Starting in September third semester Bachelor students at the Faculty of Health at Aarhus University will have the option of applying for a two-year business-oriented honours programme with central focus on business and industry and a timetable that includes innovation, among other things. Fifteen places will initially be available for the students.

2017.05.04 | Kirsten Olesen

The new honours programme entails new academic activities corresponding to 30 ECTS over two years in addition to the ordinary study requirements.

Entrepreneurship, business models and patent registration are among the topics in a new business-oriented honours programme for those students at Health who have a flair for the business and industry perspective of the health sciences, and who are furthermore motivated to such a degree that they are willing to spend extra time studying on top of their normal duration of study. Initially, the scheme is aimed at third semester students, with 15 places available on the programme. But in the long term, the scheme will include both a Bachelor’s section and a programme directed towards Master’s degree students. The number of places will also be increased.

For both the Bachelor’s and Master’s programmes, the business-oriented honours programme incorporates themes and people from business and industry. This takes place in two parallel tracks: individual activities (e.g. course assignments) on the one hand, and joint activities such as interdisciplinary case competitions and summer schools, on the other.

Resources from Novo Nordisk, INNO-X etc.

On the Bachelor’s programme beginning in September, INNO-X Healthcare at Aarhus University will begin by teaching ‘Innovation and entrepreneurship’ in collaboration with external lecturers. Later in the programme, which extends over four semesters, Novo Nordisk will be part of the timetable with the course ‘From idea to product and production and company’.

The honours programme entails the student adding new academic activities corresponding to 30 ECTS over a two-year period to their ordinary degree programme in the form of an extracurricular programme within the prescribed time.

A completed programme will result in a "Graduation with distinction" on the Bachelor certificate, with the same applying to a completed programme on the Master’s degree programme. 

"Talent" covers more than research

The new business-oriented talent track will be launched concurrently with the faculty’s launch of a research-oriented talent track in September. The latter is aimed at Master’s degree students who want to be researchers.
The overall objective of the two honours programme is to support and strengthen the efforts for – as it is stated in the faculty's description – “particularly talented and highly motivated students”.

"With the business-oriented honours programme, we support the broadening of the concept of 'talent' and include those students who do not see themselves having a research career, but who are on the other hand, enthusiastic about the prospect of being able to fine-tune their talent for entrepreneurship and innovation," says Vice-dean for Talent Development at Health, Lise Wogensen Bach.

Mentors ready

In order to ensure that the collaboration between the students and the company progresses according to plan, and that the student chooses suitable subjects for study, a number of mentors from Health will be available throughout the honours programme. They will also introduce the students to their own networks and business partners in business and industry.

"All-in-all, the business-oriented honours programme provides benefits for the students, who can gain knowledge and a direct network within business and industry, but also for Health, which can achieve greater collaboration between the faculty, departments and companies, possibly in the form of more industrial PhDs," says Lise Wogensen Bach.

She adds that the programme will also pave the way for easier contact between the industry and companies on the one hand and Aarhus University on the other, both in connection with the recruitment of talents and access to the university's expertise.

The mentors will, among other things, include the business engagement partners at Health.

• Application and admission to the business-oriented honours programme takes place in August. For further information about opportunities, please contact Development Consultant at Health, Rasmus Johannes Lund at rjlund@au.dk, tel.: (+45) 5133 5396.

Background:

• In February 2016, the faculty management team consented to the development of a business-oriented talent and honours programme. On this basis, the following working group was appointed: Vice-dean Lise Wogensen Bach (project owner); Rune Dall Jensen (PhD student, CESU); Kamille Smidt Rasmussen (Research Programme Director, Health); Søren-Ulrik Fangholm (Director, Head of Department, Dansk Lægemiddel Information A/S); Martin Simonsen (Director, Bioinformatics, Qiagen); Per Sprøgel (Vice President of International Clinical Development, LEO Pharma); Mogens Andreasen (Elective and Course manager, Health); Rasmus Johannes Lund (Development Consultant and lecturer, Health).
• You can also read a previous article about the research-orientated talent track for Master’s degree students at Health.    

Contact:

Vice-dean for Talent Development Lise Wogensen Bach
Aarhus University, Health
Mobile: (+45) 2548 8522
lwb@au.dk