Students must select 5 out of the following 7 modules (6 ECTS credits each):
- Strategic Management
- Marketing
- Organization
- Human Resource & Change Management
- Managerial Accounting
- Financial Accounting
- Corporate Finance
A three-continent Master's degree program offering a unique experience by studying over nine months in a program with fellow students of diverse nationalities in countries with different cultural backgrounds.
The ACT program aims to prepare students to pursue careers in international management. Students spend approximately three months in each country and focus on business practices in North America, Asia and Europe.
In addition, this program provides students with a unique opportunity to develop a global mindset as well as strengthen their social and cultural skill sets by cultural sensitivity trainings and mandatory courses in a second foreign language or advanced Business English. Working closely with international classmates from different countries also allows students to learn how to better embrace diversity and cultural differences. Students complete the program by working on business projects in cooperation with several Austrian companies. This program is a unique, international experience where students can learn about business practices and the way business is conducted outside of his/her home country.
The ACT program is a life-enriching experience that fosters the development of each student’s personality and has a lasting impact in regard to a personal level of tolerance, ambiguity, openness and flexibility. The ACT program offers students an opportunity to acquire hands-on experience in business within different international learning environments in some of the world’s leading economic areas.
Key Facts
Three-Continent Master's Degree Program
Degree
Master of Science (MSc)
Duration
4 semesters
Language
English
ECTS
120 Credits
Partner Universities
- NSYSU, Taiwan
- University of Victoria, Canada
Additional Language Skills
Chinese or Advanced Business English
Partner Universities
Victoria Lanza, Global Business Student - ACT Track 18/19
Master's Program Structure
National Year
During the national year, students study at their home university. At the JKU, ACT students attend courses in general management and business, research methods, English, and begin conducting research for their Master's degree thesis. The students can choose 5 out of 7 management subjects but starting this year, marketing and organization are required in order to be able to apply qualitative and quantitative research methods.
International Year
Each year, approximately 10 students are selected from each partner university. The joint degree program is organized in form of trimesters and is roughly 8 months long (August-April). Students spend an equal amount of time at each university. The program begins in Canada, the second part is held in Taiwan, and the program concludes in Austria. Local faculty members from each of the three countries teach the ACT courses. Towards the end of this joint degree program, students work on a real business project in Austria within culturally diverse groups. This has become one of the highlights of the program.
Successful Completion of the Joint Master's Degree Program
After the joint study period, students return to their home universities to take final examinations and complete a thesis as required by their home university. The student's home university will award the degree. The diploma indicates that the program was offered in cooperation by all three universities. At the JKU, students will be conferred with the title Master of Science (MSc) in Global Business.
„In my personal experience, the ability to really understand, work and perform in different cultural settings is a crucial and key skill for successful national and international careers and the major return of the program to the students. Graduates of the ACT program have high potential to work for internationally active companies that want to shift limits.“
Recommended Study Plan
As part of the Master’s degree program, students are required to complete courses totaling 120 ECTS credits in the following areas:
National Year
| Semester | S1 | S2 | S3 | S4 |
| General Management Competence (5 out of 7 modules) | 15 | 15 | ||
| Language Skills English | 3 | 3 | ||
| Methods in Management Research | 3 | 3 | ||
| Master Thesis and Master Thesis Seminar | 24 | |||
| ECTS Credits | 21 | 21 | 24 |
International Year
| Semester | S1 | S2 | S3 | S4 |
| Introduction to Global Business (Canada) | 10 | |||
| Global Business Development (Taiwan) | 7 | |||
| Global Business Consulting (Austria) | 7 | |||
| Global Business in Context (all locations) | 7 | 5 | ||
| Global Leadership & Cult. Intellig. (all locations) | 6 | 3 | ||
| Language Skills II (Chinese/German) (all locations) | 6 | 3 | ||
| ECTS Credits | 0 | 0 | 36 | 28 |
Courses
The Master's degee program Global Business - ACT consists of a national and an international year. Students must succesfully complete 120 ECTS credits in order to graduate. The following courses are offered during the national year:
General Management Competence (30 ECTS)
Language Skills English (6 ECTS credits)
- Academic Writing (C1)
- Case Studies English (C1)
Methods in Management Research (6 ECTS credits)
- Quantitative Research Methods
- Qualitative Research Methods
Master's Thesis and Master's Thesis Seminar (24 ECTS credits)
- Master's Thesis
- Master's Thesis Seminar
The following courses are offered during the international year:
UVIC - University of Victoria (19 ECTS credits)
- Global Business Fundamentals (10 ECTS credits)
- North American Business Context (3 ECTS credits)
- Global Leadership and Cultural Intelligence I (3 ECTS credits)
- Language Skills II (3 ECTS credits)
- Advanced Business English
- Chinese Basic
- German Basic
NSYSU - National Sun Yat-sen University (17 ECTS credits)
- Global Business Development (7 ECTS credits)
- Asian Business Context (4 ECTS credits)
- Global Leadership and Cultural Intelligence II (3 ECTS credits)
- Language Skills II (3 ECTS credits)
- Advanced Business English
- Chinese Basic
- German Basic
JKU - Johannes Kepler University Linz (18 ECTS credits)
- Global Business Consulting (7 ECTS credits)
- European Business Context (5 ECTS credits)
- Global Leadership and Cultural Intelligence III (3 ECTS credits)
- Language Skills II (3 ECTS credits)
- Advanced Business English
- Chinese Basic
- German Basic
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