Our Curriculum
Broad knowledge in Business Administration and the opportunity for an individual specialisation - with a Major in Business Administration, you will get both!
In the Major in Business Administration, we focus on a holistic education. Our graduates will be able to take on leadership tasks and act social responsibly in a highly dynamic environment. Soft skills, which are taught in the HSG Contextual Studies, are just as important as intellectual and methodological skills.
The Major in Business Administration follows the Assessment Year and consists of 120 credits. It is designed for a standard study period of 4 semesters. About half of the courses are offered in German and half in English. Therefore, students can "mix and match" between courses in either language. However, at least 12 ECTS must be earned in the "other" language.
The curriculum distinguishes between compulsory and core elective courses as well as courses in Contextual Studies. In addition, students must complete a Bachelor's thesis.
After passing the Assessment Year, you will deepen your knowledge of various organisational management topics in the Major in Business Administration. It comprises 120 credits and is designed for a standard duration of study of 4 semesters.
The semester numbers for the individual courses are recommendations only. It may make sense to take the courses in a different order, especially with regard to the planning of exchange semesters.
You want to give your degree a profile that you can communicate to future employers? In the Major in Business Administration, you can choose a voluntarily specialisation, which will be shown in the grade transcript of your Bachelor's diploma. Specialisations are possible in nine areas:
In each of these areas, we offer packages of compulsory and core elective courses. In addition, you will complete a Capstone Project and/or write your Bachelor's thesis in the same thematic area. In the end, it all adds up to the desired specialisation.
The compulsory area covers the courses that must be taken by all students in the Major in Business Administration. Most courses are offered every semester, alternating in German and English.
The content of the compulsory subjects is taught through contact study (lectures and exercises), supplemented by self-study.
These are the compulsory courses of the Major in Business Administration:
| Course | ECTS | Language | Semester (Recommendation) |
| Marketing | 4 | D/E | 3 (Autumn)*/4 (Spring)** |
| Strategisches Management / Strategic Management | 4 | D/E | 3 (Autumn)*/4 (Spring)** |
| Leadership & Human Resource Management | 4 | D/E | 3 (Autumn*/4 (Spring)** |
| Methodenkurs: Statistik / Methods: Statistics | 4 | D/E | 3 (Autumn)*/4 (Spring)** |
| Methodenkurs: Empirische Sozialforschung / Methods: Empirical Social Research | 4 | D/E | 5 (Autumn)*/4 (Spring)** |
Grundlagen und Methoden der Informatik für Wirtschaftswissenschaften/ Fundamentals and Methods of Computer Science for Business Studies | 8 | D/E | 4 (Spring)*/3 (Autumn)** |
| Corporate Finance | 4 | E | 3 (Autumn)**/4 (Spring)** |
| Accounting, Controlling, Auditing | 4 | D/E | 4 (Spring)*/3 (Autumn)** |
| Einführung in das Operations-Management / Introduction to Operations Management | 4 | D/E | 4 (Spring)*/3 (Autumn)** |
| Capstone-Projekt / Capstone Project | 8 | D/E*** | 5 (Autumn) or 6 (Spring) |
* Course is held in German (D). ** Course is held in English (EN). *** In many courses there are projects offered in both languages. The associated events will be in English in autumn and in German in spring. |
You complement the compulsory area with core elective and elective courses. By selecting the courses, you give your studies an individual profile.
Among the core electives, you can choose from a variety of courses with a focus on Business Administration, depending on your personal preferences. In the autumn and spring semesters, different courses are offered in German and English. These are typically weighted with 4 ECTS. An overview of the current compulsory elective courses can be found in the course list.
In the elective area you can take courses from other majors (e.g. Economics, Law, International Affairs...).
In the Contextual Studies (24 ECTS) you have a wide choice of courses from other disciplines (incl. language courses) that allow you to broaden your own horizon.
Two examples from the many courses offered within the Contextual Studies: "Power, Politics, and Democracy - Who Runs the World?" or "Programmers, Hackers and Hacks - The People and Practices Behind our Machines".
Internationalisation and intercultural exchange are important topics in the Bachelor in Business Administration. We very much encourage you to spend an exchange semester abroad, either at one of our many partner universities or at a university of your choice. You can find detailed information about the exchange here.
Study Business Administration in German or English? You can decide for yourself by choosing the corresponding courses. There is only one restriction: You must earn at least 12 ECTS in the respective "other" language.
Foreign languages are important to us. By the time you complete your bachelor's degree, we require proof of knowledge of two foreign languages (in addition to your school language). You will attend a first foreign language course in the Assessment Year and learn a second language during the bachelor's degree. The range of foreign languages is broad; in addition to European languages, there are courses in Arabic, Chinese and Japanese at various skill levels.
Do you know what a capstone is? It is the last stone you put into an archway or vault during construction.
That's why you take the Capstone Project toward the end of your Bachelor in Business Administration. As the "last brick," it intertwines theory with practice. You will apply everything you have learned so far in order to solve a practical problem of a company. You will therefore be working as a "management consultant", designing innovative solutions. Experienced faculty will accompany you, answer your questions and support you with suggestions and tips. A joint kickoff and a closing event are also part of the Capstone Project, which is weighted with 8 ECTS.
The Bachelor's thesis (12 ECTS) is a scientific paper. You will deal in depth with an issue from an area of your own choice from a management perspective. In the Bachelor's thesis you will follow the relevant scientific research designs and principles.