MBA Sustainable Business Development

Strategies for Transformation!

an English-speaking study program

In an environment of on-going transformation, you will learn how to find and pursue new business opportunities. Our MBA will equip you with the relevant skills in business development, sustainability management, applied artificial intelligence as well as in systemic entrepreneurial approaches.

With our holistic outlook we will qualify you to design innovative sustainable business strategies and new business models within our fast-moving societies and their ever-changing consumer trends. The carefully developed and designed curriculum will provide you with competencies such as critical reflection, agile solution-orientation, strategy development and networking capabilities as well as in-depth knowledge in the fields of individual efficacy, transformative leadership and general management.

This aims in particular at the management of products and service innovations, fast moving markets as well as lasting customer relationships. Linking these different bodies of knowledge and competences will give you the capability to transfer and apply your enhanced knowledge to real-life work situations. These two years of studies will be like a fly wheel for your personal development and your company’s business development.

Apply now for Winter Semester 2023/24

To the Application Form

Last call

for those interested in the upcoming winter semester 2023/24. Deadline is 30.09.

We’ll be happy to advise you!

Your benefits

Enhance your knowledge and skills in developing, and applying innovative as well as systemic solution proposals for your field of activity, even in situations of significant uncertainties.

Expand your leadership competencies by learning and applying state of the art communication, team building and networking capabilities.

Acquire relevant theoretical knowledge to assess chances and impacts of socio-economic trends, especially in the context of sustainability concepts and digitalized business processes and models.

Sharpen your acquired theoretical knowledge and sustainable business development skills in our interactive simulation.

Prof. Dr. Johannes Ohmer

Prof. Dr. Barbara Lämmlein

Dr. Sandra Wolf

Dr. Andreas Jahnke

Valerie Sophie Schöneberg

Prof. Dr. Nils Urbach

Degree

Master of Business Administration (MBA) with 90 ECTS

Tuition Fee

19.900 Euro
plus semester fees

Lecturers

Renowned lectures from the industry and university

Application Requirements

Academics and experienced professionals

Duration

4-semester study in Frankfurt am Main, Germany (one module held in Vienna, Austria)

Modules

practice-oriented and scientifically substantiated

Further information about our MBA

Application requirements

Entry Requirements

First academic degree (minimum 180 ECTS)
Proven minimum of one year of professional experience
Motivation letter
Detailed curriculum vitae
Good command of English of at least B2 level (e.g. TOEFL, IELTS, Cambridge Certificate, DAAD or other proof of language competence of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR)) not older than three years. If your first professional university degree was obtained in an English-speaking country or at a bilingual educational institution you do not need to submit any language test.
Successful selection interview
An APS certificate is required for students applying from India, China and Vietnam.

Application without Academic Degree

In accordance with § 20 of the Hessian Law on Higher Education (HHG) you can apply for the Lateral Entry to the Masters Programs. Your application shall be accompanied by the following documents:

A copy of your higher education entrance qualification
Detailed CV
Certificates of full-time employment of at least four years

Application

The MBA starts every year in the winter semester.

Application Deadlines

Application deadline for candidates with foreign degrees: July 15th, 2023
Application deadline for candidates with national degrees (D +EU): September 30th, 2023
Application deadline for the qualifying examination in accordance with paragraph 20 HHG: February 15th 2023

Apply now!

Structure of the program

The MBA program is a further education, application-oriented master’s course aimed at a working and professionally experienced target group. Applicants from the areas of business development and corporate management as well as the management areas of strategy, innovation, IT, sales, marketing, product and services as well as supply chain of all industries are welcome. It is designed to be studied while working.

The four-semester program is based upon three key areas of content while at the same time providing a general management training.

Business development
You will learn to identify and evaluate trends and new business opportunities in view of success potential of known and unknown customer needs. You will expand your knowledge and competencies in areas such as innovation management, stakeholder and relationship management, international digital marketing and business unit development including strategic partnerships as well as mergers and acquisitions.

