MSc in Business Administration University of Hamburg

Students complete two specialisations.

English track: Students choose from:

• Business Analytics
• Finance, Banking and Insurance
• Marketing
• Operations and Supply Chain Management

General track (German and/or English): Students choose from the above and/or:

• Auditing and Taxation
• Health Care Management
• Management

The MSc in Business Administration is one of the most highly regarded programmes for business administration in Germany. It is a general rather than a niche programme for a simple yet powerful reason – managers need to understand all aspects of business.

The programme provides students with the theoretical foundations, understanding and modern management skills needed to become business, academic and public-sector leaders in a data-driven world. Its focus is on quantitative and empirical research-based education.

The programme offers a great deal of flexibility, allowing students to develop a strong, broad foundation while also following their own interests. Students develop a unique profile through their choice of methodology courses, specialisations, elective courses, and thesis. During their studies, most students further strengthen this profile by working in business or completing internships.

Graduates are in high demand. In business, they find work quickly, earn above average starting salaries, and enjoy positions with a high level of responsibility. Others choose to further their academic career and go on to a doctoral degree.

Applications from 1 May to 15 June each year, for a start in the coming winter semester (from October)

Specialisations

This is a broad Master's programme. Regardless of track, students complete two specialisations.

English track (in English): Students choose from the following specialisations:

• Business Analytics
• Finance, Banking and Insurance
• Marketing
• Operations and Supply Chain Management

General track (in German and/or English): Students choose from the specialisations above, plus the following:

• Auditing and Taxation
• Health Care Management
• Management

Structure

The programme offers a great deal of flexibility, allowing students to pursue their interests and to develop their own, unique profile. The regular study period is four semesters. To be awarded the degree, students must successfully complete a total of 120 ECTS credits:

• methods (three modules, 18 ECTS credits)
• two specialisations (24 ECTS credits in each)
• elective courses (24 ECTS credits) and
• a thesis (30 ECTS credits)

Students complete the methods, specialisations, and elective courses in the first three semesters and the thesis in their final semester.

Double-degree programme with University of Kyoto

Once enrolled in the programme, students can apply for the double degree with the University of Kyoto. On successfully completing the six-semester double degree, students receive an MSc in Business Administration from Universität Hamburg and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Kyoto University.

International content, themes and perspectives are common in the courses.

Students choose their own Master's thesis topics (with support from their supervisor). Topics are often international.

Students can complete one or two semesters abroad at partners in Europe and beyond.

Students can participate in international short courses (e.g. summer schools) in Hamburg and abroad. 

Internships or work are not part of the programme. Nevertheless, most students do paid internships and/or work at (international) firms in professional "working student" roles in Hamburg during their Master's. The school provides information about finding student jobs and internships, and offers a mentoring programme with mentors from the business world.

No tuition fees

There is a semester fee of around 345 EUR per semester. This fee includes a semester ticket covering public transport in the Hamburg metropolitan area and throughout Germany (the "Deutschland-Ticket").

Without additional costs for further insurances, private vehicles, etc., you ought to expect the following expenses:

• housing: approx. 400 to 700 EUR per month
• living expenses: approx. 500 to 700 EUR per month

1. Applicants must hold a Bachelor’s degree from a state-recognised university or university of applied sciences in:

• business administration
• economics
• business mathematics
• business informatics
• industrial engineering & management
• or a related field

Applicants who completed an interdisciplinary Bachelor's programme must have completed at least 90 ECTS credits in business administration subjects.

2. Applicants must have completed a total of at least 24 ECTS credits in mathematics, statistics, and/or micro-economics.

3. Applicants must prove proficiency either in English or German.

Further details are listed on the programme website.

English track: Students must prove proficiency in English.

General track: Students must prove proficiency in German. Students wishing to complete German-language modules or specialisations need to apply for this track.

Further information can be found on the programme website.

Applications from 1 May to 15 June each year, for a start in the coming winter semester (from October)

International full-time students may apply for merit scholarships or exam grants granted by Universität Hamburg. For more information, please use the provided link. We also recommend contacting our colleagues in the Department of International Affairs for further guidance.

Are you looking for a part-time job? Stellenwerk, Hamburg's cross-university job platform posts attractive job and internship advertisements every day.

Part-time work, an internship, or self-employment—the Counselling Centre for Social & International Affairs (BeSI) advises you on all aspects of social security.

Students from countries outside the EU, the EEA, and Switzerland are subject to special regulations for part-time work when studying. Contact the Counselling Centre for Social & International Affairs for more information.

