The ACT program takes place at the University of Victoria, Canada, the National Sun Yat-sen University, Taiwan, and the Johannes Kepler University Linz, Austria. The program aims to prepare you to pursue a career in a global environment. You spend approximately three months in each country and focus on business practices in North America, Asia, and Europe.

The program is divided into two sections:

National Phase

During the national phase, you will study at your home university (JKU), attending courses in general management, business, qualitative and quantitative research methods, and Business English, as well as begin working on your Master's degree thesis. You can select 5 out of 8 management subjects. You will attend these subjects together with students in other Master’s degree programs, giving you an opportunity to meet and exchange ideas with other students.

International Phase

Each year, the respective partner universities will select approximately 10 students from their institution. The joint degree program is offered in the form of trimesters, beginning in August and ending in April. Over the course of approximately 8 months, you spend an equal amount of time at each university. The program begins in Canada, continues in Taiwan, and concludes in Austria. Local faculty members from each university teach the ACT courses.

During the international year, the joint degree program includes courses in international finance, economics and business, cultural awareness, global governance, advanced management competences, and language classes in Chinese or German. Aside from theoretical input, during your stay in Linz you will also have an opportunity to work with companies on real-world business projects as part of a culturally diverse group. Over the years, this part of the program has become a program highlight!

Successful Completion of the Joint Master's Degree Program

After the joint study period, you will return to your home university to take final examinations and complete a thesis as required by your home university. JKU students are required to write a Master’s thesis supervised by a JKU faculty member. Your home university will award the degree. The diploma indicates that the program was offered in cooperation by all three universities. At the JKU, you will be conferred with the title Master of Science (MSc) in Global Business.

As part of the Master’s degree program, you are required to complete courses totaling 120 ECTS credits in the following areas (for detailed information about the courses visit our Study Guide, opens an external URL in a new window or our Recommended Study Plan, opens a file in a new window). You can either start with national or international year courses.
 

National Phase

International Phase

The Master's degree program Global Business - ACT consists of a national and an international year. You must successfully complete 120 ECTS credits in order to graduate. As previously mentioned, you will take the courses during the national year together with students in other Master’s programs at the JKU. The following courses will be offered during the national year:

The following courses are offered during the international year: