Master's in Management

• Discovery Week

1st Semester

• Mandatory Courses (divided into two levels according to your background, standard and advanced levels)
• Elective Courses
• Modules
• Study Trips
• Career Development Program - Mastering Your Career
• Mentoring Program
• Regular Seminars, Networking Events, Business Forum, Conferences

2nd Semester

• Mandatory Courses (divided into two levels according to your background, standard and advanced levels)
• Elective Courses
• Modules
• Study Trips
• Regular Seminars, Networking Events, Business Forum, Conferences

• Work Project
• Regular Seminars, Networking Events, Business Forum, Conferences

• Finance: The course focuses on the practical and theoretical frameworks that support the proper financial analysis of management decisions and equips students with the tools to make sound investment and financing decisions. It covers fundamental topics such as financial statement analysis, investment and financing decisions, as well as payout decisions (advanced).
• Human Resources Management: The course explores the strategic dimension of people within organizations. It emphasizes understanding the importance of human resource management in the context of broader organizational objectives, and the challenges managers face in attracting, managing and retaining talent. Key topics include talent recruitment and selection, performance management, employee development and engagement, and more.
• Marketing: The course provides students with foundational knowledge of marketing principles and strategies. It covers key topics such as understanding customers and markets, segmentation, target and positioning, marketing mix decisions, and more. Students learn to systematically plan marketing activities to achieve organizational goals.
• Research Methods in Management: This course equips students with essential research skills, methodologies, and critical thinking tools to design, conduct, and communicate management research, forming a foundation for thesis development.
• Statistics: The course equips students with essential quantitative skills for data-driven decision-making. The course covers fundamental statistical concepts such as descriptive statistics, sampling, hypothesis testing, regression analysis, and data interpretation.  Students learn to analyze data, draw insights, and make informed business decisions based on statistical findings.
• Strategy: The course introduces students to core concepts and frameworks of strategic management. It focuses on understanding how businesses create and sustain competitive advantage by formulating and executing effective strategies, locally and internationally. It covers topics such as competitive analysis, industry dynamics, business, corporate and competitive strategies, internationalization and innovation.

Digital and Data-Driven Business

Master the power of technology and data to solve management challenges and drive strategic decisions. This specialization combines analytical thinking with business insight, preparing you to lead digital transformation.

Entrepreneurship

Develop the mindset, skills, and tools to turn ideas into successful ventures. This specialization prepares you to launch your own business, work in startups and scaleups, or lead innovation within established companies and social impact projects.

Financial Management

Deepen your expertise in corporate finance and learn how to manage resources efficiently to maximize value and results. This specialization prepares you for a solid career in areas such as corporate finance, investment banking, and private equity.

Marketing

Blend creativity and analytical thinking to build strong brands and meaningful customer experiences. This specialization equips you to lead marketing strategies, launch new products, and manage brands in a global and digital landscape.

Operations Management

Learn how to optimize processes and turn efficiency into a competitive advantage. This specialization prepares you to design, implement, and improve operations, quality, logistics, and project management systems across organizations.

Strategy and International Business

Learn to think strategically in a global context by analyzing markets, competitors, and complex business environments. This specialization prepares you to make strategic decisions in international organizations and lead expansion into new markets.

Sustainability

Build a more sustainable future by integrating economic, social, and environmental dimensions into business decisions. Taught in partnership with Nova School of Science and Technology (FCT), this specialization prepares you to lead the green transition and drive responsible practices across organizations.

Please note that:

• Students may apply for only one specialization area (choosing one is optional).
• Courses offered may change each academic year.
• Each area of expertise includes mandatory courses and a range of electives.
• A total of 21 ECTS is required for the area of expertise to appear on the final diploma.

Workstreams

Workstreams allow students to deepen their knowledge and experience in specific areas and, simultaneously, take the core subjects of the master's program in management. They have a predetermined study plan and may be associated with a prearranged final Work Project. In the first two semesters, workstreams combine functional areas of knowledge such as strategy, marketing, finance, human resources, and statistics - allowing students to develop an integrated perspective of management across essential disciplines – with disciplines specifically related to the area of ​​each workstream. The third semester is dedicated to the Work Project, developed by the students in each workstream under the supervision of an expert in the field.

The available workstreams are:

Hospitality & Customer Experience, in partnership with Westmont Hospitality Group

Want to build a career in hospitality, tourism, or entertainment? This workstream at Nova SBE, supported by the Nova SBE Westmont Institute of Tourism & Hospitality, is your path! Gain management skills through electives like sustainability, digital innovation, and finance, all applied to tourism and hospitality.

