First cohort of Uppsala graduates in industrial engineering and management

Five years ago, the popular Master’s Programme in Industrial Engineering and Management started at Uppsala University. The first students are now graduating, and a poster exhibition of their degree projects has been organised at the Ångström Laboratory to mark the occasion.

One of the students is Emilia Björnfot Johans, who together with Klara Brykt did her project at a pension and insurance company. The focus was on the integration of sustainability preferences into financial advice, following an EU directive.

“We interviewed sustainability experts, individual advisors, authorities and other relevant stakeholders to understand the customer dialogue on sustainable investing in relation to the law. We have also conducted a small-scale market analysis of the range of funds offered by the Swedish pension and insurance market, with the help of Morningstar,” she says.

Friends are the best thing

She now has three months of summer holidays ahead of her before starting as a Graduate at Visa Consulting & Analytics.

What has been the best thing about the programme?

“Definitely the friends! I’ve met so many great people during the programme who will stay with me for the rest of my life. Then, of course, it has been fun to be involved in starting up a completely new section of the Uppsala Union of Engineering and Science Students. I was a member of the club committee in my second year and it’s nice to know that some of the traditions we started then will hopefully continue for many years to come.”

Albert Westin Nygren is chair of the Section for Industrial Engineering and Management at Uppsala University and has followed the programme’s development closely. He and Filippa Rydberg are presenting their degree project on material flows in pharmaceutical manufacturing.

Popular in the labour market

After completing the programme, Albin will work at Netlight Consulting in Stockholm, while Filippa will move to Norway for further studies in sustainable development.

“You feel quite popular in the labour market, we’ve learned a lot and can fit in more or less anywhere. The best thing about the programme is its breadth and the opportunity to tailor the programme more or less any way we want,” says Westin Nygren.

At another poster, Johan Ingvarsson is presenting his degree project along with Gustav Fält. It is about how Vattenfall uses scorecards to achieve the strategic vision established for the company as a whole.

“This has involved a qualitative case study in which we analysed Vattenfall’s model and use in relation to literature to identify opportunities for improvement in their strategic work,” says Ingvarsson.

Trainee in Dalarna

After completing his studies, he will be packing his bags and moving to Ludvika in Dalarna where he will start as a trainee at Hitachi Energy in their “Power +” programme.

“The best thing about studying industrial engineering and management has been the incredible breadth of topics we have covered and all the things we’ve learned about. We have knowledge in fields ranging from organisational theory to engineering to economics. I would also emphasise the sense of community we have created in the class. Everyone knows everyone, we’ve constantly been doing activities or socialising together and I have made friends for life!”

Annica Hulth