Study plan - Bachelor of Business and Administration, Haugesund

The programme is based on the recommended national curriculum developed by the Norwegian Association of Higher Education Institutions (UHR) through its strategic unit for economics and business administration, which coordinates bachelor programmes in this field across Norway. The aim of the common framework is to ensure high academic quality and a shared knowledge base for all bachelor students.

The study plan combines compulsory courses in business economics, management, economics, quantitative methods, and ethics, corporate responsibility and sustainability, with opportunities to take elective courses already in the first year. Throughout the programme, students may choose from a range of electives, and in the final year they also complete an independent bachelor thesis.

The programme is designed to allow students to take the fourth semester abroad. It is an interdisciplinary and professionally oriented degree that qualifies graduates for admission to economics and business administration master’s programmes in Norway and internationally.

Admission

General university entrance qualification

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

The courses included in the bachelor program should in combination help students achieve the following learning outcomes at program level, defined in terms of knowledge, skills and general competence:

KNOWLEDGE

The candidate has accumulated knowledge on key topics, theories, issues, processes, tools and methods in economics and administration, including:

• how the capital markets and securities work, how companies are financed, how investments are assessed
• how financial management tools are used and how accounts are prepared, reported and analyzed
• how businesses develop and implement strategies, how they are organized and managed, and how products and services are marketed and positioned.
• how the market works, how consumers and manufacturers meet their choices and how these are influenced by economic policy, technology and international framework conditions
• how businesses start, develop and change in line with needs, legal frameworks and expectations in society, such as sustainability, globalization, innovation and technology development, as well as the importance of the Nordic working life model for work and business
• how businesses carry out their activities in an ethically sound manner so that they safeguard their stakeholders and at the same time promote the UN's sustainability goals
• has basic knowledge in mathematics, statistics and social science method, and understands how methodological tools are used in connection with obtaining, organizing and analyzing data.
• is familiar with the subject areas' history, traditions, distinctive character, place in society, as well as research and development work
• is familiar with research and development work in the field and is capable of updating their knowledge within the field.

SKILLS

The candidate use professional knowledge and relevant results from research and development work onpractical and theoretical issues and make justified choices, including:

• obtain, sort and evaluate relevant information
• analyze financial-administrative issues using suitable theory and empirical methods
• make a critical assessment of uncertainty in their own analyzers
• abilities to communicate content in analyzer, method selection, results and assumptions both verbally and in writing
• can use work-relevant digital tools, techniques and forms of expression
• can assess different types of risks and consequences of decisions
• use different professional perspectives and theoretical approaches to understand how businesses work
• can integrate accountability and sustainability considerations into the companies' business models and practices

General Competence

The candidate:

• is conscious about own values ​​and how this affects one's own behavior and decisions
• demonstrates ability for accountability, critical thinking and ethical reflection
• understands how issues, processes and decisions affect and are influenced by resources, context and values
• has a basis for contributing to long-term value creation for business and society
• has a basis for operating in an international labor market
• can collaborate in different contexts and across disciplines
• has a basic understanding of IT systems and processes, and how these can contribute
• business development and value creation
• shall be able to contribute to promoting enterprises' innovation and adaptability in a changing labor market

Content

The program consists of foundational courses within the following five main areas:

• Business Economics Analysis
• Administrative Subjects
• Economics
• Methodology
• Ethics, Social Responsibility, and Sustainability

Throughout the program, students can also select courses relevant to economics and administration based on their own preferences and interests. It is possible to go on an exchange during the 4th semester.

The program offers a specialization in Accounting and Taxation. Additionally, students can pursue a general degree without a specific specialization. The specialization in Accounting and Taxation fulfills the educational requirements for authorization as a public accountant. Relevant work experience is also required to apply for authorization.

Practice

It is possible to have an internship as an elective either in the 4rd or 6th semester.

Teaching

We offer lectures, discussions, seminars and accounting at the Haugesund campus. You work with assignments both individually and in groups. The program assumes that you are present in Haugesund, and both lectures, seminars and accountants can include compulsory activities.

In courses with mandatory learning activities, these must be approved for students to be eligible to take the exam. In several courses, assignments are submitted using digital tools. All students are required to have their own laptop.

Assessment

The forms of assessment that are used are ie. written school examination, home exam, folder assessment or oral exam. There may also be a combination of several forms of assessment, such as home exam and school examination. In many of the courses there are mandatory work requirements which must be approved in order for the student to be able to take the exam in the course. The grading scale consists of the letter grades A-F or passed / not passed.

See the course information for each course to get accurate information of the type of assessment chosen.

Required progression

At least 60 credits must be passed in mandatory subjects before starting the internship period when choosing an internship as an elective.

To be eligible to write a bachelor's thesis, a certain number of credits within the field of economics and administration is required before the start of the fifth semester (see the course description for details).

Internationalization

The programme is designed to allow you to apply for an exchange stay in the fourth semester at one of the many partner institutions with which the HVL Business School has exchange agreements.

Students who wish to go on exchange adjust their study plan by moving some of the compulsory courses in order to make room for elective options at our international partner institutions. We recommend taking Statistics in the second semester, as well as Macroeconomics and/or Management Accounting in the sixth semester.

Organization

The bachelor programme in economics and business administration spans three years, with each academic year divided into two semesters. In each semester, students take courses amounting to 30 ECTS credits. The study plan combines compulsory courses with one elective in each of the first four semesters, giving students a degree of choice from the very beginning of the programme.

In the third year, students gain even greater flexibility, with additional elective courses and the completion of a bachelor thesis.