Portugal’s leadership in tourism makes it the perfect place to study. Plus, you'll connect with industry leaders and gain real-world experience. Our students have worked with Marriott, Hilton, IHG, Benfica, and more. Whether you’re into hotels, events, sports, luxury, aviation or customer service, this program helps turn your passion into a career!

The Nova SBE Master's in Management - Expertise in Hospitality & Customer Experience has been ranked in 1st place in the Eduniversal Best Masters Ranking - Hospitality Management.

Luxury Management

The Luxury Management Workstream is the first step to a successful career in the Luxury, Fashion or/and High Premium Sectors. It is directed to students who demonstrate a high motivation and interest for those sectors. 

The fixed study plan combines courses (Luxury and Fashion Marketing; Brand Management) and seminars (Seminar in Luxury Management) in which students develop their skills in the Luxury/Premium/Fashion fields and apply them in real projects, with the acquisition of a solid knowledge in Management. Over the Program, students interact with executives and international experts in the fields of luxury and fashion (LVMH, Richemont, L'Oréal, Farfetch, Leading Luxury second hand Tech companies) 

In the third Semester, students develop a Field Lab (Group Consulting Project) for prominent companies in the Luxury and the Fashion Sectors, such as L’Oreal Luxe, Chanel, Cartier (Richemont), Montblanc (Richemont), Boutique dos Relógios or Reflaunt (leading start up in Fashion circular economy). 

Placement: Students from the Workstream in Luxury are now working for companies such as LVMH, Mytheresa and L’Oreal Luxe. Workstreams are only available to students who have started their studies and have been accepted to Fall Intake. 

Please take note of the following:

— Students who attend the workstreams cannot combine it with Double Degrees, CEMS, exchange and/or other specialization areas. Double Degrees can only be combined with the following Master’s: Master's in Economics, Master's in Finance, Master's in Management, International Master's in Finance and International Master's in Management.
— Workstreams are only available to students who have started their studies and have been accepted to Fall Intake
— Some courses might not be offered every academic year.
— Please note that this information may be subject to changes.

Discover some of the most popular electives:

• Consumer and Managerial Decision Making
• Consumer Behavior
• Financial Statement Analysis
• Geoeconomics and International Relations
• Global Strategic Management
• Introduction to Programming
• Persuasion and Negotiation
• Strategic Foresight and Scenario Planning
• Wicked Global Leadership

Explore the program brochure to learn more about all available options.

Please note that:

• Courses offered may change each academic year.
• Students may take up to 10.5 ECTS of electives from other programs, subject to availability.

Each program has two compulsory modules to be completed by students:

• Ethics
• Sustainability

As part of the degree requirement, students must carry out a work project (thesis) in their final semester. There are three formats available:

Field Lab
Students focus on a specific theme or topic of more applied nature to propose solutions to solve an existing local real-world problem in a specific setting (group setting).

Business in Practice
BIP is a realistic and immersive business experience of managing a large global company that is designed to better understand the value of theories and concepts learned in practice. Students work in teams of 7 in one of 5 Director roles (Marketing, Finance, Operations, HR and Innovation) managing a global company.

Directed Research Internship
Students carry out a problem-based issue to help address an identifiable problem in a company setting relevant to the course of study.

Directed Research*
Students showcase their knowledge and expertise by investigating a research problem of scientific nature in a relevant area of interest.

* This format is generally reserved for those intending on pursuing further studies in a PhD program.

Mastering Your Career (MYC) is a mandatory Master's graduation requirement, worth 2 ECTS. It offers a valuable opportunity to expand learning beyond the classroom and empowers students to make the most of their journey at Nova School of Business & Economics.

Grading is based upon the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS), a grading scale developed to better understand and compare grades given, according to different national systems.

We did the math for you and the awarding of ECTS grades breaks down as follows:

31.5 ECTS
in Mandatory Courses 

24.5 ECTS
in Elective Courses (minimum)

2 ECTS
in Mastering Your Career activities

2 ECTS
in modules

30 ECTS
in the Work Project

90 ECTS (minimum) in total to graduate
You need a minimum of 90 ECTS to complete your Master's, but if you need 120 ECTS to proceed with your studies, you can extend your Master's by one semester with elective courses (30 ECTS).