Leadership and Management in International Contexts, Master Programme

How come you chose to study at Linnaeus University?
I felt that I wanted to challenge myself: move to another country and experience a different culture. At that moment, if somebody told me that I would study in Sweden, I would probably not believe it. I was chosen to be one of the scholarship holders, funded by the Swedish Institute in collaboration with Linnaeus University.

What brought your interest to this program?
My interest to this program was brought by the name of the program itself: Leadership and management in International Contexts. It made me wonder, what exactly is taught on this program? Does a child dream of becoming a leader? Throughout the times, there has been a constant debate, if leaders are born or made.

What do you think make the programme stand out?
It is not easy to choose one aspect that makes this programme stand out. First of all, it is an international environment within the group. During the lectures and seminars, you learn from a wide network of likeminded individuals from different cultures. You develop your skills of networking and effective communication.

Secondly, the main notion we came across was “before leading others, you must know how to lead yourself”. The programme involves many hours of self-studying, working on projects and assignments. Thus, you take your studies into your own hands, by planning your time and efforts.

Last but not least, the lectures were provided in a very friendly and sometimes informal manner. I think this might be a unique way of teaching style within the Swedish education system, which came surprising for me and many of my classmates, who are used to a more controlled environment.

What are you working with today?
At the moment, I am doing my internship at IV Produkt, the Swedish company that recently turned to 50 years since its establishment. I work at Human Resources department and take part on the project which involves the employment laws and regulations for the subsidiaries of IV Produkt, located in Norway, Germany and Great Britain.

How does the knowledge and experiences you acquired at Linnaeus help you in your career?
My experience at Linnaeus helped me to achieve my short-term career goal of becoming a full time Human Resources specialist. I believe that I improved my intercultural and interpersonal skills while increasing my competence and becoming more competitive in a modern labor market. By the end of this master program, I realized, that you become a leader, regardless of your profession and specialty. You can be a leader for your community, your company or for your country. Wherever you go, you have the leadership within you.

How did you enjoy the student life?

I have to say that Sweden is a very inviting country. As an international student you may feel confused or homesick. However, I can assure you, that you will always feel welcomed. From the first day of my arrival, I felt the support of international student organization (ESN), and the student union of the university (Linnestudenterna). There were different activities planned for the first orientation week at the university, full of fun and interesting people. After the first month I decided to become a board member at ESN Kalmar section to be fully engaged in organizing student events, as well as to provide the guidance and support for incoming international students, based on my own experience.

Congratulations on the Global Swede award, how does it feel?
It feels like an international achievement and an accomplishment I could never even have dreamed of. To be recognised as an excellent student in innovation and creativity and to receive this award from the Swedish Institute and the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Nordic Affairs is truly a matter of honour.

How do you like your programme?
My programme is interesting in many aspects. It offers a highly analytical and reflective work nature, and you acquire skills that are required for modern-day career aspects. What I find most interesting about this course, is the participative teaching style. My course coordinator, who also nominated me for the Global Swede Award 2021, has been supportive and encouraging for the entire duration of the programme. I would say that this programme truly helps the students express their freedom of opinion, build knowledge in many business areas, and develop professional skills.

It also gave me the chance to make lifelong friends. From a personal viewpoint, I found the environment of this course to be very welcoming, as there were always people to support or guide you, in particular the course coordinators, professors, and administrators. 

How is it to arrive as an international student at Linnaeus University?
When arriving in Sweden, I received quite a lot of support from the Buddy Program. Within the Buddy Program, a buddy is assigned a newly-admitted student to guide him/her. I came to Sweden as an international student, and my buddy helped me with my initial settling in. Linnaeus University is a modern university with an international outlook, facilities, student bodies, and associations to help you. Both International Office and the Career Counselling Office are very helpful in many ways as well.

Did you apply for any scholarships?
I always feel proud and delighted to say that I am a Swedish Institute scholarship holder from Pakistan. I have been fortunate to be selected for this scholarship. It gave me the chance to pursue academic excellence and establish professional networks within the Self-Leadership Training Programme through the Swedish Institute Network for Future Global Leaders. The scholarship also gave me the chance to experience Sweden's beautiful nature and culture.

After her studies, which were characterised by two programmes with international focus – International Business and the 1-year master’s in Leadership and Management in International Contexts – Simone chose to move abroad.

“I decided to move to Brussels, an exciting hub where I established many valuable contacts. I worked at a world-wide multinational company as executive assistant, and after that with management support”, Simone explains.

Thanks to her studies at Linnaeus University, she felt confident when she entered work life.

“Having a good education made me more self-confident as I entered the job market. I felt that the scientific breadth I had gained from my studies helped me adapt for different types of roles. My ability to process information and be critical of the sources was also improved significantly during my studies, which has become even more important in this digital age, and very much so in my professional role”, says Simone.

