Work with students from different backgrounds on complex challenges

Master
Full-time
1 year

Students from diverse backgrounds walking together on campus

Interdisciplinary Business Professional

Level: master
Form: full-time
Duration: 1 year
Language: English
Locations: Groningen
Degree: Master of Science
Credits: 60 ECTS
Startmonths: Start: September

Business and Economics
International Business School

Do you wish to work in interdisciplinary teams with people from different backgrounds and contribute your expertise and creativity to achieve a common goal? Are you able to think out of the box, accept new, exciting challenges and study problems from all possible angles? The Master Interdisciplinary Business Professional is the right programme for you.

Apply for this programme Request brochure

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Projects with impact

During your master’s, you will work on real-world projects that address societal and organisational challenges. Through hands-on research, you will create innovative solutions that make a difference. Curious what that looks like? Below are a few examples of our students' projects.

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What will you be studying?

Within the Master Interdisciplinary Business Professional, we work mostly with concepts and theories instead of subjects. The interdisciplinary aspects are then explored by different disciplines, such as Marketing, Finance, HRM and IT. Various professorships are involved in the master's programme which gives you the opportunity to conduct research on real-life cases.

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Student met oranje post its met hierop vraagtekens

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Patrícia Duarte de Almeida

Head of Education IBS Masters
Daniëlle Hendrikse

Lecturer
Irene Taroni, MSc

Lecturer
Nikhil Satija

Lecturer
Ineke van der Leij

Admissions Officer IBS Masters

About the master Interdisciplinary Business Professional

Companies and organisations are facing a world in transition. They must cope with the effects of economic developments and societal changes such as globalisation, digitalisation, internationalisation and sustainability. They must deal with complex issues, that are hard to define, difficult to predict and have several causes. For instance:

How can they guarantee the absence of child labour in their fashion supply chain?
What can organisations do to prevent cyberattacks on their computer systems without compromising the privacy of their clients and workforce?
What is the current state of the ‘plastic soup’ in our oceans? Who should take action and what can we do?

To survive and thrive, companies and organisations must innovate. To remain relevant, they need to adapt and change. They must grab complex problems by the tail and transform threats into opportunities and find the right answers to dilemmas. They need professionals with an open mind, who are equipped and prepared to team up with co-workers of other disciplines within and outside the organisation. To become Interdisciplinary Business Professionals who have what it takes to do what needs to be done. This is the first master’s programme offered by a university of applied sciences in the Netherlands to meet this need.

The Master Interdisciplinary Business Professional is designed for ambitious students who are eager to make a difference. You will contribute to solutions and innovations for complex problems that organisations are facing. These problems are interdisciplinary issues that require innovative and diverse answers for organisations that add value to both people and our planet.

This programme is also offered as a Dutch-taught part-time programme for professionals with at least 3 years of work experience. Find out more at www.hanze.nl/ibp.

In this video, a student, alumnus and a lecturer explain more about the content of the programme and what makes this master unique. In addition, a business partner from NICE (Noordelijk Innovatielab Circulaire Economie) explains how they work together with students from the master on real-life business cases through the Innovation Assignment.

Course overview

Semester 1

Semester 1 starts with an intensive introduction week, where you meet fellow students and learn to navigate the research landscape. Throughout the semester, you develop advanced research skills while collaborating in interdisciplinary teams on complex innovation challenges from professional practice. The Innovation Assignment combines co-creation, academic insights, and an evidence-based approach to solving business issues. Alongside this, the Knowledge Based Skills module provides the theories, models, and academic foundation needed for applied research and future thesis work. Throughout the entire one-year programme, you continuously develop your professional skills, leadership, and ethical awareness within a collaborative Community of Learners.

Semester 2

In the second semester of the master's programme, you will work on your master thesis. You will complete your master’s thesis in the form of an academic journal article. Working independently within an interdisciplinary context, you carry out an applied research project from start to finish. This includes defining a relevant research problem, conducting rigorous analysis, and translating evidence into meaningful conclusions. The result is a journal‑article‑style paper that presents solid research findings alongside innovative, actionable insights with clear relevance for organisations and society.

Career opportunities

Graduating from the Master Interdisciplinary Business Professional programme opens up a wide range of career opportunities in both the public and private sectors. Having received your Master of Science diploma, you'll be equipped to tackle complex, real-world challenges using an interdisciplinary and innovative approach. The programme’s strong emphasis on applied research, co-creation with industry, and sustainable value creation prepares you to work in roles that require critical thinking, collaboration, and a future-focused mindset. Positions that our alumni take on are:

Business consultant
Policy and project advisor
Business analyst
CRM manager
Researcher
Performance marketeer, etc.

