Master in Leading Change, Organisations, and People, 120 credits
Master in Leading Change, Organisations, and People, 120 högskolepoäng
| Programme Code: | JAMIL |
| Confirmed: | Nov 19, 2025 |
| Programmestart: | Autumn 2026 |
| Education Cycle: | Second-cycle level |
Organisations worldwide face constant change, driven by shifting markets, emerging technologies, and evolving societal expectations. They need leaders who can manage people and processes, interpret data, and guide teams through transformation. Our master’s programme in Leading Change, Organisations, and People prepares you to succeed in this dynamic business environment.
Offered as one of Jönköping International Business School’s (JIBS) Masters in Management (MiM) programmes, it combines a strong foundation in managerial competencies with a specialisation in leadership and organisational development. Courses in financial literacy, data-driven decision-making, project management, and consulting strengthen your ability to make strategic analyses and act in complex organisational settings, while studies in sustainability and compliance in value chains highlight the importance of responsible business practice.
To deepen your expertise in leading organisational transformation, you explore corporate governance and entrepreneurship, strategising in uncertain environments, and how to foster learning and development in organisations. You will also refine your personal leadership abilities, learning to design performance management systems and the art of negotiation and change.
At JIBS, theory and practice are closely intertwined. From the start, you will develop a set of essential professional skills, including communication, data literacy, ethical reasoning, and cross-cultural teamwork, while engaging with a highly diverse student community. Applied projects, simulations, cases, and collaboration with real organisations provide valuable experiences that strengthen your capacity for strategic and responsible leadership and change management.
A key strength of the programme is the opportunity to shape your studies. In the second year, you can begin tailoring your degree through a fully elective semester. You can study abroad or take a selection of advanced courses at JIBS. If you wish to gain more practical experience, you may choose to include an internship course during this period. The opportunity to specialise your degree continues in the final semester, which is fully dedicated to a master’s thesis, allowing you to apply your knowledge on a focused topic within leadership and organisational development.
By graduating from this programme, you will carry a strong combination of strategic insight and people-centred leadership, skills that make you highly attractive to employers worldwide. You can pursue careers in consulting or management, taking on roles such as general manager, project manager, change manager, business developer, people & culture manager, or strategic HR manager, especially in organisations that have an international outlook. The programme also provides an excellent foundation for doctoral studies.
Master of Science Competence Goal 1:
JIBS' Graduates have comprehensive and advanced expertise in their major and can effectively apply this knowledge to international contexts.
Translated in the following programme-specific intended learning outcome:
P-ILO 1: Apply theories and concepts from Business Administration to develop solutions to leadership, change management, organisational development, and human resource challenges in global business settings.
Master of Science Competence Goal 2:
JIBS' Graduates are advanced in analytical and critical thinking, and research skills, enabling them to conduct rigorous academic work.
Translated in the following programme-specific learning outcome:
P-ILO 2: Collect, evaluate, and critically analyse data in accordance with academic standards, using it to develop solutions and make informed decisions across diverse business and organisational contexts.
Master of Science Competence Goal 3:
JIBS' Graduates excel in communicating and networking within the complex dynamics of global academic and business settings.
Translated in the following programme-specific learning outcome:
P-ILO 3: Lead and develop individuals and organisations, and effectively collaborate within and across teams and organisations, with an inclusive mindset and nuanced intercultural competence.
Master of Science Competence Goal 4:
JIBS graduates can integrate ethical and sustainable practices within business environments.
Translated in the following programme-specific learning outcome:
P-ILO 4: Adapt actions and strategies with moral integrity and responsibility, with consideration for ethical dimensions of leadership, wider societal needs, and planetary boundaries.
Master of Science Competence Goal 5:
JIBS graduates have an entrepreneurial mindset and lead in framing challenges and developing innovative solutions.
Translated in the following programme-specific learning outcome:
P-ILO 5: Demonstrate a strong ability to navigate and lead change and development processes within organisations under conditions of volatility, uncertainty, ambiguity, and conflict.
During the elective semester, you are required to take courses equivalent to 30 ECTS.
The recommendation is to focus on courses in Business Administration and/or Economics at an advanced level.
You can also choose to study subjects that complement your specialisation and career plans, in: Statistics, Economic Geography, Commercial Law, Language, Computer Sciences, Informatics, and/or Environmental Studies (exceptions from this can apply if pre-approved by the Programme Director).
