, multicultural and diverse) groups.

• Write and communicate with academic rigor so as to become skilled in analyzing and presenting complex problems in a clear, logically well-structured, and convincing manner.

(9) Having acquired the above mentioned knowledge, skills and competencies the OIE student is well suited to take on positions within a wide range of both traditional and more experimental positions across the private, public and non-profit sectors. Examples hereof could be:

• Idea and business development

• Organizational development

• Innovation management departments (best-practice development, leadership and creativity development etc.)

• Management Consultancy

• Personal Assistant to Executive Directors

• Various analyst and project management positions

(10) The programme is team- and case-oriented and aims at qualifying the student to immediately assume the responsibilities of assisting, coordinating and leading projects within organizational innovation and entrepreneurship and to help build organizational, managerial and leadership competencies within these fields.

3. The Study Board has developed a competency profile, which describes the expected learning outcomes of this degree programme Organizational Innovation and Entrepreneurship (OIE).

Purpose and academic profile

At the MSoc.Sc programme in Organizational Innovation and Entrepreneurship (OIE) students acquire deep business knowledge and competencies that prepare them to act as innovators and entrepreneurs in and beyond organizational contexts. The programme offers a range of theoretical perspectives and interdisciplinary, practice-oriented training that develop students’ creative, critical and reflexive thinking and enable them to understand the changing conditions for innovation and entrepreneurship. OIE students attain the skills to analyze and work with risk, uncertainty, and ambiguity, and the competencies to apply theories and methodologies of organization, entrepreneurship, and innovation to provide creative and practical solutions to organizational, social, and environmental challenges.

The OIE programme equips students with the analytical skills required to understand the local, organizational, societal, and global contexts in which organizations and entrepreneurial processes are embedded. Students develop core organizational, managerial, and leadership competencies that qualify them to assume the responsibilities of coordinating and leading projects within organizational innovation and entrepreneurship. Particularly, students are trained in managing and leading collaborations between dynamic and heterogeneous (i.e., multidisciplinary and multicultural) teams, to foster and utilize curiosity and creativity, and to drive entrepreneurial processes that develop ethical and effectual solutions to contemporary challenges, opportunities, and dilemmas.

OIE graduates occupy a range of traditional and more experimental positions across the private, public, and non-profit sectors. Examples hereof are: Start-ups (as founder or employee); idea and business development (such as incubators, accelerators, corporate venturing); organizational development and change management; innovation department positions (best-practice development, leadership, creativity development etc.); management consultancy; and analyst and project management positions.

Learning outcomes

Upon completion of the OIE programme, the graduate is expected to know / be able to:

Knowledge Upon completion, the graduate is able to:

• Explain and critically discuss research-based theories and current debates in organizational innovation, entrepreneurship, and intrapreneurship, and relate them to different phases of an organization/venture life cycle. 
• Account for and evaluate how organizational, societal and regulatory/governmental conditions shape innovation and entrepreneurial processes in formal organizations and innovation ecosystems. 
• Explain and justify how knowledge is generated in a studio-based learning process through iterative making, critique, and reflection, including the role of social science methods as foundations for evidence and learning. 

Skills Upon completion, the graduate is able to:

• Frame and investigate complex innovation problems using human-centered and organizational inquiry methods, and synthesize insights into an explicit opportunity/problem thesis with criteria for action. 
• Design, conduct, and document iterative experiments (e.g., prototypes, tests, pilots, stakeholder trials) and analyze qualitative/quantitative evidence to argue and decide under uncertainty 
• Develop and communicate a coherent venture or intrapreneurial initiative, including value proposition, business model/implementation logic, and resource strategy, and present it convincingly in academic and professional formats (written, oral and visual). 

Competences Upon completion, the graduate is able to:

• Lead and facilitate studio-based innovation processes in teams by structuring iterative cycles, managing risk/ambiguity, and driving progress from insight to validated concept and next-step plan. 
• Collaborate and build commitment across diverse stakeholders by facilitating heterogeneous groups, navigating tensions and interests, and mobilizing organizational support for innovation and entrepreneurship in formal organizations. 
• Exercise responsible and reflective judgment by identifying and addressing ethical dilemmas and societal/environmental implications, and documenting learning, decisions and trade-offs in a professional portfolio and thesis-ready work process. 

4. The OIE programme is a two-year master programme with a mandatory first year and a personalized second year with options for students.

(2) The first year consists of four consecutive quarters. In each quarter students have one lecture and one studio course.