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Click here to check whether you qualify

The entry requirements for our master’s programme are as follows:

A valid business bachelor's degree of NLQF/EQF level 6 or higher (between 180 - 240 ECTS equivalent) (no GMAT required) within the economic domain and related fields accompanied by a transcript.
An English proficiency of IELTS 6.5 with no sub-scores below 6. For more details, see the item below.

Furthermore, you have to submit:

A 2-3 minute video in which you explain your motivation and skills. In your video you should address the following:
- What are you passionate about? How does this master help you prepare for your future?
- What can you contribute to the MIBP learning community (think of skills, knowledge, experience, perspective, network)?
- Information on the following competencies with the support of relevant academic/professional achievements and or international/intercultural experiences:
  - (applied) research skills
  - critical thinking
  - cultural sensitivity

Please note that it does not matter where you upload the video, as long as you provide a link that enables us to click and immediately view the video (without downloading or logging into a new app). You are also responsible for ensuring your own privacy (sharing a private link with us, for example). In most cases, YouTube is the easiest, most reliable, and user friendly platform to use.

Please note that students must have a valid residency status in order to study in the Netherlands.

If you want to know more about the value of your own diploma, you can also check the diploma comparison site of our national agency NUFFIC.

English language proficiency should be proven with one of the following certificates:

IELTS (Academic): with a minimum overall score of 6.5 with no sub-scores below 6, or:
TOEFL ibT
- For exams taken before January 21, 2026: with a minimum overall score of 90 with no sub-scores below 21
- For exams taken on or after January 21, 2026: with a minimum TOEFL iBT score of 4.5 (with no sub score below 4.5), or;
CAE (Cambridge C1 Advanced Exam): with a minimum grade of C, or;
Pearson PTE (Academic): Minimum overall score of 61 (minimum of writing: 63; listening: 49; speaking 47; reading: 54), or;
LanguageCert (Academic): Minimum overall score of 70 (no sub-scores below 33), or;
TOEIC: Listening and Reading minimum of 865 and Speaking and Writing minimum of 335.

Note: Your language certificate should not be older than two years at the start of the programme. Please note that Hanze does not accept the home versions of the IELTS or TOEFL for the purpose of admission to the master's programme.

Exemptions
The following students are exempt from submitting an English language proficiency test:

Prospective students who have obtained a diploma at an English-taught institution within the EER and who can prove that their prior education for which they obtained a diploma was full time English-taught. (A statement, signed and stamped, from the school, confirming that the medium of instruction and examination of the prior education was entirely in English).
Prospective students whose prior education was English-taught and who obtained a diploma in the following countries: Australia, Canada (English speaking part), Ireland, New Zealand, United Kingdom, United States of America.
Dutch students. They need to demonstrate their English language proficiency via the motivational video.

Note: In order to get the exemption, your bachelor's degree should not be older than two years at the start of the programme.

For more information about language requirements, please check the general Hanze page on language requirements here.

If you want to apply for our programme, you have to submit your request first in our national registration system Studielink. After this, we will start the admissions process through our own application system “Hanze Apply”.

The general application deadline:

for EU/EEA students is 15 August
for non-EU/EEA students is 1 June
- 1 May for students from Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal, Iran, Ghana, Afghanistan and Nigeria (due to an intensified immigration control)

Please note that scholarship deadlines are from 1 March - 30 April so you should apply for the programme in Studielink earlier if you want to be eligible for a scholarship.

NB: please do not send application documents via email. On this page you can find general information about enrolment, application requirements and tuition fees in preparation of your programme application. For more information about the specific programme, please contact [email protected].

Admissions interview

An admissions interview is not a standard part of the admissions procedure; however, the Admissions Committee can request for additional supporting documents or examination in the form of an (online) interview.

Hanze UAS offers the following scholarships for the Master Interdisciplinary Business Professional:

Hanze Scholarship

For non-EEA students
€10.000 contribution towards costs of living

NL Scholarship (formerly Holland Scholarship)

For non-EEA students
€5.000 contribution towards costs of living

For more detailed information go to the general scholarship page.

Please note that the application for these scholarships is open between 1 March and 30 April. If you would like to apply for one of these scholarships, you will need to complete the admissions procedure of the master's programme first.