The interdisciplinary Master’s degree program in “Business and Psychology” combines the best of two worlds.
In view of growing leadership complexity, it is of increasing importance for managers and executives to also have psychological know-how in addition to economic knowledge. The field of psychology helps to better understand human behavior in an organizational context while business and economics ensure that corresponding economic know-how is covered.
The degree program can be studied entirely in English – a fact that guarantees an international group of students. Over the course of four semesters, students acquire 120 ECTS credits and the title “Master of Science” and are excellently prepared for their future complex professional environment. At the KU, students benefit from the outstanding staff-to-student ratio and the high quality of life in the region that was recently elected to place 4 in Germany in a survey conducted by the magazine Wirtschaftswoche.
This Master’s degree program teaches the methodological foundations for analysis and critical assessment of problems in the fields of human resources management and personnel psychology, organizational behavior, market and competition and economic processes and behavior. The program offers an internal corporate perspective focusing on HR management and leadership within organizations as well as an overarching perspective dealing with market conduct. The program qualifies graduates for management positions as executives, human resource managers, marketing and product managers or consultants.
In general, you may call yourself this after successfully completing the BaP Master's program. The prerequisite is that you have obtained a Bachelor's degree in Psychology with a relatively high proportion of psychology content, have chosen a number of psychology modules, including the diagnostics module, depending on the weighting according to the total sum and requirements in the program and have written a Master's thesis in psychology. In the context of our study advice, we will coordinate the requirements for the positive decision in the individual case by the Berufsverband Deutscher Psychologinnen und Psychologen e.V. (BdP) together with you.
The program is taught in English and German. Required courses are exclusively offered in English to also enable international students to enroll in the program. In any case, all students benefit from the international orientation among students and lecturers. Working in international groups already during their studies introduces students to the topic of diversity in the workplace at an early stage. Like this, the Master’s program ideally prepares future executives for the diverse range of challenges that will face them in their future careers in an international working environment in organizations and companies.
The Master’s degree program comprises four semesters and students must hold a Bachelor’s degree in order to be able to enroll. Successful graduates will be awarded the degree of Master of Science (MSc). In the program, students acquire a total of 120 ECTS credits. They earn 35 ECTS credits in the required area, 35 ECTS credits in the required elective area and 20 ECTS credits in the elective area. 30 ECTS credits are awarded for the Master’s thesis.
Students can choose from a wide range of modules in the field of management and organizational behavior. The courses in the Master’s program combine both theoretical knowledge and practical application.
The courses are grouped in five major topic areas:
Graduates of this degree program are excellently prepared for working in executive positions. They learn to involve both economic and psychological factors in their decision-making processes in order to achieve better and more sustainable results. This is guaranteed by a distinguished team of professors and lecturers representing the different sub-disciplines and research interests from the fields of business administration, economics and psychology. They share their knowledge with an international group of students who have already acquired previous knowledge in either business administration, economics or psychology. Like this, students gain knowledge on concepts from different disciplines reaching from subject-specific research methods and models to practical examples for application. In the courses, lecturers not only share their personal knowledge, but also initiate and supervise learning processes that take place among the students themselves, for example in teamwork. This allows students to also learn from each other in small groups or international learning tandems.
The required area of the degree program comprises five modules worth 25 ECTS credits in total. In line with the ideal study plan, it is recommended that students take these required modules right at the beginning of their studies to ensure that all students of the program acquire the same basic knowledge in all five focus areas. Furthermore, the basic studies outline the connections between the disciplines and ensure that students with prior knowledge in psychology or business and economics get an insight into the respectively other disciplines. Required modules in the program are only offered in English to enable international students to enroll in the program.
Furthermore, the program also contains a required interdisciplinary research seminar worth 10 ECTS credits. The seminar is completed in the third and fourth semester and is offered by all professors who teach required courses in the program. Ideally, the research seminar can already have a direct connection to the Master’s thesis.
The required elective area aims to allow students to choose their focus areas as flexibly as possible. They can choose from a wide range of offers and must include modules from both fields (business and economics, psychology) worth a total of 35 ECTS credits in their choice. Required elective modules in the program are offered from the second semester onwards so that students can spend their third semester abroad if they like.
The elective area of the program is worth 20 ECTS credits. Here as well, the aim is to provide a broad offer both for German and international students. Elective modules, just as required elective modules, are offered from the second semester onwards.
At the end of the program, students compile a Master’s thesis in which they approach selected topics from the program in depth. This Master’s thesis is accompanied by the interdisciplinary research seminar: Usually, students start with theoretical preparations during the third semester. The fourth semester is used for working on the Master’s thesis. The Master’s thesis counts towards the degree program with 30 ECTS credits. Here as well, students benefit from the excellent support offer at the KU that enables them to approach diverse and exciting topics in their Master’s thesis in collaboration with partners from practical fields.