Lecture courses are focused around lectures and case-discussions within a primarily reflective pedagogical mode. Studio-courses are activity-based and problem-oriented, and wraps learning into a generative relationship between theory and practice focusing on experiential education in facilitated groups. Students learn by making, constantly referring back and forth between local solutions and general theories.

Studio courses:

The studio courses will follow a life cycle model of the organization with each course progressively contributing to the larger picture of the organizational life cycle. In Q1, students start by exploring models and prototypes of new ideas/inventions. In Q2, they address the issue of turning those ideas and plans into an organization through 'Entrepreneurial Processes'. In Q3, students discuss options to organize growth, i.e. growing businesses to become more competitive or more sustainable, and exit options.  Together the first three studio courses encourage students to reflect on the entire life cycle of the company and develop a better understanding of the specific challenges at different points in that life cycle. The structure also highlights how decisions taken early in the life cycle shape options at later points in time.

The last studio course in the first, mandatory year of the programme introduces students in a very practical manner to social science methods (quantitative and qualitative) and their application to real-life business problems. It thus brings together many of the previously taught tools and analytical frameworks explicitly reflecting on their methodological foundations and prepares students for their master’s theses.

Lecture courses:

The parallel lecture courses offer four different complementary perspectives on the phenomenon of entrepreneurship and organizational innovation. The four perspectives highlighted are:

1. Context
2. Strategic Management
3. Design
4. Social

(3) In Q1, students are introduced theoretically and conceptually to 'Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Context'. Q2 channels students’ attention towards the issue of strategic management and how innovations in the context of organizations require a managerial framing. Q3 complements the previous perspectives with a design-approach to innovation, discussing options for designing product and system innovations. Q4 discusses social perspectives on entrepreneurial ventures.

(4) The teaching consists of lectures, case analyses, study visits, readings, group presentations, experimental group and individual exercises (studio pedagogy).

(5) The below table lists the structure of the programme and the ECTS credits of the individual courses (30 ECTS per semester). The course descriptions are available in the online course catalogue. Direct links are inserted in the below table.

4A. The master's (candidatus) thesis must document skills in applying scientific theories and methodologies to a clearly defined academic topic. The thesis must be placed at the second year of study of the master’s candidatus programme.

(2) The Programme Director, or the person the Programme Director has empowered to do so, approves the research question of the master’s thesis and at the same time determines a submission deadline for the thesis, see subsection (3), and a plan for the thesis supervision. The deadline for submitting the thesis contract is 15 November in the student’s 3^rd semester, by submission of the thesis contract; see however section 14(3). See also section 19(7).

(3) The deadline for submitting the thesis is 15 May in the student’s 4th semester, and it is not possible to withdraw from the exam once the thesis contract has been approved. If the student does not submit within the deadline, the student has used one examination attempt, unless a dispensation has been granted under section 14(7).

(4) If the student does not submit the thesis within the time frame specified in subsection (3), the Programme Director, or the person the Programme Director has empowered to do so, approves a modified problem formulation within the same field and lays down a new three-month deadline for submission at the same time. If the student does not submit the thesis by the new deadline, the student may be granted a third examination attempt, see the Examination Order, in accordance with the same rules which applied to the second examination attempt.

(5) The rules in subsection (4) also apply for a master’s thesis for which the student has not obtained at least the grade 02, see the Grading Scale Order.

(6) The thesis block consists of the preparation of a written Master’s thesis for the purpose of testing the student’s ability for in-depth studies of academic areas and independent description, analysis and processing of a complex issue at Master’s level.

(7) The student chooses the topic of the Master’s thesis within the overall topic and academic profile of the programme concentration. In extraordinary cases the Study Board may approve a deviation from this rule.

(8) The Master’s thesis must be written and handed in in English and the standard is that the oral exam is in English as well.

4b. In the 3rd semester, students must take electives equivalent to 30 ECTS credits. The electives may be selected from the list of courses approved by the Markets & Innovation Study Board for the programme. Students may choose to take their electives at CBS and CBS Summer University, at other Danish universities as credit-transfer students, or through credit transfer from a study-abroad semester at a foreign university or business school. All courses must be at the graduate level.

(1) It is possible to take an approved internship on the 3^rd semester. It is a prerequisite for pre-approval that the student finds an internship and a CBS supervisor. For more information, see the Internship pages on the student intranet and the course description in the online course catalogue. Direct link is inserted in the table below.

8.-10. (Not in use.)

