International Management and Intercultural Communication and Global Business Administration

Deriving from the objectives of the programme, the contents can be grouped into three subject areas:

• International management subjects, focusing on the global economy, marketing, financial management, organisational theory, IT, etc.
• The theory and practice of intercultural communication
• Team research on global business issues (Master's thesis)

Educational organisation

Students of all four partner universities start their studies at TH Köln - University of Applied Sciences in October of every year. They proceed to WU (Warsaw University) and subsequently to DUFE (Dongbei University of Finance and Economics) finishing at UNF (University of North Florida). With the fixed itinerary comes a sequence of courses which is subject to slight variations but is always binding for the students.

There are seven courses at TH Köln:

• Intercultural Communication (+ Intercultural Training)
• Business Environment: Germany
• Applied Intercultural Communication: Germany
• Global Economics (+Thesis Seminar)
• International Managerial Accounting
• Business Strategy and Game Theory
• Making Decisions with Data (Statistics)

There are six courses at WU:

• Business Environment: Poland
• Applied Intercultural Communication: Poland
• Advanced Financial Management
• International Management
• Management Information Systems (MIS)
• Organisational Theory

There are three courses at DUFE:

• Business Environment: China
• Applied Intercultural Communication: China
• International Finance

The final courses at UNF are:

• Business Environment: USA
• Applied Intercultural Communication: USA
• Advanced Business Policy
• Modelling and Management of Operations
• International Marketing

The overarching module is the Master's thesis and the thesis defence at UNF.
The University of Warsaw and TH Köln award the degree Master of Arts jointly.

Study abroad unit(s)

The programme is divided into four study periods at the partner universities in a fixed sequence. Therefore, the students from all four universities start their studies at TH Köln in October. They then proceed to Warsaw University and subsequently to Dalian University of Finance and Economics. The final courses are taken at the University of North Florida.

Internships

None

Forms of assessment

Each course ends with an examination. Usually, examinations will be held as soon as the respective course finishes, in accordance with the study schedule. Should students fail an exam, they can resit it once. Resits will usually be held at the beginning of the following study period. Owing to the transfer between universities, the time and place of each re-examination must be stipulated individually by the respective partner university. Please note: only if all credit points required at the end of a study period have been earned can students continue their studies. Failing this, participants must leave the programme.

Course objectives

The MA International Management and Intercultural Communication is intended to qualify students for all aspects of international management as well as for academic research. The programme takes account of the fact that professional international management requires intercultural skills. Therefore, the main aim of the programme is to enable students to become communicative, creative managers in an international environment and, by applying their intercultural competence, to find solutions at the interface of culture and management.

Language requirements

English language competence should be least at level B2 (European Framework of Reference). For students whose mother tongue is not English, an excellent command of English has to be documented. This can be done either by a first degree or part of the studies instructed in English or by a language test (e.g. TOEFL, minimum score: 560 (paper-based), 220 (computer-based), 83 (internet-based)).

Academic requirements

Graduates with a Bachelor's degree, Master's degree or a German university diploma can apply for the programme. There is no restriction as to the subject of the first degree, but applicants have to provide evidence that they have acquired the necessary foundations in business studies and economics. They should also be well-informed about world politics.
For more information, see: http://www.unf.edu/coggin/globalmba/

Applicants need to have passed either the GMAT (American Graduate Management Admission Test) with a minimum score of 500 or the GRE (Graduate Record Examinations Test) with a minimum of 150 verbal + 150 quantitative. The test result should be submitted with your application, but by 20 June at the latest (in this case, please send the result to katia.bompani@th-koeln.de).

Enrolment fees

The fee of about 250 EUR per semester includes a semester ticket covering public transport in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia.

Costs of living

The costs of living for your stay largely depend on your personal needs. When planning your stay, you should calculate monthly costs of approximately 700-800 EUR.

Job opportunities

Taking on a part-time job while studying has lots of benefits. Students can make some extra money, gain valuable professional experience, and might take a first step up on the career ladder.
Whether and how long you are allowed to work during semester breaks is determined by your immigration office. The provisions applying to your specific case will be stated in your residence permit. To find out about these provisions, we recommend you make an inquiry at the immigration office during your first visit. International students from countries that are not member states of the EU, the EEA, or Switzerland are normally permitted to work 120 full or 240 half days per year if they are in possession of a valid residence permit for Germany.
TH Köln can assist you in finding a job that suits your profile and interests. Our Career Service and our Nebenjobservice (Part-Time Job Service) offer comprehensive counselling and specific information events on all aspects related to part-time jobs.
Please be aware that the level of your German language skills will strongly affect your chances of finding a part-time job, as German is the language of communication in Germany.

Funding opportunities within the university

TH Köln as well as other institutions offer different scholarships for international students such as the Deutschlandstipendium scholarship. Recipients receive approx. 300 EUR per month.
https://www.th-koeln.de/en/international_office/deutschland-stipendium-scholarship---information-for-students_9164.php

Arrival support

Students normally have to cope on their own. Help with accommodation is provided, however.

Services and support for international students

TH Köln - University of Applied Sciences - follows the National Code of Conduct on Foreign Students at German Universities established by the German Rectors' Conference (HRK).
The International Office provides advice and support for international students on all aspects related to studying at TH Köln. The International Office accompanies your stay at our university with a variety of programmes and events and invites you to become a part of our international community (e.g., mentoring programmes for new first semester students, TH Köln Buddy programme KARIBU, or Language Partnership programme).
Every semester, the International Office organises a semester programme including exciting cultural events to connect German and international students as well as activities to jointly discover different aspects of Cologne (e.g., a guided tour of Cologne, trips to museums and theatres, or a semester trip to the German capital Berlin).

Accommodation

Boasting a population of slightly more than one million, Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest metropolis - a highly attractive one on top of that. The increasing influx of people can make the search for adequate accommodation quite difficult. Dozens of apartment hunters often compete for a single apartment. That is why the International Office strongly recommends that you start looking for a place to live as soon as possible.
The fierce competition on the housing market has resulted in above-market rents - particularly in proximity of the city centre. We therefore encourage you to be flexible: try to look for apartments outside the centre, as you will encounter less competition and lower rents.
Student dormitories
Cologne's most convenient and economical housing option is often a student dormitory. Kölner Studierendenwerk operates 86 student dorms offering roughly 4,700 rooms. Please be aware that TH Köln does not allocate the rooms in these dorms. In order to be allocated a room, please apply online on the website of Kölner Studentenwerk by clicking on "online-application". See: http://www.kstw.de/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=315&Itemid=11&lang=en.
The seemingly large number of dorm rooms is misleading; as the dormitories are open to the roughly 80,000 students enrolled at all Cologne universities, they are in extremely high demand. Make sure to apply for a dorm room at Kölner Studierendenwerk as early as possible.