If you spend a semester abroad in the winter or summer semester, individual solutions and schedules must be developed for this together with your supervisor.
In general, you may call yourself this after successfully completing the BaP Master's program. The prerequisite is that you have obtained a Bachelor's degree in Psychology with a relatively high proportion of psychology content, have chosen a number of psychology modules, including the diagnostics module, depending on the weighting according to the total sum and requirements in the program and have written a Master's thesis in psychology. In the context of our study advice, we will coordinate the requirements for the positive decision in the individual case by the Berufsverband Deutscher Psychologinnen und Psychologen e.V. (BdP) together with you.
The following modules from the VHB program can be chosen as electives in the master's program "Business and Psychology":
The VHB course "People Analytics: Data Science for Human Resources Management" offered at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg (FAU) is recognized as a required elective module.
All other VBH courses are currently (as of October 2022) not recognized as elective or required elective modules in the degree program!
The elective module "Labour Law" is aimed exclusively at students who have not yet acquired such a foundation in their bachelor's degree program.
Many “Business and Psychology” students spend a semester at a partner university and/or complete an internship abroad. You will find extensive information on the different options available on the website of the International Office. The International Office will also offer information sessions.
In order to have achievements from abroad recognised, you should clarify in advance which achievements can be credited to you.
Important notice: For a semester abroad, you will need to show that you are proficient in the language of instruction at the chosen university. Your proof of language proficiency must not be older than two years. Therefore, high school diplomas cannot be accepted as proof of language proficiency. For Erasmus+ and faculty exchange programs, you will need at least B2 level in the language of instruction (some universities require C1 level); you can present either a CEFR certificate (Common European Frame of Reference for Languages) from the university where you obtained your Bachelor’s degree or a certificate from TOEFL, Cambridge, IELTS and others. For the worldwide exchange program, you will always need a TOEFL or IELTS (please check the additional requirements).
If you are not sure whether your proof of language proficiency will be accepted, please contact outgoing(at)ku.de as soon as possible.
Module catalogue for the master's program in Business and Psychology (M. Sc.)
All module descriptions can also be accessed directly via KU.Campus. Please choose the navigation points "Information portal --> Degree programs". Enter your degree program and the relevant semester in the search mask. In the list of results, the module handbook will appear in the upper right-hand corner for downloading as a pdf or Word file.
The module descriptions published in KU.Campus are legally binding.
Degree program description for the master's program in Business and Psychology (M. Sc.)
Curriculum for the master's program in Business and Psychology (M. Sc.)
Mandatory Electives for the master's program in Business and Psychology (M.Sc.) as of summer semester 2023
Mandatory Electives for the master's program in Business and Psychology (M.Sc.) as of winter semester 2022/2023
Mandatory Electives for the master's program in Business and Psychology (M.Sc.) as of summer semester 2022
The degree programs offered by the Ingolstadt School of Management (WFI) and the Psychology department (PPF) regularly score top positions in popular university rankings.
KU students and alumni have voted for their University to be Germany's most popular university in the 2022 ranking of the online portal StudyCheck. This is the second time in a row, as KU was also voted the most popular university in 2021. The ranking was based on over 70,000 evaluations for more than 500 higher education institutions and universities. 97 percent of students questioned for the ranking would recommend studying at the KU to others.
"There is no better praise for a university than almost 100 percent of students and alumni agreeing: I can only recommend studying at the KU! That is why we are very pleased with the ranking’s outcome, because it expresses the high level of satisfaction of our students," says KU President Prof. Dr. Gabriele Gien.
We maintain partnerships with many renowned universities. Students at the WFI and Psychology department are able to spend a semester abroad at one of over 90 partner universities within a unique network. Irrespective of where you would like to spend your semester abroad: North America or Asia, Australia, South America or Europe – we have the perfect program for you.
Students at the WFI and PPF/Psychology department have many opportunities to put what they have learned into practice. Thanks to collaborations with leading companies and organizations (in german) in many different fields, the KU is able to offer excellent prospects when it comes to finding internships and starting a career in Germany or abroad. Furthermore, the University’s career fair “Company Day” (in german) and many other recruiting events (in german) as well as company presentations and workshops are the ideal opportunity for networking.
Thanks to the interdisciplinary collaboration between business and economics and the field of psychology, students have the chance to explore entirely new and different perspectives.
At WFI, students do more than ‘just’ study. The majority of students is active in different student organizations. Like this, they continuously hone their soft skills and can exchange views with students from other disciplines. The “WFI spirit” stands for outstanding commitment.
Graduates of the program are able to analyze and solve problems that arise in organizational and corporate practice. They will be able to adopt unifying perspectives and approaches across disciplines in order to render decision-making processes more efficient. In particular, the program prepares graduates for executive positions, for example as:
Furthermore, graduates of the program are equipped for positions that require a combination of knowledge and skills from different disciplines, e.g. company founders. Students who are interested in pursuing an academic career are ideally prepared for starting a career in research or continue their studies to acquire a doctoral degree at the KU or another university.
