Master’s in Digital Business Administration

Practice-led and geared for success: our Master’s in Digital Business Administration prepares you to make companies and organisations fit for the digital future. Gain valuable experience through real digitalisation projects with live case partners during your studies.
Benefit from cooperation with international universities and from the option of a double degree.

Already started your career? Wonderful: the hybrid, flexible nature of our programme means you will have no problem integrating your studies into your working life.

Lead the way forward with an MSc in Digital Business Administration

Begin your studies in the autumn semester 2024!

Apply now

Factsheet

Title/Degree Master of Science (MSc) in Digital Business Administration
Specialisations None
Mode of study Hybrid study, four on-campus classroom blocks (Thursday to Saturday) per semester, plus six flexible virtual learning cycles.
Start date CW 37 and 38
Application deadline 31 July
(place guaranteed until 31 March)

ECTS credits 90 ECTS credits
Teaching language English
Location Bern and asynchronous virtual learning
School Business School

Contact

Downloads

Study Guide MSc in Digital Business Administration (PDF, 2 MB)

Focus areas

Become a digital change maker with a Master of Science in Digital Business Administration.

Develop your skills in the field of digital strategies, leadership and organisation and learn how to use data and technology to optimum effect in your business.

Fill your digital toolbox and gain experience by working on real-world issues from the field.

What you will gain with your degree

Become an expert in digital transformation in business and society with our Master’s in Digital Business Administration. You will work on practical live cases during your studies, developing digital business models for real business partners. And you will expand your digital toolbox, acquiring practical skills in areas such as design thinking, agility and change management.

Individual expertise profile

Establish an individual expertise profile based on your background and experience, for example in e-health, fintech or digital marketing.

Programme overview

Apply now (autumn 2024)

Combining theory and practice in research projects

Teaching, practice and research are closely connected at BFH. During your Master’s degree programme, you will be able to gain experience in a range of research fields.

Overview of research and research projects at the Business School

Career prospects

Keep your finger on the pulse with a Master’s in Digital Business Administration. Become a digital change maker for your organisation!

Interested in evolving digital business models and helping to shape the latest developments? A Master’s in Digital Business Administration prepares you to play a central role in the digital future of your organisation.

Ready for challenging leadership and expert roles?

Shape the digital transformation of your organisation – for example, as Chief Digital Officer.

Our graduates work in the following fields:

Chief Digital Officer
Digital Business Architect
Digital Strategist
Digital Project Manager
Digital Business Analyst
eBusiness Manager

Testimonials

Duration + Content

You should have no difficulty balancing the Master’s in Digital Business Administration with your career. The programme’s mode of study combines contact hours, arranged in three-day blocks, and online (self) study. You can comfortably manage a 60–70% workload alongside your studies. The language of instruction is English.

Study model

The classroom blocks, always held from Thursday to Saturday, take place around four to five times a semester (approx. once a month). Online learning is organised in predefined, two-week cycles. How you schedule your learning within each period will largely be up to you.

The Master’s programme typically takes four semesters. We recommend the workload of 60% next to the study. Need more time? No problem: you have the option of extending your study period (e.g. to six semesters) for extra flexibility.

Study model: MSc in Digital Business Administration

Study schedule

The programme content centres around four key module groups:

Entrepreneurship and Strategy
Leadership and Organisation
Technologies, Data and Operations
Business Research & Methods

We also focus on handy intermodular skills for your personal digital toolbox (e.g. design thinking and change management).

Live cases are a central part of the programme. These involve creating digital business models for real business partners.

Curriculum

Module descriptions

Module groups

Strategy and Entrepreneurship

You will

Develop, evaluate and implement digital strategies
Understand how digital ecosystems work and how to use them
Establish or reconfigure an organisation with an innovative digital business model and position it on the market
Establish governance and structures and integrate them into the change process

Leadership and Organisation

You will:

Create a vision for transformation
Assess the impact of digital transformation on employees and organisation
Actively help shape international, intercultural and interdisciplinary cooperation

Data and Technologies

You will:

Prepare and analyse data from primary sources
Gain valuable insight from data and present it to stakeholders in a visually appealing way
Understand the impact and advantages of new digital technologies
Deploy technologies in an entrepreneurial and profitable way

Business Research Methods

You will:

Create a vision for transformation
Assess the impact of digital transformation on employees and organisation
Actively help shape international, intercultural and interdisciplinary cooperation

Intermodular content

Live Cases

The focus each semester is on an intermodular live case. In the live cases, we tackle the challenges faced by real businesses in the following scenarios:

Digitalisation of existing businesses and business practices
Expansion and development of business models using digital resources and technologies
Development of new digital business models

Overview of previous live cases

Digital Toolbox

The aim of the digital toolbox is to introduce students to tools, skills and methodologies that they can adopt, apply and evolve during the programme, e.g.:

Design thinking
Agile project management
Computational thinking
Change management
Innovation and cooperation
Prototyping

Additional opportunities

Mobility + exchange

We partner with top universities worldwide. You may study abroad at another university for one semester. Courses taken during your exchange can be credited towards the Swiss degree, pending approval by the head of your degree programme.

