DIB - Corporate Part-Time Master in Master of Science (MSc) in Business Administration and Digital Business

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 corporate 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. Study start test
  17. Extraordinary re-exams and offers of re-assessment / re-exam
  18. Entrepreneurs
  19. Examination forms
  20. Examination rules
  21. Examination aids
  22. Examinations under special circumstances
  23. Conducting virtual examinations ans examinations abroad
  24. Assessment
  25. Announcement of results
  26.-27. Pass requirements and exam attempts
  28. Diploma
  29. Leave
  30. Programme regulations
  31. Exemption from the programme regulations
  32.-35. Credit transfer

Part 3: Complaints

Commencement and transition regulations

1. Students who successfully complete the programme earn the degree Master of Science (MSc) in Business Administration and Digital Business, in Danish cand.merc. i erhvervsøkonomi og digital business   (candidatus/candidata mercaturae), abbreviated cand.merc.(digital business).

(2) This programme is governed by the Study Board for Digitalisation, Technology and Communication.

(3) The master's (candidatus) programme is a four year part-time programme, corresponding to 120 ECTS credits. The deadline for completing the programme is the rated time of study + one year after the student commenced the programme. Leave periods, if any, are not included in this time frame. Level of qualification: Master’s degree at NQF/EQF Level 7 referring to Second Cycle in the Bologna QF.

(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.

1A. The CBS bachelor degree Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Digital Management gives the right to admission to the MSc in Business Administration and Digital Business programme, even if there are a limited number of places offered. A precondition for this right to admission is that the applicant is admitted to this programme no later than three years after completion of the bachelor’s degree. This right to admission can only be used once.

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

From CBS:

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

From other educational institutions:

• Global Business Informatics (ITU)
• Bachelor i Digitale medier og design (ITU)
• BA i kommunikation og IT (KU)
• Bachelor i Kommunikation (RUC)
• HA Almen (SDU)
• Informationsvidenskab, it og interaktionsdesign (SDU).

(3) Admission to the MSc in Business Administration and Digital Business programme requires 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:

• Business administration
• IT
• Media, communication and design
• Politics/culture/society studies.

(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.

1B. The additional admission and enrolment requirements pertaining to the corporate master programme are available on CBS' homepage.

1C. Admission may be granted to applicants who do not meet the requirements stated in section 1A, but who, based on an individual assessment, are deemed to possess corresponding educational qualifications; in this connection students may be required to pass supplementary courses or tests.

1C. The applicant must have an relevant employment contract with a public or private employer based on the qualifying bachelor’s degree or another Danish or international qualification at the same level. In special cases, however, the University may approve that the applicant has entered into employment contracts with two different employers, provided that the combined working hours under the two contracts meet the required weekly workload. Each employment relationship must independently satisfy the academic relevance requirements applicable to the nature of the employment. The agreed working time (annual workload) must correspond to at least 25 hours per week. 

(2) In the case of employment with an employer, documentation must be provided demonstrating that both the employer and the student are aware of the purpose and conditions of the corporate part-time Master's programme (erhvervskandidatuddannelse). In addition, a description must be provided of the relationship between the employment and the programme, including the expected weekly working hours. 

(3) The employment requirement may also be satisfied if the applicant is an entrepreneur operating a professionally relevant business with turnover and income-generating activities, or if the applicant is affiliated with a public or private entrepreneurial environment. Documentation of the entrepreneurial activity must be provided. 

(4) If the student no longer fulfils the employment requirement, the student cannot continue in the porporate Part-time MSc Programme in Business Administration and Digital Business but must instead be offered enrolment in the full-time MSc Programme in Business Administration and Digital Business. 

(5) Transfer of enrolment shall normally take effect from the beginning of the next semester. The University may permit a postponement of the transfer; however, a student may not remain enrolled in the corporate part-time MSc programme for a full semester without fulfilling the employment requirement.

(6) As part of the transfer to the full-time MSc programme, the University shall make a decision regarding credit transfer in accordance with the rules laid down in the Danish Executive Order on Credit Transfer (Meritbekendtgørelsen).

2.  Based on the student's knowledge and insight into practices within Digital Business’ combination of business, business technical and legal/policy fields, a candidate who has completed MSc in Business Administration and Digital Business will have attained a variety of skills.

(2) The candidate will be able to perform specialist functions that require knowledge and skills grounded in the highest international research in business and information technology (IT) issues, both in terms of planning, implementation, and evaluation of specific solutions.

(3) The programme's interdisciplinary focus allows the candidate to conceptualize, develop and communicate approaches and solutions based on scientific theories and methods within both technical, business, and legal/policy subjects. The student will get a common master's degree which will enable them to bring business-oriented IT professionalism and entrepreneurial skills into the respective fields of their undergraduate educational background and beyond.