Short distances on campus at the KU save time and avoid stress. The campus in Ingolstadt, home to the Ingolstadt School of Management (WFI), consists of the Main Building and the New Building, separated by a peaceful courtyard. The ample green spaces on the Ingolstadt campus invite students to enjoy their surroundings outside during lecture breaks and meet fellow students. If you prefer to spend your breaks in town running errands, Ingolstadt’s city center is just a few minutes’ walk away. Other faculty buildings are the Studierendenhaus and the Hohe Schule that was home to the first Bavarian state university in the 15th century.
Studying at the KU is more than just acquiring specialist knowledge. We broaden our horizons together and take on responsibility in and beyond the individual degree programs. The KU has a particular focus on topics such as personal development, sustainability, social skills and social commitment.
It offers its students the possibility to study and work in a welcoming atmosphere and benefit from outstanding support and comprehensive service offers, a well-stocked library, a broad range of sports and leisure activities and a large global network with over 260 partner universities.
No, the KU is open to students of all faiths and beliefs.
At the KU, just as at all state universities, there is freedom of research and teaching. This means that our degree programs focus on the subjects for which you have enrolled – free from external influences.
As a student at our University, you will notice what our understanding of being a Catholic University means for us in one thing in particular: The University’s focus is on the individual person. The talents and potential of all those who teach, study, work and carry out research at the KU form our most important foundation – regardless of their religion or beliefs, nationality, ethical, cultural or social background, disabilities, gender, sexual orientation or age.
This is why we promote your best possible academic education through personal support and an ideal staff-to-student ratio. At the same time, the KU is more than just a place for earning your degree: We attach particular importance to imparting social skills and advancing our students’ sense and value orientation in addition to providing them with a high level of academic and methodical qualification.
Our aspiration for our University is to build bridges between science and society and to make knowledge available for society as well as to integrate impulses from outside the University into our research and teaching practice. We aim to make a valuable contribution to social coexistence, to the free democratic basic order and to preserving creation.
With a population of around 15,000, it is probably the smallest university town in Europe. For our students, this means living and learning in a friendly and informal atmosphere. Whether it is on the way to a lecture in the morning, at the canteen for lunch or in the pub in the evening, you will often come across people you know. It is easy to meet people in Eichstätt! By the way, the KU’s “living room” is the Theke, a bar run by students for students. Here, people meet for parties, jam sessions, karaoke evenings or a cozy round of table football.
A small town also means short distances: The library, the swimming pool, the cinema or the supermarket – everything can be reached in a few minutes on foot or by bike. The town is located right in the heart of the Altmühltal natural park – a real paradise for climbers, canoeists, hikers and cyclists just around the corner.
Should you still reach a point when you feel too cooped in, you can breathe big city air easily near Eichstätt. Ingolstadt with its 135,000 inhabitants is only a few kilometers away and offers a variety of shopping and nightlife options.
Ingolstadt is the second largest city in Upper Bavaria after Munich and is only a 30-minute drive away from the state capital. Located in the heart of the Altmühl valley and the largest hop-growing area in the world - the Hallertau - Ingolstadt has a broad cultural offer.
There are regular classical concerts in the AUDI forum, many different student events, and the Volksfeste, beer festivals that are typical for Bavaria (small Oktoberfest Wiesn festivals). Ingolstadt has many restaurants, bars, beer gardens and clubs that are all located in the historical, picturesque old town and are perfect for enjoying a beer or two with friends after the lectures. Last but not least, Munich with its vast cultural offer is just around the corner.
Together with the district of Eichstätt, the Ingolstadt region has the lowest unemployment rate in Germany. This is partly owing to the fact that many well-known large companies such as EADS, AUDI, EDEKA, Media-Markt Saturn or Hipp have their headquarters in the Ingolstadt region.
Some offers and study conditions are different for international students – our International Office is happy to provide help and support. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact our team. We are happy to accompany you on your way to the KU and hope that we can welcome you in person soon!
The application process for international applicants is now completely digital. You can register online in our application portal and carry out and submit your application. After you have carried out the application and uploaded your documents, you do not need to send your documents to us again by post. You do have to submit certified true copies only if you are admitted at the time of enrollment.
Depending on the course of study, you may be asked for information on internships, professional experience, etc. Please upload the relevant documents in the upload area for all the information you provide, even if these are not mandatory fields!
Before you start the application process, please read the additional information on this page, in particular the information on the respective (German) language requirements and university entrance qualifications.
Total of available study places for the interdisciplinary Master’s degree program in “Business and Psychology”:
Winter semester: 40
Please note, that the selection process is highly competitive.
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