ESB Business School: European Management Studies (Master of Arts) Reutlingen University

École de Management, Université de Strasbourg

• German: 40%
• French: 40%
• English: 20%

Two countries, three languages, one double degree

Over four semesters, the Master of Arts in European Management Studies will make you an expert in Franco-German economic relations. With knowledge of three languages, you will be very well prepared not only for the Franco-German jobs market but also for those in other countries.

• Semester one: ESB Business School study semester
• Semester two: Internship semester at a company with Franco-German business relations, supported by the ESB Business School
  • The internship must be taken at a company that uses German as its corporate language. There are no restrictions on the choice of industry or field for the internship.
• Semester three: EM Strasbourg study semester (alternating weekly between company and university)
• Semester four: Internship semester ("Apprentissage" apprenticeship) at EM Strasbourg + Master's thesis
  • In the fourth semester, you will write your Master's thesis in cooperation with the company. The thesis is supervised by a professor from the EM École de Management and can be written in German, French, or English.

At the end of your studies, you will receive two Master's degrees, one from the ESB Business School at Reutlingen University and one from the École de Management at the University of Strasbourg.

The Master's in European Management Studies takes four semesters to complete. The first semester, which requires full-time study, starts in September. Lectures are held in person at Reutlingen University’s ESB Business School. Teaching implements case studies, project work, group work and workshops, complemented by seminars, lectures and talks by experts.

The examinations for the first semester are held in mid-January. The second semester is a practical semester involving an internship which lasts 24 to 26 weeks.

The second stage of the studies is taken at the University of Strasbourg EM École de Management, alternating weekly between the university and a company. The winter semester at the University of Strasbourg starts in September.

Application deadline: 15 June

The programme starts each winter semester in September.

• No tuition fees for German and EU students
• The state of Baden-Württemberg implemented a fee of 1,500 EUR per semester for students from non-EU countries.

International experience: The first year of studies takes place in Germany, and the second year takes place in France.

ESB Business School

First semester:

• General conditions of economic trade
  • Economics
  • Commercial law
• Marketing
• Business Analytics
• Business English and Intercultural Management
• Management and Strategy
• Financial Environment
  • Accounting
  • Corporate finance
• Supply Chain Management and Sustainability

Second semester:

• Internship / 24 to 26 weeks

École de Management, Université de Strasbourg

Third semester:

• Accounting & Financial Management
  • Financial Accounting
  • Management Accounting & Control
  • Corporate Finance
• Strategic Sales Management
  • Challenges of Cross-Border Management
  • Business Development
  • E-Marketing & New Distribution Channels
  • Innovation Management & Entrepreneurship
• Organisational & Team Management
  • Crisis Management & Organisational Resilience
  • Team & Knowledge Management
  • Management Systems & Leadership
• Business Environment
  • Comparative Business Law
  • Macroeconomics
  • Digital Transformation of the Economic World

Fourth semester:

• Personal Skills & Management Tools
  • Big Data & Information Systems
  • Professional Behaviour & Keys to Success
  • Problem-Solving and Decision-Making
  • Office Tools
• CLUE
  • Business German / French
  • Business English
  • Economic & Social Issues in Europe
  • Intercultural Management
  • Activity at the European Parliament
  • Multilingual Corporate Communication
  • Course on Europe and Role-Playing at the "Parlamentarium"
• Professionalisation: In-Company Work, Methodology, & Master's Thesis
  • Methodology: Introduction to Research
  • CSR certification
  • Career guidance
  • Co-op work term, Master’s thesis, and defence

You will study in three languages (German, English, French) and in two countries (Germany and France) – with an integrated internship phase in each country.

The degree programme combines a theoretical education with internship phases. The first year combines full-time studies with an internship. During the second year, you will alternate between periods of study and working at a company.

The ESB Career Center and the careers advice service of the École de Management at the University of Strasbourg offer help with the search for a company for in-work experience during the second phase of the studies. While studying at the EM Strasbourg Business School, you will combine the internship and dual study phases, which will enable you to build both theoretical knowledge and practical expertise. The "Stages et Alternance" department (internships and dual studies) is there to help you find the right company to develop fully.

Advantages of the second year of studies in France – "Alternance":

• Study fees paid by the company
• Remuneration in the third and fourth semesters
• Potential recruitment at the end of the dual studies
• Development of valuable professional skills, which are useful in the international jobs market

Integrating studies with internships aims to develop a wide-ranging professional profile in international areas of business. Besides expertise, you will also build the following specific skills: analytical capacity, advanced foreign language skills, intercultural communications, teamwork, flexibility, resilience, and a sense of responsibility.

Varied

• No tuition fees for German and EU students
• The state of Baden-Württemberg implemented a fee of 1,500 EUR per semester for students from non-EU countries.

Current semester fee: 199.30 EUR (as of 2025)

The minimum cost of living in Germany is approx. 900 EUR per month. The cost of living can vary depending on the partner university's location.

Factors such as the economy of the host country, personal lifestyle, and individual living standards all play a role in determining the overall cost of living.