We also offer double degree programmes with selected universities. You will spend one semester of studies at the partner university and graduate with a degree from both institutions.

More information can be found here:

International - Business School

Mentoring programme

You may participate in the Business School mentoring programme during your studies.

More information: Mentoring programme

Supplementary certificates

The Certificate of Global Competence gives you the opportunity to gain skills in the areas of inter- and transculturalism as part of your regular studies.

The Certificate of Engagement provides proof of the time and effort you dedicated to the BFH Business School.

The supplementary Certificate of Engagement in Sustainability recognises your social commitment and the additional effort you put into expanding your knowledge and skills pertaining to sustainability.

What makes this programme different?

Differences between the MSc in Business Administration and other master’s degree programmes

The BFH Business School offers three different master’s degree programmes. The table below compares the three programmes and shows how they differ in terms of content and format.

	MSc in Business Administration with specialisation in Corporate/Business Development	MSc in Business Information Technology	MSc in Digital Business Administration
Underlying idea	Adopt an entrepreneurial, digital and sustainable approach. Actively help to shape current and future transformations in businesses and take on challenging leadership roles.	Direct the implementation of digital transformation, mediating between business and technology, IT management	Transform existing companies digitally Extend existing business models digitally Develop new digital business models
Career prospects	Business Development Manager Business Consultant/Analyst Manager of demanding, complex projects General management roles in SMEs or in business units/profit centres of major corporations	Enterprise Architect Business Analyst IT Consultant Chief Information Officer (CIO)	Chief Digital Officer Digital Business Architect Digital Strategist Digital Project Manager Digital Business Analyst eBusiness Manager
Target group & Requirements	Bachelor’s in Business Administration and related degrees	Bachelor’s in Business Information Technology Bachelor’s in Business Administration Bachelor’s in Computer Science Bachelor’s in Industrial Engineering and Management Science and related degrees	Bachelor’s in Business Administration Bachelor’s in Business Information Technology Related study programmes
Location	Bern (individual modules in St.Gallen as an option)	Zurich (classroom teaching) Bern (coaching)	Bern and asynchronous virtual learning
Time frame	4 semesters as standard (extension available) Fridays classroom teaching/Saturdays online teaching 60-70% FTE recommended	4 semesters as standard (extension available) Mondays/Tuesdays 60-70% FTE recommended	4 semesters (standard) or 6 semesters (with extension) Hybrid study: 4 on-campus classroom blocks (Thursday to Saturday) per semester, plus 6 flexible virtual learning cycles 60-70% FTE recommended
Language	German	German	English
Learning methodology	Combination of classroom-based and online teaching Case studies Practical projects Simulations Study trip (Asia, Europe) Company visits	Focus on classroom-based teaching Case studies Practical projects Study trip (Europe)	Combination of virtual ‘learning cycles’ and on-campus days Experiment-centred Hands-on (e.g. AI, app) Live cases International (virtual) cooperation/study trip
Cooperation	OST (Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences)	FFHS (Swiss Distance University of Applied Sciences), OST (Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences) and HSLU (Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts)	-
Double Degree	USC Australia	-	USC Australia SolBridge International School of Business, South Korea

Admission requirements

There are many paths leading to the Master of Science in Digital Business Administration. A bachelor’s degree in business administration or business information technology is a prerequisite. The head of the degree programme makes the final admission decision.

Do you have a university degree in another discipline that relates to (digital) business administration and/or digital business, for example in communication, media studies, business engineering or agricultural economics?

You need to meet the following provisions:

At least 30 ECTS credits of your bachelor’s degree were earned in business or economics-related modules.
You can demonstrate at least six months of professional experience, recognised by the Business School.
Applicants from abroad must have an equivalent degree (as per the swissuniversities regulations) plus one year of full-time employment in a related profession/field.

Before applying to BFH, please check with the Swiss embassy in your country about regulations and the process of applying for a student visa. In some countries, school and university degrees must be notarised before they can be submitted to the Swiss embassy. The notarisation process can take up to 10 weeks. When applying to BFH Business School from these countries, you must include copies of the certified documents with your other application forms.

Students with an equivalent degree in business and economics or business administration awarded by a university abroad are also eligible for admission.

Conditions of admission (PDF, 74 KB)

Language skills

Teaching is in English. You will need to be proficient in English to at least C1 level .

Proof of language proficiency can be a C1 certificate, for example, an equivalent diploma, or proof that the candidate has studied/worked in English or similar.

Obligatory advisory interview

Once you have applied, the Administrative Assistant will arrange an advisory interview for you with the head of the programme.

Administrative Assistant

Application

Secure your place early.
You can always submit any missing documents later.

