Master in Research and Innovation in Higher Education - MARIHE (Erasmus Mundus Masters Course)

Objectives of MARIHE

• Objective 1: To educate change agents for systems and institutions of HE, innovation and research, who analyse mechanisms of HE, innovation and research (the knowledge triangle), utilise their change management skills to modernize institutions and help them respond to new trends, such as digitalisation.
• Objective 2: To improve the management of HE and research institutions, by equipping graduates with managerial and decision making skills and the capability to develop new managerial and leadership concepts and instruments for institutions.
• Objective 3: To promote internationalisation in HE, innovation and research, by providing graduates with concepts of internationalisation as such, intercultural competence that actively promote internationalisation and development through cross-border activities.
• Objective 4: To promote entrepreneurship and strengthen university-business relationships by developing graduates with an entrepreneurial mind-set and the ability to facilitate university-business-relationships.
• Objective 5: To raise the quality of learning and teaching and make higher education more inclusive by preparing graduates with skills to support HEIs in modernizing their strategy and methods of teaching and learning and to use the possibilities of digitalisation in this respect and reach new groups through HE.

Graduates of MARIHE will:

• have a sound understanding of the new contexts relevant to research and innovation in higher education (system knowledge combined with global and regional contexts)
• have a sound understanding of the relation between change processes and how these link to education systems and labour markets in general.
• understand the specialties of scientific institutions and how to adapt marketization and deregulation instruments to the needs and the culture of the institutions. They are competent in policy analysis and evaluation.
• have developed skills to link system change with institutional change and implementation of change in different contexts
• demonstrate the ability to analyse critically the relevant literature and to use it as a tool of analysis
• demonstrate also the ability to use research and research management skills and analytical methodologies appropriately and have the potential to move to doctoral studies
• develop management skills to deal with the changing environment inside HE and research institutions
• have the ability to apply management instruments in an adequate way regarding the knowledge triangle.
• demonstrate the ability to think and plan strategically, especially in relation to problem-solving as well as the ability to integrate knowledge, handle complexity, formulate  judgements and communicate them to a  wider audience
• show the ability to operate with stakeholders of research and innovation, in particular, business companies.

Curriculum

The first semester in Austria will start with an induction phase and will then include modules that will built the foundation of studies in research, innovation and HE management.

A series of three modules over three semesters called “Systems in Transition” is dedicated to Analysis and Comparison of HE systems worldwide. It will start in first semester with “Systems in Transition 1”, which is dedicated to History of Higher Education and Regional Focus on Europe (current issues in EHEA and European Research Area/ERA).

Two modules “Research Methods” 1 and 2 (in first respectively second semester) prepare students for conducting management and social scientific research, applying both quantitative and qualitative methods.

Building up on the knowledge and competences acquired in the first semester, the second semester in Finland will offer orientation to students in more specific and applied management topics: Theories of Organisation and Change in HEIs and Research Institutions, Research and Innovation Management, Financial Management and Funding in HE, Research and Innovation, Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Education. This will help students in further shaping their learning path and deciding for a specialisation.

The module “System in Transition 2” in second semester is dedicated to globalization and internationalisation in HE, and has a regional Focus on Africa and North and South America. The module “Entrepreneurship, Education and Innovation” will foster entrepreneurship education in the programme, with a specialisation on the educational field. “Research Methods 2” will again prepare students for independent research in the field of research, innovation and HE management.

Between the second and the third semester, students will acquire work experience in their internship with an organisation in the field.

After this they will decide for either China or India for their destination of the field trip to Asia. This field trip will include the module Systems in Transition 3, which has a regional focus on Asia. The second module on this fieldtrip, “Insights from Practice in Chinese HE/in Indian HE” will give students the possibilities to meet and discuss with practitioners such as leaders and managers from HEIs or public authorities. In the case of India, this will be combined with addressing the sector of business school education as an additional focus.

After the fieldtrip to Asia, the last part of the third semester will form the start of students’ specialisation. They will go to either to Austria, Finland, Germany or Hungary and will accomplish two modules in the specialisation. For the fourth semester, they will stay at the same host institution and write their master thesis in their field of specialisation

Mobility scheme

 Through the mobility scheme in MARIHE, students have:

• access to a variety of expertise (higher education management, policy analysis and higher education consultancy, strong regional expertise in the field of higher education)
• access to different types of institutions of higher education in Europe and Asia (university of applied sciences, traditional university, university for continuing education), which will serve on its own as perfect contextualization for students
• excellent possibilities for internships linked to the field of research and innovation
• authentic contact with different national and cultural contexts, including China and India
• the possibility to learn a variety of languages (major and small languages)
• developing cultural sensitivity and diversity orientation

Degrees

Graduates of MARIHE will be awarded a Joint Degree or a Double Degree. The degree awarded depends on the specialisation (and the mobility path) chosen by the student:

• The specialisation “Research and Innovation” (led by UTA) leads to a Joint Degree “Master of Administrative Sciences, M.Sc. (Admin.)”, conferred by Partners UTA and DUK.
• The specialisation “Leadership and Management” (led by UASO) leads to a Joint Degree “Master of Science, M.Sc.”, conferred by Partners UASO and DUK.
• The specialisation “Institutional research” (led by DUK) leads to a Joint Degree “Master of Administrative Sciences, M.Sc. (Admin.)”, conferred by Partners UTA and DUK.
• The specialisation “Learning and Teaching” (led by ELTE) leads to a Double Degree consisting of a “Master (in Educational Science)”, conferred by Partner ELTE, and a “Master of Administrative Sciences”, conferred by Partner UTA.