Serinha thought her new master's degree at UiS sounded futuristic

Serinha Murgorgo from Zimbabwe has a master's degree in finance and investment from 2016. Then she thought having a second master's in a different field would allow her to qualify for more opportunities. With a finance degree and experience in the public sector, she came to UiS to look for a chance to start a new career path in the private sector.

Why did you choose UiS Business School and Stavanger?

I was looking for an international degree focused on innovation, and UiS Business School offered this. I got an offer, and without hesitation, I came to a beautiful city with friendly people.

At UiS, you work in diverse groups with other international students, allowing for more creativity from different parts of the world. And there are lots of spaces to study and have group discussions here at the campus.

Why did you choose the specialisation in business development and innovation?

It was the name of the specialisation cause I thought it was futuristic - how can we develop businesses and innovate with what we already have in this global market?

Business development and innovation cross over all industries, start-ups or existing businesses. This specialisation enables us to learn best practices for developing and managing strategy and innovation to maintain competitive advantage.

What was your master thesis about? Why did you choose this spesific topic?

The title of the thesis was: Powering the sustainable energy transition with geothermal energy: The future role of Norway in the European geothermal energy market.

My study mate, Tarjei, and I were looking for a research topic that would resonate with our specialisation. We talked with a local company developing innovative technology for the geothermal energy market. After an energy workshop, we agreed that we could work on an energy transition topic. We decided that it was interesting to find out how Norway could scale up the geothermal energy market using the existing expertise from the oil and gas industry.

What did a typical day at UiS look for you?

It was different every semester because of the pandemic. The first semester we only met through a small screen on Zoom, a hybrid of physical and digital classes. It was very interesting to meet the people from the squares in real life.

As things started to normalise, I could start the day as a teaching assistant and then head to the library to study or attend lectures. Sometimes I would have lunch at the canteen and end the day collaborating with fellow students on group assignments.

Tell us about something particularly memorable from your studies?

Coming up first in the InGenious challenge was most memorable for me. The course Strategies for Innovation Management allows working on real-life cases from companies through participating in InGenious-projects. These challenges were both different and exciting.

I applies for the challenge of how to contribute to food security sustainability in Africa, in collaboration with the Kverneland-group.

Do you have any advice for future students?

Have time to enjoy your time studying at UiS, as you will get to associate with people from different cultures and with different experiences, helping you widen your horizon and broaden your mind.

My advice for those slightly older students who want to study is that they shouldn't be afraid cause there is nothing as too old in academia.

What is your dream job?

The strategic innovation specialisation avails an opportunity to work in different industries. After working on global problems, I dream of working for an organisation that challenges the norm and has a focus/mission to contribute innovative solutions to help solve any of these as a consultant or in a research capacity. l would want to help solve any of these as a consultant or in a research capacity.