Bachelor of Science in Digital Transformation in Business and Society University of Passau

German is the main language of instruction for this degree programme. Some modules may be taught in English, depending on your choices.

Digitalisation is fundamentally changing our economy and society. The interplay between organisations and information technology creates a need for professionals who have a solid, broad grasp of business administration and the technical skills to help shape the digital transformation.

When you study the BSc Digital Transformation in Business and Society programme, you receive training in both business and digitalisation, enabling you to take on this key role. This degree programme has a strong business administration orientation and allows you to set your own interdisciplinary specialisation. You can choose whether to specialise in management (business administration) or information systems. At the same time, you will have the opportunity to acquire additional competencies in communication studies, psychology, IT law, or entrepreneurship. This will put you in a position where you can support the digital transformation of organisations and develop new business models.

The School of Business, Economics and Information Systems offers two Master's programmes – MSc Business Administration and MSc Information Systems – which build directly on this Bachelor's programme.

Career prospects

Demand for experts and managers who not only have economic specialist knowledge but also well-founded methods, data, and digitalisation skills is increasing. Those graduating from the BSc Digital Transformation in Business and Society are prepared for the challenges of a digitalised world in a multitude of ways:

• when assisting in the development and design of digitalisation strategies for companies and organisations
• for new occupational areas and interface functions in data analysis and visualisation
• for working as specialists and managers at internet-driven businesses, in e-commerce or user experience design, or in a start-up environment.

Furthermore, the degree programme provides the prerequisites to access other occupational areas in education and science, market and opinion research as well as (depending on your chosen secondary subject/minor) in the occupational fields of media and communication research, media management, and digital services development.

The application round starts in early April. As the application deadlines can change on short notice, we ask that you check our application pages closer to the time for the specific dates (and what documents you need to submit).

This degree programme comprises four module areas and a Bachelor's dissertation:

Module area A: Introductory phase

The introductory phase lasts two semesters and imparts theory and methods from the areas of business, economics, law and information technology. During this phase you will develop your foundational methodological, data and digitalisation competencies. You will also acquire specialised foreign language skills in business English.

Module area B: Main subject (“Major”)

From the third semester onwards, you will specialise in a main (“major”) subject and deepen your subject-specific competencies. Two subject majors are available:

• The Management major (business administration) imparts knowledge in fundamental business management functions and decision fields in order to be able to assess the potential of digital technologies for these decision fields.
• The Information Systems major (business information systems) provides specialist knowledge to support digital transformation processes in companies and organisations and focuses on the interface between business administration and digital technology.

You will write your Bachelor's dissertation in your chosen major subject.

C: Secondary subject (“Minor”)

You will also choose a secondary subject (“minor”) to expand your competencies and for interdisciplinary training. This deals with the challenges of digitalisation in areas that are complementary to business and economics. The following minors are offered:

• Communication and psychology
• IT law
• Entrepreneurship

There is no formal internship requirement for this degree programme. Nevertheless, we recommend that you go to the effort of completing one or more voluntary internships as you study towards your degree. These internship(s) will not be arranged for you; rather, you are responsible for searching for the internship, negotiating the outline (i.e. the job description) and making all necessary arrangements. However, the university can help you with information and hands-on advice. For more details, please see the following websites:

• Future: Careers and Competencies Section
• iStudi Coach

No tuition fees

The semester contribution fee is around 120 EUR per semester. This covers the student services association and bus pass fees. At the time of writing (January 2026), the University of Passau does not charge tuition fees.

You should budget a minimum of 992 EUR per month for your living expenses. If you need a visa to come to Germany, this is the amount you must have available to you (e.g. paid into a blocked account) for each month. Nevertheless, your actual cost of living will vary depending on your lifestyle, and so you should treat this figure as an absolute minimum.

To apply for this degree programme, you need a recognised university entrance qualification, e.g. the German "Abitur" or an equivalent qualification.

You will need German language skills at level C1 CEFR or higher to study this degree programme, as that is the main language of instruction for this programme. Therefore, you will have to provide a language certificate such as DSH-2 or TestDaF 4, unless German was the language of instruction for your secondary school education (e.g. "Abitur" at a German international school) or prior tertiary education.

The application round starts in early April. As the application deadlines can change on short notice, we ask that you check our application pages closer to the time for the specific dates (and what documents you need to submit).

The International Office awards a small number of scholarships to international degree-seeking students who have been enrolled in a Bachelor's programme for at least two semesters or in a Master's programme for at least one semester. You may also apply for a Deutschlandstipendium scholarship, which is open to students of all nationalities. This scholarship has a stipend of 300 EUR per month and runs for one year. You may reapply in subsequent years. Finally, there is a one-off emergency hardship grant available to international students in exceptional cases of unexpected financial difficulties.

For international students, a dedicated career adviser is on hand: the "iStudi Coach" will help you with all your questions about finding work or placements in Germany.

Please note that students from non-EU countries must apply for a work permit at the national job centre if they work more than 240 half-days per year. Students from EU member countries do not require a work permit.

The International Office has set up an accommodation service, which assists international students in finding accommodation.

Rooms in the halls of residence cost between 270 EUR and 550 EUR per month and are fully furnished. Kitchen and bathroom facilities are usually shared, although some rooms have en-suite bathroom facilities. However, please note that the demand for the rooms in the student halls is very high, and there is no guarantee that you will be able to rent one.

Luckily, there is a large number of flats and flatshares available on the open housing market. On average, you should expect to pay somewhere in the vicinity of 350 EUR to 550 EUR a month for these. Landlords usually require a two-month or three-month deposit when you move in, which will be returned to you at the end of the rental period, provided you leave your accommodation in good condition.

• Further details on housing in Passau
• Accommodation service for international students

The university provides advice on job hunting, jobs, and career-entry positions at German and international companies, here and abroad. These include personal interviews, advice, and training courses on how to apply as well as intercultural and soft skills training.

International students have access to a dedicated career adviser – the "iStudi Coach" – who helps them find internships and apply for student jobs and career-entry positions at German companies. The iStudi Coach also coaches international students on German labour market practices, how to write applications, and so on.

Related links:

• Future: Careers and Competencies Section
• iStudi Coach