Phyllis found her future in Global Strategy and Management
Leaving behind a stable career to return to student life is no small step. But for Phyllis Waithira Mungara from Kenya, the Master’s Programme in Global Strategy and Management at MDU was exactly the opportunity she was looking for. “I’ve always been curious about how international businesses work — not just in theory, but in practice, especially across borders where policy, culture, and strategy all come into play,” she says.
What Phyllis Waithira Mungara appreciates about the programme is how it combines research, expert perspectives and real-life business challenges, providing a deeper understanding of global business ecosystems.
Today, she’s in the first year of the two-year Global Strategy and Management programme at MDU. Before starting her studies, Phyllis spent several years working in Human Resources across various industries. Most recently, she worked in the aviation sector for a European airline, handling HR operations across nine African countries.
What attracted you to study the Master's Programme in Global Strategy and Management?
A few years ago, I started researching international strategic management and the field of public policy and administration. And when I stumbled upon the GSM course at MDU, all my requirements were met. The program objectives and outline were quite attractive as they tackled strategic management from a global perspective,
says Phyllis and continues:
The deal breaker was the approach of the teaching where the students were expected to solve current business challenges using knowledge gained from the course. This assured me that knowledge gained on the course would be applicable and up to date with the current business,
she says.
A smooth transition into student life in Sweden
Coming back to academia after six years in the corporate world – and doing it in a new country – could have been overwhelming. But thanks to the supportive environment at MDU, Phyllis felt welcomed from day one.
MDU really understands the needs of international students. Even before classes began, we received guidance on registration and preparing for the academic year. Once we arrived, we had a rookie period where we got to know the campus, other students, and how things work,
she explains.
She highlights the student center, library support, and approachable faculty as key in making the transition easier.
The school library really supports students learning through weekly check-in where you are taught how to write academic papers and assignments. In class, the teachers were very keen on helping the international students to navigate the different school systems like Ladok and Canvas, and the departmental leadership is very approachable and understanding in case of any challenges or questions both academic and non-academic
, she says.
What has been the best thing about the programme so far?
Courses synergy and the research experts’ perspectives. The arrangements of the courses are so synchronized that not only are the teachers aware of the content of the other courses but also knowledge from one course is transferable to the other. This creates a harmonized study experience and makes us build on and relate to previous knowledge easily,
she says and continues:
We have had several guest lectures from prominent researchers in the field of international business. Additionally, some lectures are taught by research experts in the given topics. This has made it easier for me to understand the development of business ecosystems from a researcher’s perspective, hence I am able to interpret business practices,
she describes.
Bringing the classroom into the real world
One of the most valuable parts of the programme, according to Phyllis, is how closely it’s connected to real business practice.
All the courses have either a project with an existing company to solve their business challenges using knowledge from the course or we are required to apply our knowledge to solve a current challenge in a sector of our choice. If we are working with a company, a company representative is invited to the class to present their case, and afterwards they attend our presentation day to evaluate and ask questions about our findings,
describes Phyllis and continues:
If we choose our own sector to work in, the school invites the industries we choose to attend our presentation day. We also had a field trip to interview managers of a manufacturing firm in the energy sector to study how they apply management practices, and we used their feedback to relate it to content learnt on the course,
she says.
Thinking about applying? Here’s Phyllis advice
Phyllis has a clear message for prospective students:
If your goal is to understand the international business landscape, from leadership, management of global value chains, digitalization, sustainability, geopolitics, international entrepreneurship, then this is the right course for you! Especially, if managing in a disruptive world is your area of interest, this program covers this and more. The programme teaches you how to recognize value, create value, maintain value and to co-share value. Value being the business terms for responsible management, sustainable and durable business systems,
she says.
And as for student life at MDU?
It’s a great study environment with plenty of personal and group study spaces. Having two campuses one hour apart also gives you a nice change of study environment — and a free bus ride to another town, which is a fun bonus!