Master's in Interdisciplinary Product Innovation and Creation | University of Oulu

In the accredited Industrial Engineering and Management Master's programme in Interdisciplinary Product Innovation and Creation students will learn how new products are created, developed, and brought towards markets.

Major studies are based on projects carried out in collaboration with industry partners to fit their needs.

Top reasons to study Interdisciplinary Product Innovation and Creation

• Our ASIIN and EUR-ACE accredited programme fosters collaboration across diverse fields to equip you with a holistic understanding of product innovation.
• You will study a project-based curriculum where projects are integrated with the subjects taught.
• Our instructors inspire collaborative learning and bring a wealth of industry and academic expertise into your learning methods combining theory and learning by doing.
• Dive into real-world product innovation cases to develop practical skills and problem-solving abilities in small, medium and large enterprise contexts.
• Study in a close-knit community in a design studio-like learning environment.

Why you should study in Oulu, Finland

Whether it's exploring new business ventures, pioneering sustainable solutions, or pushing the boundaries of technology, Oulu in Finland provides a fertile ground for students. Its medium size and surrounding ecosystem in ICT, 6G wireless communications, cleantech and health technology make Oulu a perfect sandbox for testing new concepts to be scaled later.

Finland in general is renowned for its vibrant innovation ecosystem, with a strong emphasis on research, development, and entrepreneurship. Finland consistently ranks high in global innovation indices, making it an ideal environment for students seeking to immerse themselves in cutting-edge technologies and practices.

University of Oulu combines academic excellence, industry collaboration, innovation ecosystems, and quality of life factors. Close collaboration with industry partners provides students with valuable opportunities to engage in real-world projects and research initiatives. This hands-on experience enables students to apply theoretical knowledge to practical scenarios and develop skills that are directly relevant to the needs of the industry.

Planet centered design and development

In this master’s programme in Industrial Engineering and Management the focus is on Interdisciplinary Product Innovation and Creation (IPIC). You can complement your previous technical knowledge to innovate new products from human-centric and business standpoints and get practical skills in product development.
You will learn to design products and services across their life cycles and the related social responsibility, sustainable development, and digitalisation aspects.

Students explore complex project development and innovation cases across business sectors in areas such as the grand challenge of green transition, which is one of the focus areas of the Faculty of Technology in the University of Oulu.

You are a great fit for our programme if

• You are an ambitious creative tinkerer passionate about innovation and problem-solving.
• You have an outstanding track record of your previous studies to show.
• You already have experience in industrial engineering and management, either from previous studies or work experience.
• You can commit to project-based learning and enjoy working in interdisciplinary teams.
• Your bachelor’s or master’s degree must be in engineering or relevant natural sciences.

Interdisciplinary engineering studies in design project entities

Courses in the Interdisciplinary Product Innovation and Creation (IPIC) programme are conducted in large project entities that guarantee a holistic learning experience. In the first year of studies, students will undergo innovation projects in the context of small and medium scale companies. In the second year, there will be a project with a large company focus, ultimately leading to your master’s thesis.

The study methods stimulate reflective teamwork and simulate a design studio. In the programme, students from different study years mentor each other. Since the studies are interdisciplinary by nature, you will collaborate with students from other study fields in your project teams.

The IPIC programme is built upon close collaboration with industry and businesses operating both locally and internationally. Collaborators from various organisations often provide course assignments and visitor lectures.

Main courses

In the project-based curriculum, individual courses are integrated with innovation assignments originating from real needs. During the first year of studies, three projects concentrate on new product ideas, product concepts and product sustainability. The second study year includes a larger project spanning over two semesters.

Key courses in the curriculum include International Cross-disciplinary Product Development Project, Management, Human Resource Management, Product Portfolio Management, and Change Project and Programme Management.

Some room in the curriculum is available for you to customize your studies according to specific areas of interest, such as other engineering disciplines, communication or leadership.

Core skills and competence

Students begin to build their professional self-awareness and networks as their assignments are typically connected to practical industrial problems and challenges. This way, the students gain first-hand industry experience.

Our IPIC programme is designed to provide you, the student, with the ability to:

• Analyse, design, and develop innovative products and services through prototyping
• Manage product lifecycles, product development processes, and projects
• Understand product management, product portfolio management and productisation
• Apply strategic thinking in the planning, management, and development of projects
• Manage, lead and work in interdisciplinary project teams
• Create innovative products and services in collaboration with customers.

Career opportunities

After graduation you will have hands-on expertise in new product design and development, rapid development, productisation and management of both people and projects.

This experience allows you to work in challenging product development or project management positions. You can lead and manage interdisciplinary product development projects and other business development tasks.

Occupational profiles of the graduates include:

• Innovation Manager
• Product Manager
• Product Owner
• Product Development Engineer
• Product Data Manager
• Project Manager
• Programme Manager.