What is the Innovative Business Models module?
Innovative Business Models is an elective module (specialisation) of the Business/Economics short-cycle programme at Academia, Slovenia: 2 years, 120 ECTS, 40 % practical training (800 hours) and the qualification Higher Economist (viš. ekon.). Taught in Slovenian (B1 required); study alongside work in Maribor or Ljubljana or study from home.
Three routes into the Innovative Business Models module. Which is yours?
Designed for study alongside work and for first-time students: lectures in the afternoon, all recorded, and 800 hours of practical training in a company – possibly at your current job. Instruction is in Slovenian.
First-time students with an idea who want to know whether it will work
Business model, prototype and pitch in two years; competitions such as Map the System.
Enquire →26–38Employed in a small or family business
Digitalising processes and introducing new tools in your own company – placement at your current job.
Enquire →30–45Self-employed or project manager without formal qualifications
An economist's diploma and tools for data-driven management, without leaving work.
Enquire →Students of the Innovative Business Models module
Curriculum: 120 ECTS, your module Innovative Business Models
Lectures run one subject at a time, twice a week between 16.30 and 20.30, and are all recorded on the Orbita platform. Every subject has at least three examination dates. Your module is highlighted; (OC) marks the open curriculum that Academia fills with industry content. All subjects are taught in Slovenian.
The first year is common to all modules of the Business/Economics programme. One subject at a time, with the examination straight after the lectures; the placement starts in the second semester.
| Subject | ECTS | Short description |
|---|---|---|
| Communication in a Foreign Language | 5 | Business English: meetings, e-mail, presentations, negotiations and calls with foreign partners. |
| Business Communication and Leadership | 5 | Written and spoken business communication, running meetings and teams, motivation, conflict resolution, business etiquette. |
| Business Informatics | 5 | Spreadsheets and data (Excel, pivot tables), collaboration tools, document systems, AI assistants and data security. |
| Work placement: Business Informatics and Communication | 4 | 130 hours in a company |
| Subject | ECTS | Short description |
|---|---|---|
| Business Mathematics and Statistics | 5 | Interest, depreciation, costing, indices, descriptive statistics and probability for business decisions – with tools, not by heart. |
| Accounting and Financial Operations | 6 | Financial statements, cash flow, costs, financing and liquidity, basics of bookkeeping. |
| Business Law | 5 | Contracts, companies and sole traders, employment law, consumer and data protection (GDPR), debt recovery. |
| Work placement: Business Management | 5 | 150 hours in a company |
| Subject | ECTS | Short description |
|---|---|---|
| Economics and Entrepreneurship | 5 | Markets, supply and demand, costs and prices, break-even, business models; project: a business plan for your own idea. |
| Marketing | 5 | Marketing mix, segmentation and positioning, branding, market research; project: a marketing plan for a real company. |
| Business Management | 6 | Organisation, business processes, planning, leadership and decision-making, KPIs, change management. |
| Work placement: Business Development and Marketing | 4 | 120 hours in a company |
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Second year: your module (highlighted), common programme subjects, the open curriculum and the diploma thesis.
| Subject | ECTS | Short description |
|---|---|---|
| Business Processes and Project Management | 5 | Process modelling and optimisation (BPMN), project management from requirements to hand-over, agile methods, digitalisation. |
| Macroeconomics | 5 | Business cycles, GDP, inflation, interest rates, labour market, public finance and EU economic policy – and what they mean for a company. |
| Work placement: Business Processes and Change Management | 4 | 130 hours in a company |
| Subject | ECTS | Short description |
|---|---|---|
| Data Visualisation | 5 | From raw data to dashboards: data preparation, Power BI / Looker Studio, charts management understands, data storytelling. |
| Start-up Entrepreneurship | 6 | From idea to start-up: problem and customer discovery, lean approach, MVP, business model, funding and investor pitch. |
| Advanced Digital Tools | 6 | No-code automation, AI assistants, CRM and ERP systems, collaboration platforms, security and ethics of use. |
| Socially Responsible Business | 5 | Sustainable development and ESG, circular economy, sustainability reporting, ethics, employees and the community. |
| Work placement: Innovative Business Models | 5 | 150 hours in a company |
| Subject | ECTS | Short description |
|---|---|---|
| Open-curriculum subject (Academia: industry content / BTEC HND units) | 10 | Content set by Academia with employers and BTEC HND units: business analytics, digitalisation, AI in business, company projects; updated yearly. |
| Work placement: Open Curriculum | 4 | 120 hours in a company |
| Subject | ECTS | Short description |
|---|---|---|
| Diploma Thesis | 5 | A real challenge from a company: analysis, solution and documentation; industry mentor, defence before a board; published on academia.si. |
40 % of the course takes place in a company. If you are employed, the placement is recognised at your current job when your tasks are in the field of the module; we arrange the mentor and the agreement.