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

13. In addition to the examinations referred to in section 5, which form part of the overall examination result, courses may include compulsory activities. This means that, as part of the teaching, one or more written assignments must be submitted and/or one or more oral presentations or other compulsory activities must be completed. It is a requirement for participation in the final examination of the course that the required number of compulsory activities have been submitted/completed and approved by the teacher before a specified deadline. Further provisions regarding the number, form and other conditions of the activities are set out in the course description for the individual course.

(2) The student’s effort is assessed as “approved/not approved” based on whether the assignment has been attempted/answered or whether the activity has been carried out. A blank or irrelevant submission does not count as participation in the activity.

(3) If the student does not fulfil the requirements for participation in the examination, one examination attempt is used, cf. section 14(6), however see subsections (4)–(5).

(4) A student who, after expiry of the deadline set out in subsection (1), lacks approval of one or more activities in relation to the required number of approved activities in the course may, following an individual assessment and to a reasonable extent, be given one or more additional assignments or participate in one or more additional activities prior to the ordinary examination (first examination attempt) in the final examination of the course. This is subject to the condition that the student has participated in all set activities, unless the lack of submission/participation is due to exceptional circumstances such as illness. If necessary for practical reasons, this may involve a different type of activity or resubmission of a previously non-approved piece of work in a revised form.

(5) A student who, prior to the re-examination (second examination attempt) in the final examination of the course, still lacks approval of one or more activities in relation to the required number of approved activities in the course, may, to a reasonable extent, be given additional assignments or activities prior to the re-examination. This is subject to the condition that the student has participated in all set activities, unless the lack of submission/participation is due to exceptional circumstances such as illness.

(6) A student who has not participated in any of the compulsory activities is not eligible to be given additional activities prior to either the ordinary examination or the re-examination. The student will have used one examination attempt and will be deregistered from the re-examination.

(7) A student who is to participate in a re-examination under a later programme regulation is not subject to any requirements for compulsory activities that may have been introduced in the course after the first time the student was registered for the course.

14. CBS registers the student for the 60 ECTS credits comprising the coming year of study, and in addition CBS makes a semestrial registration for the student to any not completed courses from previous years of study.

(2) The students register for electives via the Self Service. Students not registered for mandatory courses and electives for a total of minimum 60 ECTS in a year of study, must register for electives, including summer school courses, corresponding to the lacking ECTS credits in the coming year of study, resulting in the student being registered for a minimum of 60 ECTS credits in the coming year of study.

(3) Within a withdrawal period, the students could withdraw from courses they are registered for if the registration made under subsection (1) is more than 60 ECTS for a year of study/30 ECTS for a semester, so that the individual student is registered for a total of 60 ECTS for a year of study/30 ECTS for a semester. There is a withdrawal period before both the spring semester and the autumn semester.

(4) The student can be deregistered from one or more courses or course elements where 1) the students is an elite athlete, or where 2) there are extraordinary circumstances, including impairment, and where the student will be unable to fulfil the registration requirement, or where 3) the student is an entrepreneur, see section 18, or where 4) the student is the chairperson of a voluntary organisation under Dansk Ungdoms Fællesråd (DUF) and where the student will be unable to fulfil the registration requirement. Deadlines for submitting dispensation applications are determined on the student intranet.

(5) When selecting students for elective courses, a draw is made among the students who fulfil the conditions for taking the elective course in question if there are more applicants for the course than there are available places. For certain electives the selection is not made by lot, but on the basis of a motivational essay; this will be stated on the list with the offered electives on cbs.dk.

(6) Students are automatically registered for an examination or examinations when they are registered for a course or course element with which one or more examinations are associated. Withdrawal from the ordinary exam (1^st examination attempt) is not possible, and students have used an examination attempt, see section 27(1), unless an exemption has been granted pursuant to subsection (7).  Students who do not fulfil the requirements for participating in the examination as laid down by the university, see section 13(1), have used an examination attempt, see section 27(1), unless an exemption has been granted pursuant to subsection (7).

(7) The university may grant exemptions from the rules set out in subsection (6) where 1) the students is an elite athlete, or where 2) there are extraordinary circumstances, including impairment, or where 3) the student is an entrepreneur, see section 18, or where 4) the student is the chairperson of a voluntary organisation under Dansk Ungdoms Fællesråd (DUF), see the University Programme Order. Deadlines for submitting dispensation applications are determined on the student intranet.

(8) When a student has used one or more exam attempts in a mandatory course or elective, the student cannot deregister from the course, see s. 56(1) of the University Programme Order.

(9) The university may grant an exemption to the rule stipulated in subsection (8) if warranted by extraordinary circumstances. When assessing whether extraordinary circumstances apply, none of these circumstances can be taken into consideration: prolongation of the period of study; academic aptitude; and the student’s desires as regards the academic content of the degree programme. In addition, for an exemption to be granted, the extraordinary circumstance must be both directly linked to the course in question and, over a longer period, be preventing the student from completing the mandatory course.