Sustainability and digitalization as drivers of transformations
The notions of sustainability and digitalization are of crucial importance throughout the whole program. While various modules provide theoretical knowledge within the fields, a clear focus of the program is to convey the correlation between business decisions from an economic point-of-view with the environmental and socio-cultural perspective represented by sustainable climate-neutral production and supply chain concepts heading for a circular economy.
You will learn how to design and apply processes to make use of the exponential data growth (data economy) when it comes to business decisions. Digital innovations and transformations not only require the transfer of specialist knowledge, but also require the strengthening of judgement and personality development.

Systemic management approach
You will learn to think within and apply systemic approaches for complex systems and derive decisions, even within an environment of high uncertainties. You will develop transformative management skills and competencies to actively drive change no matter if its culture or technology based.

The curriculum is enriched by communication trainings, leadership modules and an interactive simulation which allows students to apply the acquired knowledge, carry out relevant analysis and derive business decisions.

Module schedule

Semester calendar

semester calendar

Qualification

With this MBA you will broaden and consolidate your knowledge in business development, digitization, sustainability and systemic management. You will acquire methodological as well as management competencies in order to define, analyze, evaluate, implement and assess new sustainable business opportunities. You will develop a solution-oriented, self-directed and autonomous mindset that successfully drives change within the team. The didactic design of the modules allows to feature a deep knowledge comprehension as well as transfer skills. Modules such as Transformative Leadership as well as Systemic Thinking & Management of Complex Systems qualify you to take on leadership positions.

Tuition Fee

Total costs for the two-year study program amount to €19,900 plus semester fees. Tuition fees can be paid in instalments.

In addition to the tuition fees participants are responsible

for travel expenses,
food and accommodation,
for obtaining a visa (if required) in time for the start of semester

Please, note that these costs are fully deductible from income tax in many countries (e.g. Germany). Please find information on financing options here. Under point 4 you may find information that is relevant to you.

Frequently asked questions

How does the application process work?

We will be pleased to receive your first contact by email or phone. Or you apply directly by using the online form. When you submit, please ensure that your application is fully complete with all mandatory documents. If you have any questions about admissions, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

After you submit all required documents you will receive an email response confirming receipt of your application. The application will be reviewed and the decision to take your application to the interview stage will be made on the basis of the information submitted.

If shortlisted for interview you will be given further information on the interview process by email. Your interview will normally be conducted by two members of our Sustainable Business Development Admissions Team.

The interviews are held virtually allowing to meet from different locations and to coordinate the schedules more easily. You would like to have an application interview in the future university premises? We can arrange that with pleasure.

After your interview is complete, the Admissions Team will send you a final decision by the deadline indicated during the interview (max. 48hrs).

How is the course organized in terms of time?

The course is modularly designed, meaning courses in blocks take place in presence/ in Frankfurt am Main (HoST), usually 3 days per month, Thursdays to Saturdays, 8 hours a day. (semester calendar).

The course allows to be studied while working. Is it mandatory to be working?

No, you chose what suits you better. You either may concentrate exclusively on your studies or work while studying.

How much time do I have for working on the Master-Thesis?

For the completion of the Master-Thesis you have 15 weeks at your disposal.

Who do I meet in this MBA program, who will be my peers?

Participants often have one thing in common: they all want to become fit or even fitter for management tasks and develop both their business know-how and their leadership skills. Apart from this aspect, however, students might be very heterogeneous: they especially differ in terms of the professional experience they bring with them and the industry in which they work. This heterogeneous participant structure is very appealing, as it opens up interesting perspectives for the individual and a stage for mutual exchange.

How do I raise the topic of further education with my employer?

Students often approach MBA studies on their own initiative, but at the same time they inform their employer and hope for their understanding. In these discussions, you should try to focus on the added value that such further education can have for the company and that it will pay off for the employer if, for example, practically relevant study content can be integrated into working life. There is also the opportunity to decide on a relevant topic from the company in the Master-Thesis.

Is it possible to study only single modules?

In addition to this MBA program, there is, derived from it, also the possibility to complete certificate programs. These are smaller formats in terms of time: Nine-day seminars, 3 topic blocks of 3 days each, and are creditable towards the MBA Sustainable Business Development program:

Innovation Manager | Certificate of Advanced Studies (CAS)

Business Development and Innovation Manager I Diploma of Advanced Studies (DAS)

Business Development Manager | Certificate of Advanced Studies (CAS)

Is payment by installments possible?

Payment in installments can be agreed with us. Up to four installments are possible.