Business Administration International Management

The MBA International Management (MBA IM) at Pforzheim University Business School helps students to tackle the challenges of the 21st century.
Today's business world is changing at a rapid pace, and executive managers and employees are confronted with immense challenges: an intensifying globalisation of economies, societies, environment, and cultures, the emergence of new technologies, the prevalence of information and communication technology in our professional lives and increasing public expectations with respect to firms' social and environmental responsibilities.
The conditions under which executive managers have to act and make decisions are volatile and more uncertain than ever before. Firms will only withstand future competition successfully if they are able to face these 21st century challenges head on by exploiting opportunities and minimising risks. Companies and their executives must adjust flexibly and innovate to handle continuously changing conditions.
The aim of the Pforzheim MBA International Management programme is to enable our students, as future managers, to meet these challenges for the benefit of their companies.
To achieve this, the Pforzheim MBA follows a two-tier strategy that will provide our students with a distinct competitive advantage for the business of tomorrow. An international, generalist and profound classical management foundation is integrated with the most relevant future topics: innovation, management, and sustainable globalisation.
According to individual interests, students can choose from a variety of electives in the third semester. They can deepen their knowledge in Marketing, Accounting and Finance as well as in European Integration. Moreover, the students may take part in a company project that is offered in the third semester. For a specialisation in Energy Management, the third semester can be spent at the University of Wyoming (double degree option).
For students who have gained their first degree in Germany, the programme includes a compulsory semester abroad at one of our partner universities in Asia, Europe or the Americas.

The Pforzheim Business School has been accredited by AACSB International. Less than 5% of business schools worldwide have earned this hallmark of excellence in management education. In Germany, only nine universities out of about 200 with business programmes are AACSB accredited.

Educational organisation

MBA IM semesters and courses
[The numbers in brackets show the credits (ECTS)]

First Semester / Foundations [For non-business graduates]

Foundations in Accounting & Finance (6)

• Foundations in Financial Accounting
• Corporate Finance and Financial Analysis

Foundations in Marketing (6)

Foundations in Business Functions

• Human Resources Management (3)
• Information Management (3)
• Global Sourcing and Supply Chain Management (3)

Foundations in Economics (5)

• Microeconomics
• Macroeconomics

Research Methods I

• Scientific Writing and Literature Research (1)

Management Skills I

• Presentation Skills (1)
• Negotiation Skills (1)

Company Experience I (1)

Second Semester / Advanced Business Topics & Specialisations
[Business graduates may start here]

Innovation and Business Dynamics I

• Innovation Management I (5)

Sustainable Globalisation I (5)

• International Economics
• Sustainable Development

International Business Development ( 5)

Accounting & Finance in an International Context

• Business Controlling in an International Context (5)

Research Methods II

• Business Analytics (3)

Management Skills II

• Project Management (2)

Management Skills Electives (in total 4 ECTS credits):

• Decision Making (2)
• Change Management (2)
• Leadership (2)
• Cross-Cultural Management (2)

Company Experience II (1)

Third Semester* / Individual Concentration / Study Abroad Semester

*Third semester: exchange semester for students with a first degree from a German university; optional for international students

Strategic Management (ECTS credits: 5)

Innovation and Business Dynamics II

• Innovation Management II: Product Development & Design (5)

Sustainable Globalisation II

• Corporate Responsibility & Sustainability Management (5)

Company Experience III (2)

ELECTIVES
(in total 15 ECTS credits):

• Company Project / Project Work (6)

• Marketing
  • Entrepreneurial Marketing (3)
  • Brand Management (3)
  • Customer Relationship Management (3)
  • Service Marketing (3)
  • B2B-Marketing (3)

• Consulting
  • Management of Consulting Services (3)
  • Business Model Innovation & Management (3)
  • Process Management (3)

• Accounting & Finance
  • International Financial Reporting Standards (6)
  • Advanced Corporate Finance (3)

• European Perspectives
  • European Financial Markets (3)
  • European Economics & Political Relations (3)

Fourth Semester / Simulation & Thesis

Thesis

• MBA Thesis (ECTS credits: 20)

[four months / typically written in cooperation with a company or an institution]

Business Planning & Management Simulation (ECTS credits: 8)

• Business Planning (3)
• Management Simulation (5)

All Semesters / Languages

• Optional: German as a Foreign Language / Second Foreign Language

Study abroad unit(s)

An exchange semester (third semester) is mandatory for students who have a first degree from a German university and do not have professional experience abroad. An exchange semester is optional for international students.