• General or subject-linked university entrance qualification
• Completed university studies with at least 180 ECTS (e.g. Bachelor's degree or equivalent)
• In principle, the programme is open to graduates of all disciplines, but is primarily designed for non-economists. (Knowledge of management and business administration is not a prerequisite.)
• Please note that degrees from foreign universities must be recognised in Germany by the "Studienkolleg Konstanz".

• Good command of the German language is required. If the university entrance qualification or the first professional degree was not obtained at a German-speaking institution, proof of the required German language skills must be provided. (§1 of the "Statutes on the required language skills for studying at Reutlingen University")
• Good knowledge of English on level B2, to be proven by the evidence listed in §2 of the "Statutes on the required language skills for studies at Reutlingen University"
• Good knowledge of French on level B2 – the following evidence is recognised
  • French was taken as a performance/profile subject in all four semesters of the college level with at least 6 points.
  • DELF B2
  • TELC French B2
  • Applicants with a French-language university entrance qualification or professional degree are exempt from the requirement to provide proof of French language skills.

Application deadline: 15 June

The programme starts each winter semester in September.

The following scholarships support motivated students:

• "Deutschlandstipendium"
• "Aufstiegsstipendium"
• Nationwide foundations
• Private foundations
• Doctoral scholarships at Reutlingen University

Find more about listed scholarships and foundations here.

Accommodation is available in student dorms run by various housing associations or on the private market.

For more information, see https://www.reutlingen-university.de/en/studies/student-life/student-accommodation.

ESB Business School maintains close contacts with companies. The VIMA e.V. association, which is a network of around 50 renowned companies, enables and intensifies contacts between theory and practice. Many students make their first steps towards a career in the companies that are members of the VIMA e.V. Additionally, career fairs take place regularly at the university, and the Career Center assists students and graduates at ESB Business School with planning and developing their careers during their studies and when starting their professional lives. You can find a list of some of ESB Business School's VIMA commercial partners here.

The academic coordinators provide support to students. Help is provided by:

• Academic coordinators of the programme
• International Office of the university
• Students' Office of the university

The new student handbook is updated each semester and provides information on all relevant aspects of studying and living. Furthermore, at the beginning of the first semester, a number of integration events are offered (city tour/game, integration party, and other social events) to ensure that new students – both national and international – are well integrated and also get to know students who have completed previous semesters.

ESB Business School has more than 50 years of experience in teaching applied international management, and it is considered to be one of Germany's leading public business schools. Regularly ranked at the top of numerous university league tables, the school's close cooperation with companies and its international partner universities contribute to ESB's outstanding ability to educate the next generation of highly qualified, international managers.

We are accredited by AACSB International – The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). Only six per cent of all business schools worldwide bear this seal of quality. The AACSB is the largest accreditation organisation in the world with demanding quality requirements in relation to training and research at business schools.

ESB Business School’s quality management system was accredited by the German accreditation council. This ensures that quality development of all study programmes is part of its mission.

Internationality and a balance of theory and practice are crucial cornerstones of our forward-looking and interdisciplinary approach. Semesters abroad as well as foreign and national internships are mandatory and are integral parts of our programmes. Workshops, seminars and dissertations written in conjunction with businesses, our own company fairs, case studies, professors with management experience, guest lectures or excursions to renowned companies all guarantee a highly practical orientation of our programmes. Besides the required first foreign language module in Business English, students can take other business language modules. The language lecturers are generally native speakers.

All teaching is in small, multinational groups. This direct contact between the student and the professor shapes the unique atmosphere at ESB Business School. We also consider student involvement and initiative-taking to be of great importance. Our students acquire a sense of team spirit and improve their intercultural competence by being part of international teams working on a wide range of interesting tasks and projects.

ESB Business School is one of six schools of Reutlingen University, one of the leading German universities of applied sciences with a first-rate reputation. Its five schools offer more than 40 degree programmes. Reutlingen University offers programmes at undergraduate and postgraduate levels as well as lifelong professional training at the university level. This makes the university attractive to prospective students from different backgrounds. The university aims to prepare students for future challenges, both professionally and personally, and it is committed to shaping the future together.

Reutlingen's documented history goes back to the early 12th century. Today it is a prosperous town of just over 100,000 inhabitants. The centre of the town is an attractive mix of old and modern buildings, with excellent shops, markets and pubs. The campus is on the south-western outskirts of Reutlingen.

The town lies some 40 km south of Stuttgart in the state of Baden-Württemberg, a world-famous centre of mechanical and automobile engineering. Tübingen, one of Germany's oldest and loveliest university towns, is 10 kilometres away. Reutlingen is situated at an altitude of 380 metres (about 1,247 feet) and is often called "The Gateway to the Swabian Alb" or "Swabian Jura", a range of very attractive, wooded hills running between the Neckar and the Danube, and bordering on the Black Forest. The Alb reaches an altitude of about 1,000 metres (3,280 feet). Road, rail and air connections are good, so travel to places like Munich, Frankfurt, Strasbourg, the Black Forest, Lake Constance, and Zurich is very easy.