(4) The focus in the programme is particularly on the candidate's mastering of the methods, tools and skills related to digital business design and implementation of solutions within areas such as online marketing, digital entrepreneurship, design, ensuring secure, legal and ethical business behaviour, digital business alignment and strategy. Building on a research foundation, the candidate will be able to identify and describe problems as well as initiate and develop business solutions in these areas. The candidate may independently initiate development projects in said areas and generate new knowledge and skills within the context of digitalization of businesses and organizations.

(5) Throughout the programme, the candidate will acquire the ability to work both collaboratively and independently with externally defined problems as well as problems identified by the candidates themselves.

(6) The candidate is able to take responsibility for the completion and quality of assignments and projects, and the programme creates the prerequisites for the candidate’s entry into various relevant professional networks. This independence also enables the candidate to evaluate his/her own professionalism and abilities, as well as the limits of his/her abilities.

(7) The high professional level of the MSc in Business Administration and Digital Business leads to the candidate’s ability to, from a critical angle, discuss and assess the most useful theories and methods in relation to a given problem, and develop innovative approaches and solutions. This applies to both commercial research and development as well as academic and broader societal research issues.

3. Competency Profile for MSc in Business Administration and Digital Business

The MSc in Business Administration and Digital Business is a full-time and part-time (‘corporate master’) graduate programme at Copenhagen Business School. Graduates from the Digital Business programme will have obtained foundational insights and practical skills with the development of digital technologies, proficiency with the strategic- and tactical aspects of current and emergent digital business landscapes, as well as legal-, policy, and security related issues pertaining to the field of digitalization.

The graduate will be able to perform specialist functions that require technical- and communicative skills and insights based on the highest international research in information technology (IT) and prevailing business issues within the broader area of digitalization.

All graduates will be trained in programming, strategic and tactical tools for digital business, as well as EU Internet law, legal/policy issues, as well as information and cyber security. This aids the graduate in facilitating and collaborating in decision making within a complex digital economy, enabling them to invent and support new ways of doing business. These constitute skills that are particularly relevant for the development of small/medium sized companies and organizations.

The programme’s technical and interdisciplinary focus provides the graduate with skills to develop and communicate about IT solutions based on state-of-the-art research and recognised methods within technical-, business-, legal/policy- and security related areas covered in the programme.

The Digital Business programme aligns with the overall strategy of Copenhagen Business School with a particular emphasis on the increasing role of digital organizational innovativeness, an entrepreneurial mindset, as well as the complex links between instigating and facilitating digital business processes, ensure ethical- and legal compliance, and aid information- and cyber security practices in companies and organizations.

Specifically, the MSc in Business Administration and Digital Business programme allows the students to gain the needed knowledge and competences to:

• Analyse current and emerging digital business practices and how information technologies may be utilized to further specific business goals for private or public companies and organizations.
• Facilitate productive communications between technical, strategy/business and legal/security-oriented units in companies and organizations.
• Analyse business-, customer-, and legal/security related requirements for technology implementation in companies and the innovative deployment of digital solutions.
• Design IT architectures and develop information technology to support successful digitalization efforts.
• Evaluate new digital products, services, and solutions from a practical business perspective, thereby supporting the company’s decisions about digitalization efforts and expansion into new ways of working or doing business.
• Collaborate in cross-disciplinary teams that work with the digitalization of businesses or organizations.
• Communicate fluently and professionally about business relevant perspectives on digitalization in English.

As a basis for the above competencies, the successful graduate must engage in learning activities that deliver:

• An integrated core competency in a high-level programming language, the deployment of design and programming for new products and services, a tactical and strategic understanding of the digital business landscape, understanding and EU Internet law, as well as information- and cyber security.
• An integrated core competency that advances the students ability to cross disciplinary team work on problem-oriented projects in the field of digital business.
• An advanced understanding of contemporary issues, opportunities, and concerns regarding digitalization and the global marketplace facilitated by IT.
• Advanced foundations for critical academic analysis and interdisciplinary research methods, as they pertain to technical and development aspects of digitalization in businesses and organizations.
• An up-to-date knowledge of new digital products and phenomena and their current and future implication in a variety of practical business settings.
• An entrepreneurial and practice-oriented approach to developments and innovation within the field of digital business.
• A critical and research-oriented mind-set that allows the graduate to identify useful methods and theories for the analysis of the opportunities and challenges posed by digitalization.

Content

4. The postgraduate degree programme in Digital Business covers academic fields concerned with technology, business and policy/law.

The mandatory courses at Digital Business are interdisciplinary but focuses on particular areas of Digital Business.

