Draft:Lund School of Economics and Management

Lund School of Economics and Management

Lund University School of Economics and Management

Ekonomihögskolan i Lund
Type	Public
Established	1961
Dean	Prof. Joakim Gullstrand
Administrative staff	300
Undergraduates	4300
Doctoral students	180
Location	Lund , Scania , Sweden
Campus	Urban
Affiliations	EQUIS, AMBA, AACSB
Website	www.lusem.lu.se

History

Founded on 19 December 1666, Lund University's original academic structure consisted of four traditional disciplines: theology, law, medicine and philosophy. It is worth noting that the beginnings of commercial education at the university date back to the mid-18th century - the establishment of the first chair of economics at the university in 1750 marked the beginning of the institutionalisation of this field. However, the academic system at this time was still markedly interdisciplinary: professors at the time were often required to take on interdisciplinary teaching responsibilities, and their fields of study were not confined to a single discipline. For example, the internationally renowned economist Knut Wicksell (Knut Wicksell) in the early years of his career, that is, based on the law school at the same time as a professor of economics and financial law; other scholars are also common in the economics and botany, mathematics and even mechanics, and other seemingly unrelated areas of the combination of teaching practice.

As the process of academic specialisation progressed, the predecessor disciplines of the modern Faculty of Economics and Management began to be established independently: the Department of Economics was established in 1901 as a subordinate body of the Faculty of Law; the Faculty of Philosophy spawned the Department of Statistics in 1926; and the Department of Economic History became independent of the Faculty of Humanities by the middle of the twentieth century (c. 1950); and from 1950-1965 the Faculty of Social Sciences spawned a succession of new disciplines. Between 1950 and 1965, three key disciplines emerged within the Faculty of Social Sciences: Business Administration (1958), Business Law (1962) and Informatics (1965), which laid the disciplinary foundations for the subsequent integration of the Faculty.

A milestone came in 1961, when the Faculty of Business and Economics was established as an independent teaching entity and the first 100 students entered a three-year systematic business programme, thus beginning a new era of business education on a large scale at Lund University.

Despite a long tradition of informal cooperation between the faculties, the real spatial integration began at the end of the 1980s with the launch of the first purpose-built complex, the Holger Crafoord Centre, financed by the eponymous foundation founded by industrialist Holger Crafoord (1908–1982). The Centre was built in phases over a period of three construction cycles from 1988 to 1998, and was named as a permanent tribute to the donor and as a physical vehicle for interdisciplinary collaboration.

In 2004, the organisational structure of the Faculty of Economics and Management at Lund University was changed to its current form, marking the move from fragmentation to federation of an academic community that had evolved over three and a half centuries.

Organization

Basic organization

Departments, research centres and professional services are the top priority three parts at Lund School of Economics and Management.

The departments include Department of Business Administration; Department of Economics; Department of Economic History; Department of Business Law; Department of Informatics and Department of Statistics.

The research centres include AgriFood Economics Centre; Centre for Aesthetics and Business Creativity (ABC); Centre for Retail Research at Lund University (2014–2024); Centre for Economic Demography; Center for Retail and Logistics (REAL); Sparbanken Skåne Centre for Sustainable Enterprising; Sten K Johnson Centre for Entrepreneurship.

The professional services include Library; Deans Office; LUSEM Management team (Joakim Gullstrand working as the Dean); international office; Career Services; Academic Skills Service (ASKS); Alumni; Caretakers; External and corporate relations and Communications.

Top-down systemic and organizational change

Between 1995 and 2001, Lund University developed its first strategic plan in response to the implementation of the "third mission" law, which set out the direction of expanding its functions while remaining true to the classic university philosophy. The plan emphasized that, while the university needed to respond to society's expectations for knowledge services, change should not contradict its core values. The University actively participates in the development of the regional economy, culture and society by strengthening cooperation with industry, government and various organizations. During this period, the university focused on building an industry-university-research cooperation system and promoting the practice of the "Triple Helix Model", which laid the foundation for the Lund University Innovation Center (LUIS). In addition to the establishment of LUAB, ENS and VentureLab, the cooperation with the Ideen Science Park has been deepened, forming a comprehensive innovation support network. Between 2002 and 2006, Lund University's second strategic plan sought to broaden the university's horizons, promote the development of an internal innovation system and incorporate the shaping of society and human development as part of its goals. This phase emphasized the importance of academic diversity, international cooperation and cross-border innovation, and expanded the "third mission" beyond technology transfer to include a broader range of external stakeholders. At the organizational level, the CIRCLE Center and the Innovation Forum were established to build a new communication platform, and the functions of industrial cooperation were expanded to form the LU Innovation and Technology Transfer Office, which continues to be based on the Triple Helix Model and strengthens the university's leadership position in social innovation.

