Top Master’s in Management Programs in Germany
Germany was relatively late the Master’s in Management (MiM) game — courses did not appear there until about 2005. However, a Master’s in Management in Germany has quickly become a coveted degree, among international and domestic students.
Fortunately, the country is served well by a bevy of excellent business schools with high places in global rankings and hard-to-achieve accreditations, which ensure top teaching and research standards.
And in recent years, these business schools have launched a number of Master’s in Management programs, as well as specialized MScs and other business master’s programs, such as MSc in Business Administration degrees, delivered in the English language.
What makes the courses unique in Germany are their strong links with local employers such as Daimler or Allianz. Many of the German MiM courses feature a work experience or internship element, often paid, and companies sometimes influence curriculum design, so students graduate with relevant skills.
MSc and MiM grads are often stay in the country after graduation, due to Germany’s booming job market, especially considering the country has a low birth rate and ageing population. This means there’s big demand for fresh talent.
Overseas students enjoy easy access to work visas which can provide a pathway to permanent residency in Germany. Typically students work at German industrial champions but banks in the financial center Frankfurt and technology startups in the more entrepreneurial Berlin are also recruiting more students from Germany’s Master’s in Management programs. Management consultancy firms too are top employers of the graduates, as are tech behemoths like Amazon or Google.
The progressive visa regime means Germany’s business master’s programs are very international. In fact, most include an overseas element, either an exchange program with another business school or a practical project with a foreign firm.
All this has made Germany a wonderful place to both study and work. These are the top 10 MiM programs in the country.
WHU — Otto Beisheim School of Management’s Master in Management program is ranked third globally by the respected Economist magazine. The course includes a semester abroad at one of 200 partner universities worldwide. This gives students a global perspective and a chance to immerse themselves in another culture.
View School ProfileESCP Europe’s two-year MiM program is currently ranked by The Financial Times as one of the top-five Master in Management programs in the world. The program is taught across ESCP Europe’s six campuses, including Berlin; and students have the possibility of receiving a German Master in Science degree as part of the program. The Master in Management also allows students to pursue at least two internships, so they graduate with the kind of practical, hands-on knowledge that Germany’s employers are looking for.
View School ProfileThe University of Mannheim Business School is triple accredited by the prestigious AMBA, AACSB and EQUIS awarding bodies, ensuring the highest quality of education. The school’s Master in Management was ranked the best in Germany by the Financial Times in 2018. The course is outstanding value for money: tuition fees are very reasonable, even for overseas students.
View School ProfileHHL Leipzig Graduate School of Management is one of the most renowned management schools in Europe: it’s ranked highly by The Economist for its Master in Management. Students have excellent career prospects: 95 percent are employed three months from graduation, more than 60 percent go into consulting and the average starting salary overall is €69,000.
View School ProfileThe Master’s in Management program at ESMT Berlin is ranked fourth best in Germany by the Economist, and 14th globally. One unique aspect of the program is the Social Impact Project, where students work on solving a global challenge for an NGO, social venture or for the CSR department of a corporation. Being based in Berlin is a perk: the city, dubbed “poor but sexy”, is a haven of nightlife, commerce and boasts a thriving technology and entrepreneurship scene.
View School ProfileThe Frankfurt School of Finance and Management runs a Master in Management (MiM) program that is highly customizable. Students choose one from six concentrations: Digital Business, International Business, Technology & Operations, Marketing, Strategy & Organization, or Business Analytics. Candidates can also study part-time for three days a week alongside a work placement. Frankfurt is a major financial hub that’s home to the European Central Bank.
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The Berlin School of Economics has an MSc in Business Administration that is well-accredited, including by AMBA. The course develops students’ soft skills, in addition to their technical smarts. The school is renowned for teaching through seminars with relatively small groups of students, helping to develop skills such as communication and cross-cultural collaboration, which employers are crying out for.
View School ProfileThe University of Cologne’s WiSo-Faculty offers an MSc in Business Administration that is classified as a MiM program. As Cologne is state-funded, there are no tuition fees at all, merely a small “semester contribution” that covers public transport. Students can also opt for a double master’s degree program, spending one year on the MSc at Cologne and a second year overseas, gaining global exposure.
View School ProfileThe TUM School of Management has both AACSB accreditation and the arguably more prestigious quality stamp from EFMD’s EQUIS awarding body. Students can study in either Heilbronn or the school’s main campus in bustling Munich. The city is a financial, publishing and technology hub that gives graduates great access to many companies such as BMW, Siemens and Allianz.
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