(2)  The mandatory technical courses cover IT from a primarily technical perspective. This includes the understanding of object oriented as well as applied (high level) programming, use-, design- and evaluation of digital and interactive systems, as well as the application of digital technologies in the transformation of businesses-, organisations, and society. The objective of the teaching activities in the technology discipline is to enable students to facilitate, envision plan, and implement and digital solutions. More generally, the programme also considers concerns such as design and customer interaction with digital services and products to fall under the technical perspective, as does systems development, enterprise architecture and issues pertaining to the technical side of information- and cyber security.

(3) The mandatory business courses cover digital business models and emergent practices in the business area and may include marketing, project management, innovation and entrepreneurship as well as the organizational use of IT for value creation. The objective of the teaching activities in the business discipline is that the student acquires academic and practice-oriented skills that help articulate potential business- and organisational value created through digitalization.

(4) The mandatory policy/law courses cover international and national trade relations and legislation as well as policy and regulation issues, particularly in the context of digitalization. It also includes an understanding of information- and cyber security issues that may face businesses and organizations in the context of digitalization. The objective of the teaching activities in the policy/law courses is that the student develops competences in assessing and developing businessoriented IT in accordance with legislative- and regulatory frameworks as well as advancing secure, sustainable, and ethical use of IT.

(5) The purpose is to make the student a specialist by creating coherence between prior qualifying education, course activities, project activities and the final thesis.

Modules

(6) Object Oriented Programming (7,5 ECTS)

The course introduces students to working with and communicating about object oriented programming (OOP). It introduces central concepts of OOP and provides the students with a broad, widely applicable and extendable understanding of OO programming languages and logics.

(7) Strategic and Tactical Tools for Digital Business (7,5 ECTS)

This course introduces foundational processes and logics of digital business. IT provides an understanding of applications, baseline technologies, changing skill sets, new business concepts and new business tactics/strategies that organizations need to master, in order to manage and lead digitalization initiatives and new forms of value creation. This course explores digital technologies with their latest development and focuses on how organizations can exploit these technologies as a means to effectively reshape and (re-)direct their business strategies.

(8) EU Internet Law (7,5 ECTS)

This course gives the students the ability to navigate and communicate about EU law relevant for the Internet, with a particular focus on digital business and ventures. It equips students with constructive skills and vocabularies, providing the fundamental insights for critically assessing the role of policies and legal frameworks in a world where digitalization is key to business success.”

(9) Research Methods for Digital Business (15 ECTS)

The course focuses on developing the foundations for designing and executing research projects on digital business and information systems at a master thesis level. The course helps students in developing the skills that enable them to design, conduct, report, and critically review research in the context of information systems. The course balances theory and practice in social research, and includes information systems as a field and research domain, research framing and design, measurement theory, fieldwork and data collection, secondary research issues, data analysis, as well as manuscript writing.

(10) Designing and Developing Digital Business Applications. (7,5 ECTS)

The course builds on fundamental competencies and understanding of programming to give the students deeper insights into the design and construction of applications and services using high-level programming tools. The course provides the students with an extendable and practical expertise in the use of programming tools for devising and developing digital tools and services in an organization or business setting.

(11) Engines of Digital Business (7,5 ECTS)

This course expands the strategic and tactical insights on digital business to provide the students with nuanced academic and practical understandings of the underlying mechanisms of business and organizational work in the context of widespread digitalization.

(12) Cyber Security, Regulation, and Policy in Digital Business (7,5 ECTS)

In this course, students will gain conceptual and practical knowledge about the role of information- and cybersecurity, technology policy and regulation, and how to engage with these in a business setting. The course will equip students with the knowledge and tools to analyze and confront the most pertinent questions in information- and cyber security and the most important political debates about the regulation of tech companies, from gatekeeper rules for the largest platforms to software security requirements affecting the smallest startups.

(13) Electives

Elective courses can be chosen among electives offered by the MSc programme in Business Administration and Digital Business, other programs at CBS, other Danish universities, or universities abroad. Students can choose electives that fall in the areas of technology, business, or policy/law. The elective courses do not have to combine two different academic disciplines. However, the electives must be relevant for the Digital Business competency profile, i.e. it must be plausible that the electives further the students’ specialization in the field of digital business. The curriculum in the electives may not overlap with the compulsory curriculum, and enrolment must be pre-approved by the Study Board.

(14) Master's Thesis

At the fourth semester, students write their Master's Thesis. The thesis needs to be in line with the objectives listed in section 4A.

Structure

(15) 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.

It is possible to change the order of the courses. However, please note that it is a requirement that the student has passed 60 ECTS point before submitting the master’s thesis, see also section 4A(10).