Between 2007 and 2011, Lund University implemented its third strategic plan, which emphasizes innovation as a catalyst for social development and promotes sustainable development. The plan emphasizes internal collaboration, especially between disciplines and faculties. Sweden funds the establishment of centers of excellence to strengthen the local innovation system. The Linnaeus Program fosters collaboration with industry and the public sector to promote domestic and EU research. The Pufendorf Institute serves as an interdisciplinary platform to support research projects with social impact, reflecting the University's policy of supporting bottom-up research.

The fourth strategic plan for 2012-2016 emphasizes the need for universities to actively address complex societal challenges and promote social progress through cross-border and interdisciplinary collaboration. The plan proposes to strengthen the interaction between soft and hard sciences, and to establish "LUOpen" and the "LU Center for Social Innovation" to promote social innovation, complementing the commercial orientation of "LU Innovation". LUOpen However, due to a change in leadership, LUOpen was closed down, resources were redistributed, and the faculties were decentralized to promote innovation. Although the plan attempted to promote deeper interaction between the university and society and signaled a shift to a development-oriented university, it was not sustained.

The fifth strategic plan for the period 2017 to 2026 carries forward the mission of the previous plan, with a clear focus on the need for the University to respond to global challenges, particularly in the area of sustainable development. The plan emphasizes interdisciplinary cooperation and strong ties with all sectors of society to promote social innovation. The "Samverkan" cross-border collaboration program was launched to encourage a wide range of collaborations within the University and with external stakeholders in areas such as climate change and social welfare. Initiated by the university's senior management, the program supports interdisciplinary research and networking, and has the potential to drive social innovation despite limited funding. Overall, Lund University's outreach policy is gradually shifting from reactive to proactive interaction towards a developmental university that supports social innovation and builds relevant infrastructure.

Buildings and Grounds

Lund university library

Lund School of Economics and Management ((LUSEM)) is located on Holger Crafoord Centre, Tycho Brahes väg 1, Lund, Sweden. The functional zone of the college building is mainly divided into academic and research areas, administrative and service facilities, and student activities and social areas, with the basic flipped classrooms and lecture halls concentrated on the ground floor, and the administrative services, student activities, and the distribution of teaching and research basically distributed on the 1st-3rd floors. Student activities and academic support facilities are highly integrated, reflecting the logic and practicality of space planning.

Academic

Rankings

Lund University School of Economics and Management (LUSEM) stands out in the world of business education and continues to be recognised in prestigious international rankings. For example, in the Financial Times 2024 rankings, LUSEM has made significant progress, reaching 68th place and consolidating its position among the top business schools in Europe. It was ranked 87th in the Times Higher Education World University Subject Rankings 2025: Business and Economics.Similarly, LUSEM was ranked 75th in the QS World University Rankings, highlighting its academic excellence and global reach. In addition, LUSEM's reputation for excellence is further highlighted by its position in the U.S. News & World Report rankings, reaffirming its status as the pre-eminent institution in the field of business and economics worldwide.

The Lund University School of Economics and Management (LUSEM) has been re-accredited by the European Quality Improvement System (EQUIS) for the third time in a row and by the Association of MBAs (AMBA) for the second time in a row in 2024. This places the School among the "Triple Crown" of top business schools in the world, making it one percent of the world's business schools with this combination of accreditations. Both accreditations are valid for five years.LUSEM was first accredited by AACSB in 2021 and will be re-evaluated in 2026.

Doctoral studies

Apart from Bachelor's and Master's programme, Lund School of Economics and Management also has doctoral studies, which include Department of Business Administration; Department of Economics; Department of Economic History; Department of Business Law; Department of Informatics and Department of Statistics.

