Master's Program in Economic and Business Education

In the master's program in Economic and Business Education, students develop the skills acquired during the bachelor’s program. A clear emphasis is placed on instructional (teaching-related) concepts, which are intended to equip students with subject-specific knowledge of the field. The goal is for master’s students to understand the relationship between empirical instructional research, instructional theories, and the tasks that come with teaching in a practical setting. At the same time, they enhance their skills in analyzing and designing business-educational learning environments.

The program not only includes modules in Economic and Business Education, but also in Business Administration and Economics and in Business Informatics. The broad range of courses offered in the Mannheim Master in Management program is open to you. The program offers a wide range of options: You have the opportunity to tailor the curriculum to your personal interests  and focus on a certain area, for example, human resources, management, marketing, controlling, taxation, (international) finance, business informatics (digitalization), or logistics.

In addition, students acquire in-depth knowledge in their elective subject.

Apart from attending university courses, practical phases at schools are an integral part of the program for students with all elective subjects except Corporate Learning. Students with the elective subject Corporate Learning will spend a practical phase at a company.

With a master’s degree in Economic and Business Education, graduates are qualified to teach at vocational schools (after completing preparatory service, i.e. their Referendariat) or to work in other settings, e.g. in companies. The program is research-oriented, as well.

In Mannheim, you will be studying at one of the most renowned business schools in Europe. Whether CHE, FT Ranking or THE – independent rankings repeatedly confirm the outstanding quality of research and teaching in national and international comparison.

As one of the largest locations for Economic and Business Education in Germany, our professors make important contributions to research and thereby help to keep it always up-to-date. They share their findings with you in classes and individual coaching sessions. The Department of Economic and Business Education at the University of Mannheim is one of the largest departments in this field in Germany. This means that you can benefit from a broad range of research activities and state-of-the-art results, which are also reflected in our teaching.

A degree in Economic and Business Education opens up many different career paths in two directions: after completing a master's degree and their Referendariat, graduates can work as teachers at vocational schools  or they can pursue a career in the private sector. To do this, you will acquire a sound knowledge of the fundamentals of Business Administration and Economics, Business Informatics and Public Economic Law. In addition, you will gain valuable practical experience during your studies – both in company and school internships that are an integral part of the program.

Furthermore, the elective subjects enable you to set specific individual priorities and help you to adapt your studies to your personal interests and professional goals.

With a master’s degree in Economic and Business Education, graduates can work at a school. This is, however, not the only option open to them.

Upon subsequent completion of their Referendariat, graduates can move into the school sector and teach at any type of vocational school with a commercial focus in Germany (including Berufsschule, Berufsfachschule, Berufliches Gymnasium).

Thanks to their broad Economic and Business Education training, graduates work in all business areas of a company – similar to graduates of traditional business administration studies. They are particularly in demand in company training, continuing education and in continuing education management. In addition, they can be employed in numerous areas, including human resources management, controlling, management consulting, educational counseling and organizational development, marketing, finance and much more.

Students of Economic and Business Education later have excellent career prospects regardless of the path they decide to take: At vocational schools, teachers are always highly sought-after. Outside the school sector, their broad array of skills acquired during the program qualifies them for many different positions. 

Please note that the school-based career path is possible with all elective subjects except Corporate Learning. Students with Corporate Learning as an elective subject will not be admitted to the Referendariat.

As the master's program is research-oriented, they can even opt for a career in academia and pursue a doctorate in fields such as Economic and Business Education, Business Administration, Educational Psychology/Psychology of Education, or in a field related to their elective course.

Students of Economic and Business Education should

• be interested in working on questions related to economics and teaching,
• be capable of critical thinking and working,
• be interested in teaching and learning in companies or schools,
• enjoy working with academic literature,
• have good knowledge of math and English.

Degree plan
The degree plan provides an overview of the planned courses in the different semesters.

Students of the master's program in Economic and Business Education with the elective subject  Corporate Learning complete an eight-week internship in a company. The University of Mannheim supports the internship with a seminar, which usually takes place in the first semester. Students with the elective subject Corporate Learning prepare for a corporate career and cannot be admitted to the Referendariat for teaching at vocational schools.

Graduates who intend to continue with their Referendariat after completing the program are required to have gained at least 52 weeks of practical experience in different settings. One way of proving this is by completing a number of internships. Please go to the online platform for teachers in Baden-Württemberg, LOBW, for more information. Both mandatory internships completed during the bachelor’s program in Economic and Business Education and relevant voluntary internships are recognized. If you want to do any additional internships, you can do so during the semester break or take an academic leave of absence for a semester. For questions relating to planning an internship, please contact the academic advising team.