15. Students are automatically registered for the re-exam (2^nd and 3^rd examination attempt) when the student has not passed the exam in question. Within a deadline, the student can withdraw from a re-exam (2^nd and 3^rd examination attempt), see subsection (5). However, it is not possible to withdraw from the 2^nd and 3^rd examination attempt as regards the master’s thesis. If the student has not withdrawn within the deadline, the student has used and examination attempt, see section 27(1).

(2) On programmes with two annual examination periods (semester examinations), students who have not passed an ordinary examination are automatically registered for the re-exam (2^nd examination attempt) in the same examination period or immediately thereafter.

(3) On programmes with more examination periods than in subsection (2), students who have not passed an ordinary examination are automatically registered for the re-exam (2^nd examination attempt), which will be held as soon as possible; however, no later than six months after the ordinary examination.

(4) The rules on automatic registration for a re-exam (2^nd examination attempt) are dispensed with if the student is not offered the opportunity to fulfil the requirements laid down pursuant to section 13(1) and (3) before the second examination attempt is held. The student is registered for the next examination attempt as soon as possible.

(5) The deadline for withdrawal from an examination is 1 month before the start of the examination in question. However, a student who awaits an assessment is exempt from this deadline as regards the re-exam of the course in question.

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

(7) Re-exams are subject to the learning objectives of the ordinary examination of the examination in question.

(8) Re-exams are conducted according to the examination regulations of the ordinary examination of the examination in question, except when:

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

(9) It is not possible to determine another examination form for the re-exam of the master’s thesis.

16. If an extraordinary re-examination is arranged or offered in accordance with section 30 of the Examination Order (regarding examination irregularities) or the offer of a re-evaluation/re-examination is given in accordance with section 38 or 41 of the Examination Order (regarding complaints about the exam), the re-examination is subject to the learning objectives of the ordinary 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.

17. Students who are entrepreneurs in parallel with their studies must document that they are either self-employed with a turnover and productive assets or are part of an entrepreneurial environment, e.g. university incubators and regional growth environments, cf. section 14 (2) of the University Programme Order.

(2) A student who has a registered CVR number in a start-up company with relevance for the student’s studies or is able to document that he/she has been enrolled in one of the programmes which are offered by Copenhagen School of Entrepreneurship (CSE) or the like is considered an entrepreneur under subsection (1). The student must follow the registered entrepreneurship programme in accordance with the continuous requirements of the programme.

18. 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, it must be stated in the group product which parts of the product the individual student has written, so that individual assessments can be made of the individual students’ performances. It must be stated both in the table of contents and at the introduction of the parts of the product which the individual student is responsible for. The individual student’s student number is to be noted, not the student’s name. The introduction, the problem statement, methodology sections, and the conclusion – including any subconclusions – can be written jointly. If it within the given exam format makes sense to write other relevant sub-elements of the assignment jointly, it must be described in the exam regulations in the course description for the course.

(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 thesis individually. When the master's thesis 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.

(9) If the written element is of a limited extent and only serves as a basis for a broader oral examination in the syllabus (e.g. as at an oral exam based on a synopsis) it will usually be the oral element that constitutes the central basis of the evaluation. The written element will usually only have a marginal effect on the grade.

(10) If the written element clearly constitutes a greater part of the effort, and is therefore the element most central in achieving the learning objectives for this exam (e.g. as a final written exam with oral defense), it will usually be this element that constitutes the central basis of the evaluation. The oral element will usually only have a marginal effect on the grade.

19. 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, as stipulated in the relevant course description, see links in section 5.
• Rules about written sit-in examinations at CBS, including rules about electronic aids, see section 21(3).
• Rules about online oral exams
• Rules on good academic conduct, see section 4 of Copenhagen Business School’s rules and regulations on academic conduct, including penalties.

(2) Audio and video recordings of an examination or of the examiners’ discussion of a student’s performance are not allowed, unless such recordings are considered an integral part of the examination process. Such recordings will then be made by CBS.

(3) It is stipulated in the examination regulations of the individual examination what the maximum number of pages is for a given written product. This pertains to the examination forms written home assignment and oral exam based on a written product. In addition, the following applies for the written product with these two examination forms:

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. The table of contents, 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.

(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 subsection (3)-(4) or form requirements laid down under section 19(4) may result in a rejection of the exam paper, see section 22 of the Examination Order. If the exam paper is rejected, it will not be assessed, and the student will have used an exam attempt.