The elective semester can include academic internship courses worth up to of maximum 15 ECTS.
| Semester | Course Name | Credits | Main field of study | Specialised in | Course Code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Corporate Governance and Entrepreneurship | 5 | Business Administration | A1N | J2CGAE |
| 1 | Data-driven Decision Making | 5 | Informatics | A1N | J2DDMD |
| 1 | Leading Organisational Development and Learning | 5 | Business Administration | A1N | J2LODA |
| 1 | Sustainability and Compliance Across Value Chains | 5 | Business Administration | A1N | J2SACA |
| 1 | Strategising in an Uncertain World | 5 | Business Administration | A1N | J2SIAU |
| 1 | Working Across Boundaries | 5 | Business Administration | A1N | J2WABJ |
| 2 | Bridging to Practice: Consulting as a Process | 5 | Business Administration, Economics | A1F | J2BTPC |
| 2 | Designing Performance Management Systems | 5 | Business Administration | A1F | J2DPMS |
| 2 | Financial Literacy for Managers | 5 | Business Administration | A1F | J2FLFM |
| 2 | Leading Personal Development | 5 | Business Administration | A1F | J2LPDW |
| 2 | Organisational Change and Negotiation | 5 | Business Administration | A1F | J2OCAN |
| 2 | Project Management in and across Organisations | 5 | Business Administration | A1F | J2PMIA |
| 3 | Studying abroad/Elective courses | 30 | |||
| 4 | Master Thesis in Business Administration | 30 | Business Administration | A2E | J2MTIB |
The programme is campus-based with on-site participation and mandatory sessions included. To pass a course, you need to fulfil all the course requirements. Examination is executed through different forms of assessment (including written, oral, participatory). Several methods of assessment can be applied within a single course.
You will be offered examination and re-examination opportunities in accordance with: Regulations and Guidelines for first, second and third cycle education at Jönköping University.
Most courses are graded according to the following six levels: A-E constitutes a pass, while FX or F constitute a failing grade. Some courses and/or assignments are graded Pass or Fail.
The applicant must hold the minimum of a Bachelor’s degree (i.e the equivalent of 180 ECTS credits at an accredited university) in Business Administration, Economics, Industrial Engineering and Management, Communications, HR, Sociology, or related discipline. At least 30 credits must be in Business Administration. Proof of English proficiency is required.
You must meet continuation requirements to be eligible for registration to the next academic year within the programme. For registering to year 2, you must have completed at least 30 ECTS of the courses listed in the programme syllabus.
To be eligible for study abroad, you should, at the time of the study abroad application, have completed at least 15 ECTS of the programme course credits scheduled up to that point.
To obtain the Master of Science (120 ECTS) with a major in Business Administration, you must complete the course requirements of at least 120 credits at the higher education level that were not used for the bachelor degree, with at least 90 credits overall in second-cycle courses and at least 60 of those in Business Administration including 30 credit Thesis in Business Administration.
To obtain the Master of Science (120 ECTS) with a major in Business Administration, with a focus on Leading Change, Organisations, and People, you must complete: (1) the requirements for the Master of Science (120 ECTS) with a major in Business Administration, (2) all mandatory programme courses as listed in the above contents section, or their equivalent, (3) a Master’s thesis (30 credits) that covers a topic with relevance to Leading Change, Organisations, and People, and (4) elective courses in one or more of the following disciplines: Business Administration, Economics, Statistics, Economic Geography, Commercial law, Language, Computer Sciences, Informatics, and/or Environmental Studies (exceptions can apply if approved by the Programme Director).
Preparatory/Foundation courses cannot be included/counted towards the JIBS degree.
A maximum of 15 ECTS from internship courses can be counted towards the degree.
Student involvement and our cooperation with the JIBS Student Association (JSA) is crucial for the quality assurance work. The work is conducted at a school-, programme- and course level.
At the school level, students representing JSA are voting members of JIBS Council for Undergraduate and Master’s Education (CUME). For each programme, student representatives are appointed to represent the student perspective in meetings with the Programme Director. Sessions are organised regularly at a programme level, to discuss the general impressions, connections and overlaps between courses, and within-programme progression. The students are also part of the Programme Development Group, where faculty members meet to discuss the overall content and progression of the programme. At a course level, students meet with the course Examiner during as well as after the course to discuss potential improvements of the course design and delivery.