Our world is at the dawn of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, which will transform businesses and the way we work at an egregious pace. This revolution is propelled by rapid developments in ICT innovation and it is expected to profoundly change the industry in the coming decades. This cross-cutting theme helps businesses and industries to become more competitive through faster and more efficient utilisation of the opportunities ICT has to offer.

The MBA in Smart Industry is specially designed by WUAS to train future business administrators to understand the implications of exponential technologies such as artificial intelligence, advanced robotics and cognitive automation, advanced analytics, and the Industry Internet of Things (IIoT). This program will guide students through the process of critical analysis, planning and implementation of innovative digital businesses and operation strategies from a practical business point of view. In this course, students will:

• Deal with strategic dimensions of digital business transformation through case study analysis. 
• Acquire the fundamentals to comprehend innovative digital business strategies and their impacts on corporate decisions and on the company’s growth and sustainability.
• Develop the skills and knowledge regarding concepts of strategic management and applications in the future global marketplace particularly in the field of IIoT business transformation and new business models.
• Understand how today’s jobs and associated skills are morphing into new jobs and career pathways that continue to evolve along with advanced technologies.

This programme is intended for students who aspire to learn the strategic fundamentals and acquire the skills to be capable of analysing digital transformation and Smart Industry related issues. By the end of this program, students should be able to understand, discuss and evaluate business strategies and tactics applied in the Smart Industry.

Career Prospects:

MBA Enhancing Your Career! MBA graduates are often fast-tracked into senior management positions and this MBA program has been designed for those who wish to pursue senior management positions or as preparation for further study in business, such as a DBA, or a PhD.

The main target groups for the MBA Smart Industry program are:

• Dutch or other EU graduates who are working in an organisation, managing people or processes, and are looking to improve their career opportunities within their current employment position. These students are supported by their employer and can study the program part-time;
• Dutch, or other EU graduates who have been working in an organisation, managing people or processes, and are looking for a full-time MBA program that will increase their employability chances in an international market with a focus on the Smart Industry;
• International graduates in the Netherlands, who have completed a Bachelor degree and have worked in an organisation with responsibility managing people or processes, who are looking to improve their career opportunities, either at their current employer or in the search for a new opportunity with a focus on the Smart Industry.
• International students worldwide, from business or non-business fields, with a proven number of years managing people or processes within an organisation. These students are looking for an English-taught, internationally orientated MBA programme with a special interest on the Smart Industry that can allow them to improve their career prospects in the job market either at home or in the Netherlands, either at their current employer or at a new organisation, and possibly continue their studies at a higher level.

All the above target groups can include students with both a business bachelor background and a non-business bachelor background.

Wittenborg sees the second group as the most important group of students; i.e. non-business graduates, for instance technical or arts graduates who have already certain experience within the Smart Industry who have developed within an organisation to a position in which they manage people or processes and now wish to support their career development with an academic qualification in business administration.