Course syllabus for Market Analysis

Specific entry requirements

A Bachelor's degree or a professional degree equivalent to a Swedish Bachelor's degree of at least 180 credits in health care, biomedicine, biology, cellular and molecular biology, pharmaceutics, chemistry, medicine, biotechnology or the equivalent degree. And proficiency in English equivalent to English B/English 6.

Outcomes

The course aims to enable students to understand how to conduct a market analysis for a company within life science sector.

Upon completion of the course, the student should be able to:

• Describe terminology and central principles within the field of market analysis.
• Apply scientific methods to obtain and analyse information on, e.g. market needs, market trends and market characteristics within the life science sector.
• Identify and compare global market environments and critically reflect on their sustainability and related ethical dilemmas.
• Create and perform a professional presentation directed at different audiences.

Content

The course covers various aspects of market analysis within the life science sector, the tools and models used as well as the scientific methods that are suitable for e.g. needs and competitor analysis.

Teaching methods

Lectures, seminars and workshops will be complemented with self-studies of literature and exercises.

The course is offered at the master's level, where the students are assumed to be familiar with the most common study methods in higher education. The course’s pedagogical approach is based on entrepreneurial learning and requires active student participation..

Examination

• A written exam (Fail/Pass)
• A team assignment (Fail/Pass)
• An oral presentation in groups (Fail/Pass)
• An individual assignment (Fail/Pass/Pass with Distinction)

In order to pass the course, the student must receive the grade 'Pass' on all examinations. To get the grade 'Pass with Distinction', the student must also receive the grade 'Pass with Distinction' on the individual assignment.

Students who fail to submit of compulsory assignments (team and individual assignments) by the deadlines will lose the opportunity to be graded with a 'Pass with Distinction' on the course.

Compulsory participation
Seminars, workshops and presentations are compulsory.

The examiner assesses if and, in that case, how absence from compulsory components can be compensated. The student must participate in all compulsory parts or compensate for absence in accordance with the examiner's instructions, in order to pass the course. Absence from a compulsory activity may result in the student not being able to compensate for the absence until the next time the course is given.

A limited number of examinations
Students who have not passed the regular examination are entitled to participate in five more examinations. If the student has not passed the exam after four participations, he/she is encouraged to visit the study advisor. If the student has failed six examinations/tests, no additional examination or new admission is provided.

Physically attending or otherwise commencing an examination is regarded as an examination session. An examination, for which the student registered but not participated, is not counted as an examination session.

Adaptation of examination
In the event of special circumstances, or if a student with a disability is in need of certain adjustments, the examiner may decide to depart from the syllabus' regulations on examination form, number of examination opportunities, possibility of completion or exemption from compulsory educational elements, etc. Content and intended learning outcomes as well as the level of expected skills, knowledge and abilities must not be altered, removed or lowered.

Other directives

The course language is English.

Literature and other teaching aids

Mandatory literature

Note that the latest edition of the course literature is always used.

Hague, Paul., Market Research in Practice: A comprehensive Guide to Customer Insight and Market Understanding, 5th edition. : Kogan Page Ltd, [2025] – 432 pages ISBN: 9781398623255

Other mandatory literature, such as scientific articles, will be available on the learning platform during the course, along with any additional literature.

Recommended literature

Yock, Paul G., Biodesign: the process of innovating medical technologies, Second edition : Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 2015. - xiii, 839 p. ISBN: 9781107087354 (hardback), LIBRIS-ID: 18269103