Teach­ing and work­ing meth­ods

Research-based education

When you study at university, you become part of a research environment. Already in your first semester, you will be taught by researchers who actively contribute to creating new knowledge within their field. They provide you with insights into the latest research while also training you to be curious and think critically. This helps you gain new perspectives on what you learn and the work you engage in.

Bridge between theory and practice

In addition to being taught by researchers, you will also meet external lecturers who work in the private sector or in public organisations. You will therefore encounter real-life cases that provide you with insights beyond a theoretical level. They might, for instance, explain how they apply theories and models in their everyday work. This makes it easier for you to understand how your curriculum is relevant and can be used in practice. At CBS, you are therefore introduced to theory as well as practice-oriented teaching.

You are trained to find solutions

In class, you will be asked to discuss theories with both your lecturer and fellow students. Here, you are encouraged to be critical and inquisitive. You do this by asking curious questions or exploring new perspectives on the topics you discuss. When you work on an assignment or project, you also learn to take a scientific approach by reflecting on which theory and analysis to apply to solve a given problem.

In this way, your lecturers help train you to ask questions such as: “Why should I use this method?” or “What are the advantages and disadvantages of using other methods?” This mindset is what you will need once you graduate and enter the business community, where you will contribute to finding solutions to some of the challenges we face as a society.

You will experience different types of teaching at CBS. The most common are:

• Lectures: usually, a lecturer will review the readings from the syllabus and put them into perspective in an auditorium. Most students take a lot of notes during the lectures.
• Exercise classes: are often scheduled in continuation of lectures with smaller groups of approximately 30-40 students with a lot of dialogue between the lecturer and the students. You often do some exercises based on what has been reviewed during the lecture.

The vast majority of your lectures and classes take place on campus, but you may have a few courses or activities that take place online. It is therefore expected that you show up on campus and participate in classes.

You should expect to have 12-14 hours of teaching on average per week scheduled in the daytime from Monday to Friday.

Time consumption

All CBS bachelor and master programmes are full-time programmes. This means you should expect to spend approximately 37 hours on average on your studies each week.  You will spend your time on:

• participating in and preparing for your lectures and exercise classes
• doing individual and group work
• preparing for and taking your exams

The workload and the number of hours you spend studying will vary during the semester and throughout the year. The time leading up to assignment submissions and exams can be hectic, and you can easily work more than 40 hours a week in this period. 

At CBS, your lecturers do not check whether you show up for class or how high your absence is. However, it is important that you prioritise coming to your classes. You risk missing out on important information and discussions if you do not show up, and you cannot expect everything to be available online. 

In some courses you have to pass different compulsory activities in order to participate in the exam. This could be a multiple choice test, a submission of an assignment or an oral presentation.

You may have to read a few chapters or an academic article as preparation before a lecture. You might also spend time on either taking notes or underlining the most important points while reading. 

Before an exercise class, you will also often have to prepare a case or do various calculation tasks in advance, which will be reviewed during the exercise class. 

As a student at CBS, you have the opportunity to sit at the library in quiet surroundings and read and prepare for your classes and exams. You can also book a group study room if you and your study group are preparing a case for an exercise class or writing an exam paper together.

In most study programmes assignments and preparation for teaching activities and exams will be done in groups. Many students also choose to form study groups, where they meet and discuss the syllabus, go through assignments and prepare for teaching activities or exams together.

Working in groups has many advantages. You learn a lot from talking with your fellow students about your syllabus and get other perspectives on what you read. You can also help each other out if there are difficult things in the syllabus, and you can share an interest for the courses you find most exciting.

You also learn a lot about yourself and how you and other people react in a collaborative setting. It will give you a lot of good tools, you can use, when you later start a job where you have to collaborate with people who may not be similar to you.  

The other students in your group can also become the ones you do social things with outside of class. They are often the ones who help you keep your motivation up and get you through the busy periods.

CBS offers bachelor and master programmes taught in either Danish or English. Sometimes you will also find courses taught in English in Danish-taught programmes.

You should expect most of your literature to be in English, even if your programme is taught in Danish. It requires some extra work from you to get used to reading literature in English at first, but you will quickly get used to reading in English and expand your vocabulary.

Practice makes perfect

There is a big difference between reading and understanding texts and expressing yourself in English both orally and in writing. This is a challenge for some students. Even if you are used to reading English texts on your bachelor programme, it is still a good idea to practice your English. Try to speak it on a regular basis, watch the news, movies and TV series in English. You should also read books and newspapers in English, as this will help you read faster and increase your vocabulary. A good command of English is essential for getting the maximum learning outcome of your programme.

Considering applying for a programme taught in English?

Before applying for a programme taught in English you might want to consider the following:

• All literature, lectures, exams, projects and group work are in English.
• Academic English differs from the English used in everyday life – so it might be a challenge even if you are used to speaking English in other situations.
• You may have to spend more time on reading and understanding the material in English.
• You may find it challenging to express yourself with the same ease as you would in your mother tongue.
• Some will feel uncomfortable and shy when speaking English – especially when in a crowd or among native speakers.