Executive Master of Finance & Control / Register Controller

What makes the part-time Executive Master of Finance & Control/Register Controller strong and unique?

• Broad financial and economic expertise: you are able to provide reliable financial advice and become a business partner to senior management.
• Broad and in-depth knowledge: gain an understanding of multidisciplinary and scientific analyses of complex issues, so you can provide effective advice.
• Personalized support: get more out of your education with our personalized support and use of the most effective learning methods.
• Practical concepts and challenging working methods stimulate new ways of thinking, which you can put directly into practice.

High success rate
Thanks to the combination of personalized attention and thesis project support, we prevent delays in your studies – at least 80% of participants graduate within 2 years. In addition, our pass rate for the National Internal Control & Accounting Information Systems Exam is among the highest in the Netherlands. Your final project solves a realistic control problem in your own organization: this ensures an immediate high ROI for you as a participant as well as for your organization.

TIAS sees four key challenges facing modern controllers

The first is the call to ensure that ethics and social responsibility become a more integral part of the financial role. The second is the growing complexity from the sweeping impact of developments around big data tools and analytics. Basic principles related to human behavior pose the third challenge. Finance professionals should be more aware of the psychological aspects of decision-making and the potential impact of financial information on employee behavior and motivation. The fourth challenge is how to deal with a “VUCA” world. “VUCA” stands for Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous. Almost every part of the program tackles these four challenges.

Your return on education

The part-time Executive Master of Finance & Control/Registered Controller gives particular attention to “business with a purpose”.

• Learn to take responsibility for the provision of internal and external financial and economic information (trust role). This means staying on top of the latest developments in big data analytics.
• Learn to maximize objective decision-making on organizational performance based on the associated objectives and risks (controlling role).
• Develop yourself into a strategic business partner for senior management through optimal handling of operational, financial and fiscal cashflows (business partner role).
• Learn to recognize and analyze complex issues using the latest scientific insights.
• Use multidisciplinary scientific analysis of complex problems to provide effective advice that’s good for both business and society.
• Hone your skills in the areas of writing, presentation, discussion and persuasion.
• Expand your network with professionals who are just as driven and ambitious as you are.
• Earn the title of EMFC and MSc. The TIAS EMFC also grants direct admission to the Netherlands Association of Registered Controllers (the “VRC”) and the right to use the professional title “RC”.

How does this program benefit your organization?

The program has participants work on practical assignments that directly benefit their organizations. Such as a thesis paper on an internal control problem in the organization. The graduation project in the final year also focuses on a real-world management control issue, with a particular focus on how to implement science-based advice. Participants also take an exam on this. In addition, the program delves into risk management. Finally, practical assignments encourage the use of big data tools, such as process mining. In short: organizations will quickly enjoy the following ROI:

• Practical solutions that benefit the organization
• Significant boost to controller performance on all fronts
• Keen awareness of enterprise risk management
• Greater knowledge of and experience with big data tools

Scientific insights and theoretical frameworks
TIAS offers you the latest scientific insights and theoretical frameworks with our efficient blended learning approach. This lets you draw the right connections and put them directly into practice. The diversity of assignments and projects ensures a practical education, so you can immediately make your mark on your organization.

Our program challenges you to work through real-world cases using findings from scientific research. The course literature consists of cutting-edge scientific research and materials to bridge the gap with practice. This approach is also preferred for the papers.

Instructors are carefully selected for quality: they combine academic excellence (rigor) with practical expertise and experience (relevance).

Advisory board
The curatorial panel for the program ensures its grounding in professional practice. This panel is made up of prominent financial officers and CFOs. Current members are:

• Baer Adriaens, CFO at Mosa Tiles
• Pim Berendsen, Chief Financial Officer at PostNL
• Astrid van Druten, CFO at Vanderlande
• Chris Figee, CFO, lid RvB/ Member Management Board at KPN
• Frank Geelen, EMEIA Finance Consulting Lead Partner at EY Consulting
• Stefan Hollander, Head of Department Accountancy, Tilburg University
• Joost Stienen, Executive Vice President Finance at ASML

Content of Executive Master of Finance & Control/Registered Controller (EMFC)

The Executive Master of Finance & Control/Registered Controller consists of 4 semesters of 5 months each. Each semester covers academic subjects, business projects and practical skills. You finish the program with a Master’s thesis on a real-world management control problem in your own organization.

Semester 1
The program starts with Internal Control and Accounting Information Systems. This module is all about risks and how to avert and minimize their adverse impact. The first semester focuses on the reliability of financial information. The Management Accounting & Control module mainly examines how accounting information can prompt desired behavior in the employees of the organization. These two modules lay a solid foundation for the following semesters.