There are several job opportunities in diverse areas of Universität Hamburg. Many of these jobs are offered exclusively to students enrolled at the university. For job ads of this kind, check out departmental bulletin boards, departmental websites, www.stellenwerk.de (wanted ads for Hamburg’s universities), or ask directly in your department.

• tutors
• student assistants (in the academic area) and student employees (in the administrative area)
• library assistants
• test subjects for studies conducted in the fields of psychology or in the social sciences

Are you searching for an apartment or a room? Although affordable housing in Hamburg is rare, please do not despair. Patience and luck will help you find suitable accommodation.

Start looking for accommodation as soon as you can. For more information on how to find accommodation, please visit: Finding accommodation in Hamburg.

For more information on how to find accommodation and how to plan your first steps in Hamburg, please see: https://www.uni-hamburg.de/piasta/beratung/doc/willkommen.pdf.

The Business School offers a mentoring programme for Master's students. Mentors typically come from the world of practice.

The school offers career information on its website and its own job board. Professors hold events with companies interested in recruiting students and graduates.

The university also offers support (see "Possibility of finding part-time employment" above).

The school and the university provide an extensive range of services for all students.

The school's Academic Office helps students with all course-related administration.

The school's International Office offers exchanges with partner universities, as does the university's International Office. Students can also organise their own semester(s) abroad (directly or through an agency).

The university offers language courses, study and writing support, counselling, and an office to support students with disabilities, amongst others.

Universität Hamburg is the largest institution for research and education in northern Germany. As one of the country’s largest universities, we offer a diverse range of degree programmes and excellent research opportunities. The university boasts numerous interdisciplinary projects in a broad range of fields and an extensive partner network of leading regional, national, and international higher education and research institutions. Universität Hamburg is committed to sustainability.

All our faculties have taken great strides towards sustainability in both research and teaching.

Excellent research

As part of the Excellence Strategy of the Federal and State Governments, Universität Hamburg has been granted clusters of excellence for four core research areas: Advanced Imaging of Matter (photon and nanosciences), Climate, Climatic Change, and Society (CLICCS) (climate research), Understanding Written Artefacts (manuscript research) and Quantum Universe (mathematics, particle physics, astrophysics, and cosmology).

An equally important core research area is Infection Research, in which researchers investigate the structure, dynamics, and mechanisms of infection processes to promote the development of new treatment methods and therapies.

Excellent University

Furthermore, alongside ten universities and one university alliance, Universität Hamburg was named a University of Excellence and was deemed a "flagship university."

Outstanding variety: 180 degree programmes

Universität Hamburg offers more than 180 degree programmes within its eight faculties:

• Faculty of Law
• Faculty of Business, Economics and Social Sciences
• Faculty of Medicine
• Faculty of Education
• Faculty of Humanities
• Faculty of Mathematics, Informatics and Natural Sciences
• Faculty of Psychology and Human Movement
• Faculty of Business Administration (Hamburg Business School).

Universität Hamburg is also home to several museums and collections, such as the Herbarium Hamburgense, the Geological-Paleontological Museum, the Loki Schmidt Garden, and the Hamburg Observatory.

History

Universität Hamburg was founded in 1919 by local citizens. Important founding figures include Senator Werner von Melle and the merchant Edmund Siemers. Nobel Prize winners such as the physicists Otto Stern, Wolfgang Pauli, and Isidor Rabi taught and researched at the university. Many other distinguished scholars, such as Ernst Cassirer, Erwin Panofsky, Aby Warburg, William Stern, Agathe Lasch, Magdalene Schoch, Emil Artin, Ralf Dahrendorf, and Carl Friedrich von Weizsäcker, also worked here.

With 1.8 million citizens, Hamburg is the second-largest city in Germany and is also one of Germany's 16 federal states. Due to its location on the Elbe River linked to the North Sea, it has had a long tradition as the cultural and commercial centre of northern Germany. Commercially, the Free and Hanseatic City is known as the media capital of Germany. It is a leader in the shipping and transportation industries. Culturally, the city is home to, among other things, the leading ballet company in Germany, an opera house, numerous musicals, and annual film festivals. As far as action and fun are concerned, Hamburg is the place to be. The Reeperbahn, known not only to sailors worldwide as the "Mile of Sin", has numerous bars, cafés, and clubs as well as many other interesting sites not to be seen elsewhere. The "Kiez", as the natives call it, even gave the Beatles their start in the early 1960s. Fortunately, Hamburg's many parks and green areas provide the opportunity to relax and recover from the city's active side. Moreover, the city's innumerable canals invite you to spend some time sailing, rowing or kayaking. For more information on the city, please see: https://www.hamburg-travel.com/.