| Placement by subject | ECTS | When |
|---|---|---|
| Work placement: Business Informatics and Communication | 4 | Year 1 · ~130 hours |
| Work placement: Business Management | 5 | Year 1 · ~150 hours |
| Work placement: Business Development and Marketing | 4 | Year 1 · ~120 hours |
| Work placement: Business Processes and Change Management | 4 | Year 2 · ~130 hours · at your job or with a partner company |
| Work placement: Innovative Business Models | 5 | Year 2 · ~150 hours |
| Work placement: Open Curriculum | 4 | Year 2 · ~120 hours |
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Tools and equipment
Assessment is based on products, presentations and written and oral examinations, with written feedback after each assessment. The tools and equipment you work with:
Module subject · taught in Slovenian · Process modelling and optimisation (BPMN), project management from requirements to hand-over, agile methods, digitalisation.
Module subject · taught in Slovenian · Business cycles, GDP, inflation, interest rates, labour market, public finance and EU economic policy – and what they mean for a company.
24 lecturers, 7 instructors teach on this module – practitioners from companies, not full-time academics. Teaching is in Slovenian; the virtual laboratories in Orbita are available at any time, also from home.
Where it leads: roles, the job market, the next step
What it costs and how it is paid
QuestionDo I need a secondary school in economics?
No. The requirement is a general or vocational matura (or a master craftsman/foreman/managerial examination with 3 years of experience and an aptitude test). Economics, finance, law and marketing are taught from the beginning in the first year.
QuestionWhen do I choose the module?
The first year is common to all modules of the Business/Economics programme (60 ECTS); you make the final module choice before the second year.
QuestionIs the placement recognised at my current job?
Yes, if your tasks are in the field of the module; Academia arranges the mentor and the tripartite agreement. 800 hours in total over two years.
QuestionIs this a module for entrepreneurs?
Yes, and also for employees introducing new services, data-driven management and digital tools in their company. The placement is recognised in your own company or job.
More questions (2)Fewer questions
LanguageCan I study in English?
No. All programmes and modules are delivered in Slovenian. You need Slovenian at CEFR level B1; if you are below B1, you take the free Slovenian course for foreign students alongside your studies. Lecturers and the International Office communicate with you in English before and during enrolment.
LanguageHow is my Slovenian checked?
During admission Academia checks your level of Slovenian. Students below B1 are placed on the compulsory free Slovenian language course.
Foreign secondary school, Slovenian B1, residence permit – we guide you through it
Electronic application, any time, free of charge
Academia decides whether your foreign secondary-school certificate meets the entry requirements – no ministry procedure. Submit the electronic application for recognition at any time; we tell you whether a translation is needed.
Slovenian at B1 + free course
Studies are in Slovenian. If your Slovenian is below B1, you join the compulsory free Slovenian course for foreign students alongside the first year.
eVŠ portal · residence permit
Apply through the national eVŠ portal within the deadlines announced with the call for enrolment 2027/28, with Academia as your first choice. Academia issues a certificate of enrolment for the temporary residence permit.
1 October 2027
Lectures start on 1 October 2027. If you are employed or registered with the Employment Service of Slovenia (ZRSZ), you can start immediately after enrolment. Price list 2026/27; enrolment fee €298 (€0 at enrolment).
Interested in the Innovative Business Models module? What next?
Leave your e-mail. Within one working day the International Office replies in English: whether the module is right for you, how your foreign certificate is recognised, how the Slovenian language requirement works and what it costs – plus the curriculum and timetable.