Technology Management: A Multi-disciplinary Master's Program in Lund

The management and development of high-tech industries require engineering skills Management skills are also required. In the Master of Technology Management program, technology and management are integrated in three aspects: the curriculum, students and teachers. This course is jointly developed by the School of Management and Economics and Lund Institute of Technology, both of which are affiliated with Lund University. The major of Technology management is unique in several aspects. It not only involves imparting some business skills to engineers and vice versa, but also integrates these knowledge areas into a single master's program. The aim of this major is to provide students with the knowledge and skills to manage and develop high-tech industries, which involve the products themselves or the production process.

The Technology Management program can be divided into three phases. Phase 1 consists of the first 2.5 years of each engineering program or the first 2 years of each business administration program. Phase 2 develops the fundamentals of business management for engineering students and technology and engineering for MBA students. In addition, both engineering students and MBA students will begin to study teamwork and leadership. Phase 3 is a fully integrated program in technology management at and consists of one year of courses and a 20-credit master's thesis.

The admission procedure consists of a written and an oral examination of the candidates. In a written statement, each student describes the basis of his or her interest in the Technology Management program and his or her expectations. On the basis of these statements and previous academic performance, students are invited to an interview with the Admissions Committee, which consists of two Directors of Studies (one from each Faculty) and a Program Secretary. Approximately 50-60 students are interviewed for 30-40 places. The interview serves several purposes. First, to screen out candidates with formal barriers, as well as students who do not have a clear desire to enter the Technical Management program, or who lack, or need, personal qualifications. Second, by writing down their expectations, students had to express for themselves, and for the admissions committee, their interest and in the program. Third, this was the first time that students were screened orally, which gave each student a sense of being selected and, in turn, a commitment to the program. This is also advantageous because we can select students based on their academic performance in college, rather than being limited to their academic performance in "sports school" (high school).

Awards and prizes

Lund University School of Economics and Management has a range of awards and prizes for students to encourage academic exploration, which include LUSEM annual award for best doctoral theses; The SSCEN Sustainability Prize for Master's Theses; European Entrepreneurship Education Award (EEEA); The Pontus Roos Memorial Foundation research grant; KEFU annual essay award; The Jan Söderberg Family Prize in Economics and Management.

The Jan and Asa Soderberg family has made a generous donation to the School of Economics and Management at Lund University, Sweden, to award a prize worth SEK 1 million for outstanding pioneering research. The annual award, called the Jan Soderberg Family Prize for Economics and Management, will be presented on March 12, 2019 for the first time. Jan Söderberg is an honorary doctor of the Academy of Economics and Management and a member of the Academy's advisory board. He and his wife Asha graduated in economics and business administration from the Faculty of Economics and Management at Lund University.

The award has appointed a committee to select the nominees and will announce the winner in the fall. The winners will receive SEK 1 million, of which SEK 200,000 will go directly to the individual and SEK 800,000 will be used for their research projects. The researchers can be from anywhere in the world. The prizewinner must be under 50 years of age and must have made a significant discovery or contribution to the field of economics and management, whose work has clearly advanced research and applications in the field.

Research achievements

LUSEM is research-driven, emphasising collaboration between academia and the public/private sector, and translating research findings into action (e.g., policy development, corporate strategy optimisation) for sustainable social change through the integration of theory and practice. LUSEM's history (100 years of academic foundation) and interdisciplinary perspectives enable it to have a forward-looking and systemic impact in addressing global challenges (e.g. inequality, climate change).

Since 1966, LESUM has produced more than 13,000 research output (including article, Book chapter, working paper, paper not in proceeding and others) and close to 1,000 projects. The number of research output, as shown in Graph 1. Research output per year, grew slowly between 1966 and 2001, and then increased rapidly from 2001 and reached a highest point in 2007. The number experienced a steady fluctuation from 2007 to 2024 which peaked at 678. In contrast, the number of projects which was illustrated in Graph 2. Projects per year had grown much more slowly than that of research output, with a minor fluctuation until 2011, then having a sharp rise and reaching the peak between in 2016, at 67. The number fluctuated slightly around the peak during the last nine years.

Notable alumni

Anna Breman, First Deputy Governor, receives an honorary doctorate at Lund University.