Educational qualification degree: MASTER
Form of education: FULL-TIME, PART-TIME
Study duration: 1 year / 1,5 years / 2 years
Higher education field: 3. SOCIAL, ECONOMIC AND LEGAL SCIENCES
Professional orientation: 3.7. ADMINISTRATION AND MANAGEMENT
Professional qualification: ADMINISTRATION AND MANAGEMENT
ECTS credits: 60 / 90 / 120
I. SPECIALTY PROFILE
The Master’s program in the specialty “Service Management” corresponds to the professional field 3.7. “Administration and Management”, professional qualification “Administration and Management”. The program is offered in full-time and part-time form of study for bachelors who have graduated from the Professional Field 3.7. “Administration and Management” – 1 year, for bachelors from other professional fields – 1.5 years, as well as for professional bachelors who have graduated from the PF 3.7. “Administration and Management” – 2 years. The training in the EQD “Master” is in accordance with the credit system, which allows for quality of the educational process, in accordance with EU requirements and directives. The training is with a narrow profiling preparation of students in the administration and management of services. This is also a leading motto in the development of the curriculum and curricula – training of qualified experts, based on national and international experience and the introduction of good practices. The course of study ends with the defense of a master’s thesis.
The qualification profile is a basic document determining the development of the curriculum and study programs. It is in accordance with the Law on Higher Education in the Republic of Bulgaria, the Regulation on the State Requirements for Acquiring the Master’s Degree, the National Classification of Professions, the National Qualification Framework of the Republic of Bulgaria (RMS No. 96/ 02.02.2012) and the regulations of the University of Telecommunications and Post.
The qualification profile has been developed based on the principles, requirements and standards of the Council of Europe Resolutions on academic education, the competencies set out in the European Qualification Profile, as well as the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS), providing opportunities for mobility of students and teachers, practices and internships abroad and participation in inter-university seminars.
II. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE SPECIALTY
The aim of the “Service Management” specialty for the EQD “Master” is to respond to new trends in the service sector and combines innovative training between theory and practice. The Master’s program offers narrowly profiled training for specialists, with modern and creative teaching methods, oriented towards the preparation of experts with knowledge and competencies in service management. The training focuses on the technology of service management processes and the role of the manager in the intangible production sector. The development of managers in the service sector is based on their high competence, analytical, creativity, communication and behavioral abilities.
A main goal and additional goals are highlighted, with the following meaning:
Main goal
The main goal of the “Service Management” Master’s program is the opportunity for managers to acquire specific competencies in the technology and processes of service management, as well as the behavioral and social aspects of this activity, i.e. their ability to communicate, manage and be leaders, possessing theoretical training, knowledge, skills and competencies through which organizations add value to their clients and achieve organizational development.
Additional goals
The training in the specialty “Service Management” also has additional objectives for motivating students, creating lifelong learning habits and empathy for the organization. It is necessary to develop their intellectual potential, to perceive organizational values embodied in the organizational culture, to have ethical and moral norms of behavior in the workplace.
Objectives:
1. Acquisition of modern knowledge, skills and competencies that are relevant to new trends in the field of service management;
2. Creation of appropriate conditions for an educational environment that motivates students to generate modern, up-to-date and reliable information about processes and business practices in the service sector;
3. Stimulating the creative potential and abilities of students to solve cases and management situations from business practice, requiring innovative ideas and adequate behavior in a specific (practical) environment;
4. Promoting communication and open dialogue, a prerequisite for research activity of students in the educational process, their scientific and artistic and creative activities;
5. Conditions for personal expression, ignoring differences and discrimination of students in the educational process, an equal start, regardless of their gender, physiology, age, ethnicity, etc.;
6. Inter-university and international mobility of students, allowing them to make a comparison with systems and good practices in the field of education and science – improving acquired knowledge, skills and professional experience;
7. Access of students to information resources and rooms with modern equipment, which allow for an educational process combining theoretical knowledge and work in practical conditions;
8. Domestic, administrative and career support for students on the UTP campus, provision of scholarships, awards, certificates, etc.