Semester 2
This semester continues with Internal Control & Accounting Information Systems, mainly by zooming in on strategic and business risks, as well as the impact of IT trends. It also looks at strategic management and the related question of how to ensure that strategic goals are actually achieved. In Corporate Real Estate and Finance, instructors translate current financial issues into the modern controller’s professional field. The semester ends with a brief module on how to conduct a high-quality audit on an organization.

Semester 3
Financial Accounting and Reporting covers external reporting for organizations, largely based on information prepared by the controller. This means that proper knowledge, understanding and skills and the right attitude towards this topic are critical for registered accountants (“RAs”) and treasurers as well as for controllers. The Tax Law module expands on legal and fiscal principles. This covers the international perspective, to provide support in the international reporting and financing that involves controllers. In Corporate Law, we look at specific case studies and current case law to examine the responsibility and liability of directors, supervisory board members and shareholders.

Semester 4
One of the challenges facing modern controllers is big data (analytics). The Information Management module takes a practical approach to this, with topics like blockchain, IT investments, data-driven work, and IT governance. Production and Logistics Management provides a clear understanding of the importance of integral chain management, with the use of a management game. TIAS strives for final graduation projects that impact the organization: which is why this semester also includes a module on Change and Implementation.

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Time investement

The program lasts for 22 months and consists of 4 semesters, each lasting around 13 weeks.

During the semesters, students will attend weekly lectures from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm on a set day. The program starts twice a year: once in the fall in Tilburg, with Friday as the lecture day, and once in Utrecht in the spring, with Monday as the lecture day.

The program contents do not differ between the two locations. The team of instructors is also practically the same.

The workload during the semester is estimated at 16 to 20 hours a week (including lectures). The 22 months of the program also include several breaks.

The program boasts a high success rate: 70 to 90 percent of participants earn their EMFC diploma within 2 years of starting.

Outcome

Graduates of this Executive Master program are awarded the protected title of “Executive Master of Finance and Control” (“EMFC” after their name). Because this program is accredited by the Accreditation Organization of the Netherlands and Flanders (the “NVAO”) as a Master of Science, you may also use the internationally recognized title “MSc”. You also enjoy automatic admission to the Register of the Netherlands Association of Registered Controllers (the “VRC”), after which you can use the professional title “RC”.

A word from our Academic Director

“As the Academic Director, I see how financial professionals develop themselves in every program. They gradually start asking different questions, and exploring new approaches to solutions. Not only do they become excellently versed in finance and control, they also grow into the role of business partner for the Management of their organization. This means the added value of participants starts growing during the program itself. The program is challenging, but our unique approach is proven to minimize delayed graduation and dropping out. This program is our shared investment. We’ll be happy to tell you more!”
Prof.dr.ir. Michael Corbey

Dates and locations Executive Master of Finance & Control/Registered Controller (EMFC)

The Executive Master of Finance & Control Register Controller starts on:

Costs Executive Master in Finance &Control/Register Controller (EMFC)

The costs of the Executive Master of Finance & Control/Register Controller are € 29250 for the entire master (exempt from VAT).

This price includes:

• Day packages (lunch, coffee/tea and soft drinks) during college days
• Registration and administration costs
• Access to the online learning environment
• Teaching materials

Possible additional costs:

• Dinners and overnight stays
• Software licenses (if specific software is required)
• Mandatory literature and textbooks

How do you finance your education?

You have found the program that best suits your learning goals and ambitions. But how do you finance this? There are different ways to do that. Your employer can play a role, but there are also interesting statutory regulations that you can use yourself. We list the possibilities for you.

Read about the possibilities here »

Faculty Executive Master of Finance & Control/Registered Controller (EMFC)

Key words here are “rigor and relevance”. The teachers in the EMFC combine academic quality with a feeling for and experience in practice. They make explicit use of various working methods per part of the day. First of all, there are preparatory reading and case assignments that the participants can perform at home. Subsequently, an explanatory and additional introduction by the teacher takes place in the classroom. Then there are break-out assignments and discussions. The participants must regularly make plenary presentations on the subject of the day, usually this concerns the relationship to their own organization and/or professional practice.

The teachers below make an important contribution to the training. In addition, guest speakers from the field also regularly perform.

Start your application

Following your enrollment, the Executive Master of Finance & Control/Register Controller (EMFC) Program Adviser will reach out to you for an initial introduction and to schedule an intake meeting with the Academic Director. The purpose of this intake is to discuss your development ambitions and the match with the learning objectives of the program. Upon a positive recommendation from the Academic Director after the intake, you will receive the official study agreement and can finalize your enrollment.