Partner universities:
Europe

• France Business School, Clermont, France
• Grenoble Ecole de Management, Grenoble, France
• Instituto Superior de Ciências do Trabalho e da Empresa (ISCTE) Lisbon, Portugal
• Moscow International Higher Business School MIRBIS, Moscow, Russia
• University of Ljubljana, Slovenia
• Bilkent University, Ankara, Turkey

Americas

• Fundação Getulio Vargas, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
• Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudio Superiores de Monterrey (EGADE), Mexico
• University of South Carolina, Columbia, USA
• University of Wyoming, Laramie, USA (double degree specialising in Energy Management possible)
• Instituto de Estudios Superiores de Administración (IESA), Caracas, Venezuela

Asia/Pacific

• University of Macao, China
• Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT), New Delhi, India
• Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Ahmedabad, India
• Gadjah Mada University (UGM), Yogyakarta, Indonesia

Internships

• An eight-week period between semesters two and three offers a time frame for internships.
• Students are encouraged to write their thesis with a company/an institution in semester four. Through company contacts, visits, and projects, students are supported in finding an appropriate internship.

Forms of assessment

First semester: 30 ECTS
Class participation, written exam, assignment, presentation

Second semester: 30 ECTS
Class participation, written exam, oral exam, assignment, presentation

Third semester or semester abroad: 30 ECTS
Class participation, written exam, assignment, presentation, project

Fourth semester: 30 ECTS
Thesis, class participation, presentation

Course objectives

Upon successful completion of the Pforzheim MBA International Management programme, you will ...
... have profound expertise in the leadership principles and management skills needed to successfully lead in organisational contexts (Responsible leadership in organisational contexts)
... be capable of developing innovative and effective solutions for complex tasks in an unfamiliar and volatile business environment (Creative problem-solving skills in a complex business environment)
... be able to apply appropriate research methods and tools to concrete questions in order to derive compelling and innovative findings (Applied research skills)
... be able to gauge a company's potential for innovation and change, to stimulate innovative processes, and to manage the implementation of innovation (Management of innovation)
... be able to identify, analyse, and handle the challenges of global sustainability as well as develop awareness for social and corporate responsibilities (Management for global sustainability and for social and corporate responsibilities)

Language requirements

TOEFL 100 (Internet-based), 250 (computer-based), 600 (paper-based), or equivalent
IELTS 7.0
Not necessary if first degree was taught in English

Academic requirements

• Bachelor's degree
• Two years of post-Bachelor, full-time work experience
• Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT 550 is expected)
• TOEFL score: 100 (iBT)/IELTS (7.0)/proof of Bachelor's degree taught entirely in English
• Letter of motivation plus essay on extracurricular activities
• Personal interview

Application forms for download can be found on our website http://www.hs-pforzheim.de/mba

Enrolment fees

148 EUR per semester
The fee includes a semester ticket covering public transport in the Pforzheim area.
First study semester: an additional 20 EUR for the student ID-card

Costs of living

Approx. 600-700 EUR per month to cover personal expenses

Job opportunities

For individual students, jobs as student assistants are available.

Arrival support

• Through a buddy system, our students are supported from the beginning of the programme, and a pick-up service upon arrival is included.
• We provide hands-on information prior to arrival: Pforzheim Survival guide, housing list, "steps to enrolment"
• Orientation sessions at the beginning of every semester

Services and support for international students

• Individual mentoring and coaching of students by MBA faculty members
• Continuous support is guaranteed throughout the year by the academic MBA office team members.
• Buddy system: senior MBA students support new students from the beginning of the programme.
• The Institute of Foreign Languages of Pforzheim University cooperates intensively with the MBA and guarantees, based on an entrance-level test, suitable classes in German as a foreign language at all levels.
• Counselling services for job applications in Germany and support for students with applications and CVs from senior lecturers of the Institute of Foreign Languages

Further support:

• The International Programmes Office of Pforzheim University supports students with accommodation and visa issues.
• Pforzheim University student initiatives GEMINI (exclusive support for international students) and CAMPUS X (on-campus company fairs) give support for international students as well.
• Central student services unit of the Pforzheim University Business School

Accommodation

The student union offers accommodation in student dorms around the campus (via Studentenwerk Karlsruhe). Many private rooms are also available in the city of Pforzheim and the surrounding area. The university provides lists of private rooms and apartments via the International Programmes Office.