Starting her own business has been a goal since upper secondary school when she ran a UF company [Young enterprise].

“When I came across a course in real estate investment that caught my interest, I decided to have a career change and continue my journey into the real estate and investment industry. I’m very pleased with the work I do today, and I run the company together with one of my friends, whom I got to know during my time as a student at Linnaeus University”, Simone continues. 

As partner and director of Beyond Properties, Simone focuses both on establishing the overall strategy for the company and on attracting new investors for the company’s various projects.

“The company is based in England, but my work involves continuous contacts with investors all over the world. What I appreciate most about my work is being able to take part and influence how the company is run, which is both challenging and rewarding”, says Simone.

Simone’s time at Linnaeus University gave her the opportunity to meet a lot of people. She remembers campus as a safe place, where students were free to express their opinions and could exert influence.

“What I carry with me to this day is how much I grew as a person, on all levels, especially during my master’s studies. The programme was offered in English, as there were students from many different countries, which gave us a unique opportunity to learn how to collaborate with people from different cultures in a practical way. However, most importantly, I made friends for life”, Simone concludes.

What industry do you work in or with?
– Currently, I work with the military as an Industrial Psychologist in South Africa with all arms of service. My degree from Linnaeus University paired really will with my background in Psychology and my passion for studying the different leadership models and roles in organizations.

What are the best highlights of your job and what are the biggest challenges?
– I really enjoy the opportunity to work with a variety of people from different backgrounds on a daily basis. I work with training, team building, psychological assessments etc. I really enjoy the different practical elements of my profession. It's one of the greatest things; every day is unique, I'm always doing something different and it's very stimulating. However, the biggest challenge would have to be the lengthy final decision making processes when working with a bigger team and wherein each step requires a chain of command. Although I understand the importance of this, you cannot just take immediate action which can be a challenge when time-sensitive issues are encountered and you must exercise restraint until final decisions are made.

How did you establish your career after your studies at Linnaeus University?
– After finishing my first master's degree in Industrial Psychology, I had completed a twelve month internship with the South African military. By doing so, this made it possible for me to come back into this work environment and contribute what I had learned from my studies at Linnaeus University. The modules and experiences I had at Linnaeus University are beneficial in my job on a daily basis. I can combine my knowledge on international leadership with Industrial Psychology aspects such as; identifying leadership potential, how best to train potential leaders and implementing leadership models in an organization.

How was your student life at Linnaeus University?
– The twelve month graduate program I completed at Linnaeus University was very enjoyable. Linnaeus University encourages a certain culture of togetherness. They encourage you to spend time together and not just in school-related events. You really create a family with your class. Before you know it you're in each other's homes and are building long-lasting relationships. Everyone is in somewhat the same situation as we all come alone to Linnaeus University from different parts of the world, so the university encourages you to support each other. The Erasmus Student Network (ESN) also created great extramural activities. They really wanted to give us the full Swedish and international experience with many trips and cultural events. I remember the international cooking and culture nights which were a great environment to make friends. It was always interesting to learn the differences in food, culture and history of people who came from Spain, Poland or even Germany and I learned a lot that I hadn't known before.

Hello, everyone who is going to study in Kalmar or thinking about it. My name is Svitlana. I'm a free mover student from Ukraine and I'm doing my Master Programme in "Leadership and Management in International Context". When I have got my Bachelor Degree in Management in Ukraine I saw to study abroad as a challenge for me. I was right when I applied for the Programme "Leadership and Management in International Context".

Studying

Linnaeus University is a fantastic place to study. It is a good opportunity to find out more not only about your field of study but also about other cultures and traditions of many nationalities. Moreover, you can get a great life experience of living abroad.

The lectures and professors of the Master Programme "Leadership and Management in International Context" are great. Even if you have some problems with your studies, they are always ready to help you. The atmosphere of the university is friendly and favorable. Furthermore, there is a great library where you can find various kinds of interesting books and magazines necessary for your study. I really like to spend my time there.

During my studying we have done many projects in the group of 4-5 people. Interaction with international students is a good experience for my future work and my social communication.

Life in Kalmar

Kalmar is not big city, thus it is easy to find everything and I should not spend much of my time to get to the university, library or shopping-center. The one thing I like the most is almost all people can speak English fluently. The surroundings and nature of Kalmar is amazing. There is a Baltic sea and the bridge that leads to the big island – Öland where I can go and enjoy beautiful views. Sometimes my friends and I go to feed swans and ducks close to the sea. It is really fun. It seems that these animals are always hungry. At the beginning, I was afraid that I would not have friends here. However, after some days everything has changed. I have got friends so fast. We always share feelings, studying and relaxing together. It is an indescribable feeling to be around amazing people who are always ready to help me. We always have many social events, parties, evenings and dinner together.