III. QUALIFICATION STANDARD
III.1. Structure and organization of the educational process
Teaching in the specialty “Service Management” for the Master’s degree meets the European requirements for modern education, combined with tradition and practice of our and international experience. The specialty is distinguished by the specificity characteristic of service management, qualified teachers with experience in the relevant scientific field are involved in the educational process. Training is carried out in accordance with the curriculum of the specialty “Service Management” through the study of groups of academic disciplines:
In the compulsory block, fundamental for the specialty and the theoretical preparation of students are disciplines in the field of company management in the service sector, leadership and quality management in the service sector, communications in service projects, service marketing, innovative, financial and consulting activities in the service sector, change, key customers, human resources and work processes in organizations from the service sector, integrated management systems, digitalization of services, supply chains in the service sector, teamwork and conflict resolution in organizations from the service sector.
The compulsory elective subjects from the curriculum enrich the preparation of students in the specialty by providing them with specialized knowledge about government policies and strategies, political leadership and behavior, marketing research and decisions, public management, regional planning and development.
The elective subjects provide general knowledge to students in relation to their interests, goals and needs in the specialty. These subjects in the curriculum play a supporting role in the educational process, related to legislation in the service sector, service logistics and merchandising, psychology of leadership behavior, social services and systems, social entrepreneurship, risk management, product and promotional policy, business environment and sustainable development.
Students can participate in extracurricular work, which increases interest in the specialty and the desire to appear in the professional field. Through formal and informal contacts for participation in projects of the University of Telecommunications and Post, scientific societies, clubs, student scientific sessions, etc., students are committed to the cause of the specialty, announcing their interests at national and institutional scientific forums, round tables, etc.
The methodology of teaching, training and assessment is in line with the European forms and directives for quality education and lifelong learning. The specialty applies avant-garde and effective forms of training, combining theory and practice of leading companies in the country and abroad. Emphasis is placed on modern, non-traditional, innovative and creative teaching methods, implemented through forms of business and role-playing games, theoretical and practical cases, seminar discussions, development of abstracts and essays, coursework and projects in a real environment.
The learning process is accompanied by lectures and demonstrations, individual and group tasks, subsequent solutions, practical examples and visits to organizations. To stimulate student activity in the practices, emphasis is placed on observation, information and knowledge, creativity, public speaking skills and presentation techniques, challenges for independent work and work with others, abilities for personal, interpersonal assessment, etc.
The assessment of the acquired knowledge, skills and habits is carried out within the discipline (module, project, assignment) through a written exam (test or open questions) or based on the forms listed above – coursework, essays, case studies, presentations, practices.
III.2. Acquired knowledge, skills and competences
The training in the specialty “Service Management” covers theoretical training and practice, oriented towards managers, acquiring knowledge, skills and competencies in the field of intangible production. Their framework is in line with national legislation, European directives and requirements for acquiring higher education. This creates an opportunity for students to be adequate to the new trends in occupying professions and positions on a national and international scale, to integrate into the requirements of the EU and to respond to the challenges in a constantly globalizing market and digital economy.
According to the National Qualification Framework, students acquire the following competencies:
Area and scope of knowledge
A graduate of the specialty “Service Management”:
▪ gets to know the essence and features of service management;
▪ gets to know the sectoral specificity of services in intangible production;
▪ gets to know modern conventional and digital practices in services;
▪ is able to build a system of knowledge for service management.
Area and scope of skills
A graduate of the “Service Management” specialty:
▪ has the skills to build a company management system;
▪ has the skills to manage entrepreneurial activities and initiatives;
▪ has the skills to lead and manage quality in the service sector;
▪ has the skills to communicate and project manage in the service sector;
▪ has the skills to innovate and manage finances in the service sector;
▪ has the skills to manage marketing and logistics in the service sector;
▪ has the skills to work as a team and resolve conflicts in the service sector;
▪ has the skills to work as a team and resolve conflicts in the service sector;
▪ has the skills to analyze social activities and systems in the service sector;
▪ has the skills to analyze state policies and regional strategies;
▪ has the skills to analyze social activities and systems in the service sector.