Research Internship

(17) Students on the corporate master programme have the option of doing a research internship of 7,5 ECTS or 15 ECTS instead of electives. See details in the internship course descriptions and on the student intranet under 'Types of internship': https://studentcbs.sharepoint.com/sites/ChoicesAndOptions/SitePages/en/Academic-internship.aspx

Student with a background from BSc Digital ManagementorHA(it.)

(18) Graduates from BSc Digital have an exemption to take two extra electives (15 ECTS in total) instead of EU Internet Law and Strategic and Tactical Tools for Digital Business. Graduates from HA(it.) have an an exemption to take an elective (7,5 ECTS) instead of Object Oriented Programming.

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 thesis contract must be submitted in the student’s 6th semester, see however section 14(3). The deadline is 15 November for students enrolled in September, and 15 May for students enrolled in February. See also section 19(7).

(3) The master's thesis must be submitted in the student’s 8th semester, and it is not possible to withdraw from the exam once the thesis contract has been approved. The deadline for submitting the thesis is 15 May for students enrolled in September, and 15 November for students enrolled in February. 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 purpose of the master’s thesis is to develop and assess the student's ability to engage in in-depth studies and independently describe, analyse, and process a complex issue using relevant scientific theories and methods.

(7) The student chooses the topic of the master’s thesis within the programme profile’s particular academic identity and theoretical field(s). The thesis accounts for 30 ECTS-points.

(8) The Study Board determines the detailed regulations regarding the master’s thesis including guidance from the study guide as well as hours of individual supervision, please see the study page on the student intranet.

(9) When working on the master’s thesis the student is entitled to supervision to a predetermined extent.

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.

Specific rules for corporate master students are stipulated in section 4A(10).

The following courses have compulsory assignments or other compulsory activities, see section 13. 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 Information Science and Interactive Media. The body of external examiners is supplemented with external examiners from the body of external examiners for the business administration programmes, so that the joint body of external examiners for this programme covers all the academic disciplines of this degree programme.

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

[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.

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. 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(5), 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. Corporate part-time students must register for 30 ECTS pr. study year. 

(2) In the first semester, students are automatically registered for all courses offered in that semester. During the course withdrawal period, students may withdraw from courses for which they have been registered in the first semester. In subsequent semesters, students must register for courses themselves during the two registration rounds held prior to the spring and autumn semesters, respectively. However, in accordance with subsection 1, students must be registered for a total of 30 ECTS credits in each academic year.

(3) The students register for electives via the Self Service. Students not registered for mandatory courses and electives for a total of minimum 30 ECTS in a year of study, must register for electives, including summer school courses, corresponding to the lacking ECTS in the coming year of study, resulting in the student being registered for a minimum of 30 ECTS in the coming year of study.

(4) 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.

(5) 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, see also section 15 concerning re-exams. 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 (5).  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).

(6) Corporate part-time students are automatically registered for submission of the Master's Thesis in their 8th semester, cf. Section 4A.

(7) The university may grant exemptions from the rules set out in subsection (4) where there are extraordinary circumstances, including impairment. Deadlines for submitting dispensation applications are determined on the student intranet.

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. The student must pass the study start test in order to continue on the programme. An online-course will be available prior to the study start test, and the student will be able to take the online-course as many times as needed.  The purpose of the study start test and the online course is to make the students acquainted with academic integrity and provide them with an introduction to source management and correct referencing. In order to pass the study start test, the student must show that he/she knows the rules on academic conduct.

(2) The study start test is held within the first to 2 months from the beginning of the programme. The study start test is a multiple-choice test, and the student has 2 attempts to pass the exam. The re-take will be held within the first 3 months from the beginning of the programme and is also a multiple-choice test.

(3) The student is automatically registered for the study start test.  If the student does not participate in the exam, he/she fails the exam and has used one attempt. If a student fails the study start test, he/she will be able to participate in the re-take. If the student does not participate in the re-take, he/she has used one attempt. If the study start test is not passed after 2 attempts, the university will cancel the student’s enrolment.

(4) The university may grant exemptions from subsection (1) and (2) when warranted by extraordinay circumstances.

17. If an extraordinary re-examination is arranged or offered in accordance with section 32 of the Examination Order (regarding examination irregularities) or the offer of a re-evaluation/re-examination is given in accordance with section 40 or 43 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.

18. 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 55 (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.

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, 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.

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, 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.

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

23. 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.

23a. 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.

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 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.

25. In connection with written examinations, the result must be announced within 4 weeks after the activity is conducted.

(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.

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. 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 44 of the Examination Order.

27. 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.

28. 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.

29. 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.

30. 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).

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 Higher Education and Science.

32. 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.

33. 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.

 34. 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.

35. 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.

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 in the programme in September 2026 or later.