Program Overview

University of Hamburg Programs

The University of Hamburg offers a range of programs for students, including:

• BA Socioeconomics
• MSc Innovation, Business and Sustainability (MIBAS)
• BA Minor Business Administration
• Master of Arts in Labor, Economics and Society (Economic and Sociological Studies)
• MSc Health Economics and Health Care Management (HEHCM)
• MA Human Resource Management
• M.A. Human Resource Management/Personalpolitik
• BEd Minor Business Administration
• MEd Minor Business Administration
• MSc Interdisciplinary Public and Nonprofit Studies

MSc Innovation, Business and Sustainability (MIBAS)

The MSc Innovation, Business and Sustainability (MIBAS) program is designed to provide students with a rigorous foundation in the core areas of business, sustainability, and innovation management. The program is structured as follows:

Program Outline

The MIBAS program is divided into four semesters and six modules, spanning a broad range of subject areas and 120 ECTS credits. The program is designed to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of the complex interactions between business, sustainability, and innovation.

Learning Goals

MIBAS students pursue the following knowledge- and skill-related goals:

• Develop expertise in the fields of innovation, sustainability in management, and finance and accounting.
• Acquire knowledge of relevant institutional frameworks and develop the ability to grasp the complex interactions that occur in an increasingly global economy.
• Develop skills required to create sustainable value for both companies and society.
• Develop skills necessary to handle ethical dilemmas and acquisition of knowledge about instruments for sustainable management.
• Learn about methods and instruments in modern management.
• Acquire knowledge of basic concepts in economic analyses.
• Acquire knowledge of fundamental methodological skills for empirical social research.

Module I: Fundamentals of Innovation, Business and Sustainability

Module I provides a foundation in business administration and research methods. The module is comprised of the following courses:

• Innovation Management
• Organizational Development and Change
• Financial and Management Accounting
• (International) Finance and Investment
• Sustainability and Management
• Business Ethics: Managing CSR in the Age of Globalization
• Entrepreneurship and Sustainability

Module II: Research Methods

Module II provides a solid foundation in research methods, including quantitative and qualitative methods. The module is comprised of the following courses:

• Quantitative Research Methods – I
• Introduction to Econometrics
• Reading and Understanding Academic Articles
• Introduction into Philosophy of Science
• Advanced Econometrics
• Qualitative Methods of Empirical Research
• Decision Theory
• Open topics - Research Methods

Module III: Innovation, Sustainability and Knowledge Exchange in Management

Module III provides in-depth knowledge of topics related to innovation and knowledge transfer from a management perspective. The module is comprised of the following courses:

• Managing and Organizing Innovation
• Consumer and Management Decisions
• Science Innovation (SCB)
• Organizational Behavior and Design: Trends in Empirical Research
• Knowledge Exchange and Innovation – Concepts
• Knowledge Exchange and Innovation – Methods
• Open Topics

Module IV: Sustainability in Management

Module IV addresses sustainable management, developing extensive, theory-based skills in the areas of international corporate management and sustainability. The module is comprised of the following courses:

• Strategic Management and Sustainability in the Digital Age
• Industrial Ecology
• Applied Business Ethics
• Case Study on Sustainability (Shell)
• Corporate Transition Toward Sustainability
• Innovative Organizational Design
• Open topics

Module V: Sustainable Finance and Accounting

Module V covers topics central to finance and accounting from an innovation and sustainability perspective. The module is comprised of the following courses:

• Sustainable Finance: ESG and Capital Markets
• Sustainable Accounting: International CSR Reporting
• Sustainable Corporate Governance
• Sustainable Finance & Business Strategy
• Transfer and Innovation in Sustainable Finance and Accounting
• Impact Investment
• Open topics

Module VI: Electives

Module VI allows students to select two courses from a range of electives, including additional courses from the MIBAS modules, selected courses from other master’s programs at the faculty, or business foreign-language courses.

Master's Thesis

The master’s thesis is a significant research project that allows students to use the skills and knowledge they have developed during the program to explore a research question of their choice. The thesis is worth 30 ECTS credits and must be completed within six months of registration. Further information about the master’s thesis can be found on the Academic Office's service section on final theses.