20. 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.

21. 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 via dispensation.cbs.dk. no later than 2 months before the exam is to take place.

22. The university may conduct oral exams as virtual examinations.  

(2) The university decides, when warranted by special extraordinary circumstances, whether - an oral exam can be conducted as an online oral exam.

(3) When an examination is conducted as a virtual exam CBS’s rules about online oral exams apply.

22a. 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 university decides whether the examination can be conducted abroad and appoints or approves 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 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’s guidelines for examinations conducted abroad apply.

23. 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 Higher Education and Science.

(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.

24. In connection with written examinations, the result must be announced within 4 weeks after the activity is conducted, see however subsection

(2). When special circumstances warrant it, the university can set aside the deadlines stipulated in subsections (1). 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.

25. 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. If no such requirements are stipulated in section 7 the overall course must be passed. Thus, a partial grade can be -03 or 00 if the total grade according to subsection 4 is at least 02.

(7) If an elective course has partial exams, the pass requirements for the specific elective course apply.

(8) 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.

(9) If a student retakes an examination or another type of assessment, the highest grade applies – see however section 42 of the Examination Order.

26. Students have a maximum of three attempts in passing each examination, see however subsection (2) and section 16(3). 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) No later than 16 months after the end of the teaching of the course, the student must participate in the third examination attempt if the course is no longer offered. If the course is offered each semester, the deadline for completing the course is 10 months after the end of the teaching of the course.

(3) 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.

27. CBS issues a diploma to students who have completed their study programme, in accordance with the requirements stipulated in the Examination Order. The diploma is issued to the graduate no later than 2 months after the announcement of the result of the final examination. 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 and letter according to the ECTS-scale.

28. A student may be granted leave from the programme on personal grounds. The specific rules for obtaining leave and the provisions that apply to students while on leave are stipulated in CBS’s Rules regarding leave on bachelor and master programmes at CBS.

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

30. 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 Higher Education and Science.

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

(2) 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.

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

32. Students who, as part of their studies, wish to complete programme elements at another university or another institution of higher education in Denmark or abroad may apply to their home university for pre-approved credit transfer for planned programme elements.

(2) Pre-approval of a programme element to substitute an element is granted according to a professional assessment, and if the student has not already used an exam attempt in the element.

(3) Approval of pre-approved credit transfer pursuant to subsection (1) may only be granted if, in connection with the application for preapproved credit transfer, the student undertakes to submit to the home university the necessary documentation to show whether the programme elements have been passed or failed upon completion of the programme elements for which pre-approved credit transfer has been granted. Students must also consent to the home university requesting the necessary information from the host institution if students are unable to procure the documentation themselves.

(4) Once documentation is available that the student has passed the programme elements for which pre-approved credit transfer has been granted, the home university administratively approves the transfer of the credit to the relevant programme at the university.

(5) In cases where the programme elements for which pre-approved credit transfer has been granted are, for example, not offered by the host institution, the university may, upon the student's request, change the approval of pre-approved credit transfer pursuant to subsection (1). The student is responsible for and is obliged to take the initiative to compose a proposal for a study plan. The university offers academic support if requested by the student. In special cases, the chair of the Study Board may approve changes to the Study Board’s decisions about pre-approved credit transfer.

(6) Decisions under subsections (1) and (5) are made on the basis of a professional assessment.

(7) 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.

 33. Programme elements which students wish to have transferred from other programmes will be transferred on the basis of the normalised workload specified in ECTS credits 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 creditstransferred, as the number of ECTS credits for the programme must total the number of ECTS credits stated in section 1(1).

(2) 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.

34. Applications for pre-approval or credit transfer must be sent to the Study Board via credit.cbs.dk. See guidance on credit transfer applications on the student intranet.

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

35. [not in use]

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 9 of the Examination Order and to CBS’s guidelines on CBS's 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. 826 of 16 June 2023 on credit transfer in university study programmes (meritbekendtgørelsen).

(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 Act no 579 of 1 June 2014 on Assessment of Foreign Qualifications etc.

(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 programme regulations may be appealed to the Danish Agency for Higher Education and Science 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’s 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 on the programme in September 2026 or later, and for students who are transferred to these Programme Regulations, see section 42.

(2) The 2025 Programme Regulations are repealed as of 1 September 2026.

42. Students who began their studies under the 2025 Programme Regulations or according to the transition regulations in those regulations were transferred to the 2025 regulations are transferred to these 2026 Programme Regulations, so that these are effective for the remainder of the programme.