Executive MBA in Forest Industry Management, 60 ECTS

The Executive MBA in Forest Business Management and nature-based industries is built for leaders who want to confidently navigate a sector undergoing major transformation. The program gives you a clear understanding of emerging risks, advances in modern forestry technologies, shifting market expectations, and increasing sustainability demands, so you can anticipate change rather than react to it.

Our program is designed to help you grow into a responsible leader who can balance operational performance with environmental stewardship and social responsibility. You can strengthen your ability to forecast trends, optimize resource use, build resilient value chains, and guide organizations through strategic, technology-driven, and sustainability-focused transitions.

The Executive MBA is a program that consolidates knowledge by applying it to real scenarios, decision making, and real challenges. It provides first-hand experience of sustainable business models, data literacy culture, and best practices in forest management.

This Executive MBA enables you to become a change maker by leading sustainable innovation, inspiring progress, and shaping the future of forest-based industries.

Lotta Lyrå, President and CEO, Södra

The forest industry is facing a period of rapid change, where digitalisation, sustainability and new business models place new demands on leadership. To lead this transformation, executives need a deep understanding of the forest value chain combined with strategic, forward‑looking leadership skills. The Executive MBA in Forest Industry Management is an important step in equipping leaders with the knowledge and perspective required to make sound decisions in an increasingly complex world.”

Lotta Lyrå, President and CEO, Södra

About the program

Academic Credits: 60 ECTS (hp)
Degree: Master of Business Administration
Target group: Executives with a minimum of 3 years of business experience and a bachelor degree
Education Type: Contract Education (Tuition fee should be paid by your employer)
Application period: Applications are open
Study start: September 2026
Duration: 18 months
Location: Hybrid Format (Växjö campus and online sessions)

Format

The part-time format of our Executive MBA is designed for professionals who want to advance their education while continuing to work. The 18-month program is divided into two parts. The first part consists of 11 core modules and the second part includes elective courses, an international study trip, and a final capstone project. The schedule includes breaks over Christmas and summer and will be briefed before the program starts.

Our Executive MBA begins with a 3-days introductory campus week, marking the start of your learning journey. In this session, you will have the opportunity to meet the Executive MBA team, learn more about our pedagogical approach, and build strong connections with fellow participants. Additionally, you will reflect on your development needs as a leader, explore your leadership style, and become familiar with the tools that will support your transformational journey as a responsible leader. This session corresponds to Module 1.

Your journey continues with 10 additional core modules that will challenge you to rethink your leadership style and strengthen your ability to shape change. Each module begins with a live-online session usually on Fridays to introduce the topic, followed by campus or hybrid sessions, usually lasting from Thursdays to Fridays. Between sessions, you will engage in preparatory readings, case studies, business simulations, assignments, and/or group discussions. Attendance of live-online classes and sessions is mandatory.

During this first year, four sessions will take place on campus and eight will be offered in hybrid format, that is, on campus for national participants and online for international participants. All campus sessions are hosted in our Business Lab in Växjö, equipped with modern technology that supports interactive and engaging learning experiences.

The last 6 months of the EMBA program consists of three parts. The first part is composed by elective courses, in-house or abroad, allowing you to customize your Executive MBA. The second part consists of one international immersion experience abroad, that includes a mandatory study trip organized in collaboration with our business partners. The third and last part includes a capstone project that could either be a consultancy project (for example in collaboration with your company) or a master degree project (if you plan to continue your academic studies, namely an Industrial Doctoral Student).

Structure

Our Executive MBA is a transformational and rewarding learning experience that consists of seven building blocks:

1. IGNITE: Discover Yourself as a Leader and Understand the Business Sector
You begin by identifying your leadership style and understanding how your organization operates in a rapidly changing forest landscape. Case studies and group discussions help you reflect on your current context and the leadership mindset needed for the future. This building block includes the following topics:

Module 1: Responsible Leadership
Module 2: Forest Sector - Context, Challenges & Opportunities
Module 3: Responsible Management

2. BUILD: Strengthen the Capabilities You Need to Lead in Turbulent Times
You deepen your skills in strategy, finance, and marketing. Applied cases and simulations help you build the tools required to lead effectively in a disrupted and fast-changing environment. This building block includes:

Module 4: Strategy in turbulent times
Module 5: Corporate Finance and Investment Strategies for Forest Enterprises
Module 6: Sustainable marketing

3. ADVANCE: Understand What Is Changing and Why It Matters
You analyze technological advances, climate impacts, geopolitical developments, and market shifts, assessing how they influence forest value chains. Through industry cases, simulations, and business challenges, you explore the implications of digital and sustainable transformation, strengthening your ability to interpret change and identify emerging opportunities and risks.

Module 7: Creative Thinking for Business
Module 8: Sustainability Strategy for Forest Entreprises
Module 9: Data Literacy in Modern Forestry

4. TRANSFORM: Anticipate Change and Shape What Comes Next
You move from understanding change to proactively shaping it. Through scenario-based cases and future-oriented simulations, you learn to anticipate digital disruptions, sustainability challenges, and broader system shifts. You finish this phase ready to lead with purpose and drive long-term transformation in your organization and the wider forest sector.

Module 10: Foresight, Trends & Scenario-Based Strategic Planning
Module 11: Leading Change and Business Transformation

5. SPECIALIZE: Deepen Expertise in Strategic Areas
You customize your EMBA journey and learn more about specific areas of interest for your company or your executive career. This phase offers a unique opportunity to pursue an international immersion with one of our global partner institutions, enabling you to broaden your professional network and enhance your cross-border understanding of the forestry sector. Alternatively, you may select from a portfolio of on-campus elective modules.

6. IMMERSE: Experience the forest industry from a global perspective
Gain access to diverse global perspectives shaping the future of the forest-sector management. Engage directly with international forestry enterprises and policy makers through an international study trip delivered in collaboration with our strategic business partners. This international immersive experience strengthens your cross-border insights and accelerates your ability to navigate the rapidly evolving dynamics of the global forestry sector.

7. APPLY: Translate Knowledge into Action
You conclude your learning journey with a capstone project that represents a pivotal and rewarding milestone in your Executive MBA experience. You may choose to write a master thesis if you intend to pursue your academic studies as an Industrial Doctoral Student. Alternatively, you can opt for a consulting project in close collaboration with a company in the forest sector, enabling you to develop your competences on consultancy and project management. In both cases, an academic mentor will be assigned to advise you applying theoretical framework to real-world managerial challenges in the forest sector.

About the School of Economics

The School of Business and Economics is AACSB-accredited and is strongly committed to educational excellence and collaborative knowledge creation. With campuses in Växjö and Kalmar, the School brings together a diverse and international community of scholars, students, and industry partners, cultivating a learning atmosphere that emphasizes innovation, responsible leadership, and a cross-disciplinary approach. Its mission to co-create knowledge reflects a strategic orientation toward real-world impact and continuous capability building.

Fees
The total fee is 350.000 SEK (excl. VAT) and includes tuition fees, online educational material, and coffee-breaks included in the program schedule. The costs exclude travel and accommodation costs related to the compulsory international study visit, as well as registrations costs for elective courses abroad.

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