Application deadlines

Application deadline: 31 July (place guaranteed until 31 March)
Start date: calendar week 37/38
Induction day: first day of programme in calendar week 38
Request for credit transfer: 15 August
Deadline to withdraw application: 31 July

Structure of academic year (PDF, 46 KB)

Information on deadlines and procedures for withdrawing, terminating matriculation and taking a leave of absence (PDF, 110 KB)

Start your studies the autumn semester 2024.

Apply by 31 July (place guaranteed until 31 March).

If you need to apply for a visa, we recommend that you register for this degree programme by 31 March.

Apply now (autumn 2024)

Brief explanation of the online application

Online applications only.
Our Online Application Guide explains how it works, step by step.

Online Application Guide (PDF, 71 KB)

Application documents

You will need to make PDF or JPG copies of the following documents:

Mandatory requirements:

Passport or ID card (front and back)
Passport photo that meets international passport requirements
Up-to-date CV
Proof of proficiency in English to at least C1 (C1 English certificate or equivalent/alternative proof e.g. degree/modules attended in English)
Personal statement
Confirmation of termination of matriculation
Diplomas and leaving certificates (e.g. vocational baccalaureate/specialised baccalaureate with grades, university entrance qualification, Abitur or upper secondary level qualification)
Bachelor’s degree certificate or equivalent qualification plus transcript of records (ToR)

Required documentation if you were educated abroad or if your educational background is in a related field and you are looking to transfer credit from other universities

Passport or ID card (front and back)
Passport photo that meets international passport requirements
Up-to-date CV
Proof of proficiency in English to at least C1 (C1 English certificate or equivalent/alternative proof e.g. degree/modules attended in English)
Personal statement
Confirmation of termination of matriculation
Comparable non-Swiss university degree with at least 30 ECTS credits in business and economics subjects (bachelor’s degree certificate) including transcript of records (ToR)
Proof of at least six months of professional experience, recognised by the Business School

An incomplete dossier will be rejected for revision and correction. A short period of grace is granted on the understanding that the application will be deemed withdrawn if it is not resubmitted within the specified time limit.

Application, tuition and examination fees

The costs for the programme comprise application, tuition and examination fees plus the cost of course materials and excursions.

The costs per semester are:

CHF 964.–
CHF 1'164.– for international students*

Detailed cost breakdown:

Application (per application) / Matriculation*	CHF 100.–
Tuition fee (per semester)	CHF 750.–
Tuition fee for international students* (per semester)	CHF 950.–
Performance assessment (per semester)	CHF 80.–
Material fees**** (per semester)	CHF 95.–
Voluntary contribution to the student body (per semester)	CHF 15.–
Fee for social, cultural and sport offerings (per semester)	CHF 24.–
Costs for study trip (approx.)	CHF 1000.– to 2000.–

*International students are defined as persons of foreign citizenship who at the time of obtaining their university entrance qualification were domiciled under civil law neither in Switzerland nor the Principality of Liechtenstein.
**plus CHF 10 processing fee for payment via payment slip / paper invoice.
***If the registration leads to enrolment, the registration fee will be credited as the enrolment fee.
****excl. costs for teaching materials, specialist literature, consumables, etc.

Grants, loans and other funding options

There are two ways to finance your studies: loans and grants. More information here:

Information page on educational grants

Advice + Information

Still have questions about the programme? Get in touch or visit one of our information events.

Head of Degree Programme

Prof. Dr. Marie Peskova

Studiengangsleiterin
+41 31 848 44 18
Show e-mail

See profile

Student services

Raquel De Turris

Administrative Assistentin
+41 31 848 34 94
Show e-mail

See profile

Information event

Visit one of our information events and find out all about the degree programme, the admission requirements and your career prospects. Our students will share their experience of life at the university.

Information Event

MSc Digital Business Administration 08 May 2024

Get to know the interesting details of this study programme as well as the Head of degree programme. We look forward to your participation!

08.05.2024, 5pm–6pm – online (MS Teams)

Location + Facilities

Pursue your master’s degree on our ‘green campus’ in Bern’s Marzili district and at Haslerstrasse / Effingerstrasse. Both locations are a 10-15 minute walk from Bern railway station.

Location Marzili

Brückenstrasse 73, 3005 Bern

We generally recommend travelling by bus or on foot.

There are no parking spaces available for students. Please use the public parking facilities.

Travel by bus and on foot:

Brückenstrasse is an approx. 10-minute walk from Bern railway station.
The «Marzilibahn» funicular descends into the Marzili district from the upper station (Bundeshaus-West). Brückenstrasse is around 450 metres from the lower station.
In the evening (from 8.37pm), bus line 30 runs between the railway station and the Marzili district (Dampfzentrale stop).

Our green campus offers a wide range of facilities.

Library: self-checkout is available to students around the clock.
Cafeteria: the cafeteria is open to students year-round. There is a full range of food and drink on offer during the semester, while vending machines are available during breaks.