Competencies
The competencies acquired by students who have graduated from the “Service Management” specialty are reduced to:
○ Independence and responsibility
The graduate of the specialty:
→ is able to take personal and professional responsibility for strategic, tactical and operational goals and tasks;
→ is able to take personal responsibility for the changes and decisions he makes as a result of the dynamics of the business environment;
→ is able to independently make management decisions for activities and processes;
→ is able to take personal responsibility for leading people.
○ Learning competencies
The graduate of the specialty:
→ systematically and thoroughly evaluates the acquired knowledge;
→ continuously analyzes the need for new knowledge;
→ demonstrates pragmatism in the process of learning and acquiring new knowledge;
→ applies various forms of learning and acquiring new knowledge;
→ masters the terminology of the issue and continuously generates new knowledge.
○ Communicative and social competencies
The graduate of the specialty:
→ is able to communicate verbally and in writing in front of an audience;
→ is able to communicate clearly and understandably in interpersonal relationships;
→ is able to clearly and accessiblely state his own formulations and theses;
→ is able to express his perceptions and understandings of work practices and processes;
→ is able to influence the behavior and actions of the people he works with.
○ Professional competencies
The graduate of the specialty:
→ applies a wide range of acquired knowledge for service management;
→ collects, processes and applies the necessary information for service management;
→ interprets events and facts in a complicated environment in the service sector;
→ skillfully assesses risk when making complex decisions in the service sector;
→ initiates changes and manages business processes in the service sector.
IV. MAIN RESULTS OF THE STUDIES
The training in the specialty “Service Management” is carried out in accordance with the requirements for holding an educational and qualification degree “Master” in accordance with the European Directives for the training of students and holding positions according to the unified classification of positions in the Republic of Bulgaria.
Those who have received the EQD “Master” can successfully implement themselves in the administration and management of various organizations and institutions in the service sector, on a national and international scale, in EU institutions, in consulting and research units.
V. STANDARD ADMISSION CONDITIONS AND REQUIREMENTS. RULES FOR PREVIOUS STUDIES RECOGNITION
During the course of study (after successfully passing exams), students of the specialty may transfer to another higher education institution or be accepted by one in the country and abroad, as the disciplines in which they were trained:
– are equated as mandatory (or are similar), according to the curriculum;
– are recognized as elective, if they correspond to the professional field;
– are accepted as optional, if they correspond to those set out in the curriculum.
The conditions and requirements for admission and the procedure for recognizing previous education are regulated on the basis of national regulatory bases and European directives, internal regulatory acts of the UTP, Regulations on the organization and activities of UTP, Regulation on educational activities at UTP.
VI. REQUIREMENTS FOR GRADUATION
The entire course of study ends with the defense of a Master thesis. Students who complete the full course of study in the specialty “Service Management” receive an educational and qualification degree “Master” in professional field 3.7. “Administration and Management”, professional qualification “Administration and Management” in accordance with the National Classifier of Higher Education Fields and Professional Fields, and in accordance with the state requirements for acquiring higher education in the Republic of Bulgaria.
VII. OPPORTUNITIES FOR PROFESSIONAL REALIZATION
Graduates of the “Service Management” specialty can work:
– in the EU institutions and other European and international business organizations – as managers and experts;
– in the state and territorial administration, public service organizations, etc.;
– in the business sector – in companies and organizations of intangible production, whose business operates within the framework of the EU single market;
– in consulting and research units supporting the absorption of EU funds;
– in the non-governmental sector – in organizations that protect interests in a European environment.
A graduate of the “Service Management” specialty with an EQD “Master” can:
▪ acquire a professional qualification “Administration and Management”;
▪ work in various positions and positions in the service sector;
▪ acquire a second or other higher education in the EQD “Master”;
▪ continue their education in the ESD “Doctor”;
▪ participate in continuing education on the principle of “Lifelong Learning”.