Business Administration, Specialisation in Entrepreneurship & Innovation (ENTRE)

Program overview

This specialisation trains future entrepreneurs and innovation leaders by combining solid business foundations with hands-on practice and a strong sense of social and environmental responsibility. You will gain the management knowledge needed to work in national and international companies as well as the practical skills to start or grow ventures. Ethical considerations and social impact are woven throughout the curriculum so graduates develop both market-facing capabilities and a responsible mindset.

Action- and experiential-learning form the backbone of the programme. In partnership with the Bayer Cares Foundation (BCF) — which supports social-impact start-ups through initiatives such as Grants4Impact and the ASINA award — students take part in a boot camp and then collaborate in teams with BCF laureates across two semesters. Work includes business-model development, market-creating innovation analyses, social-impact assessments, and, with support from a local consulting firm, designing social-media campaigns for partner start-ups. Students also complete a mandatory Start‑Up School course where teams refine original venture ideas and pitch to regional and international experts to obtain feedback and funding advice.

Core coursework mixes creative innovation practice and applied management: a mandatory course on innovation and creativity features an Open Innovation competition with a multinational company, innovation simulations, team workshops and exposure to innovation hubs; other required modules include “Entrepreneurial Networks and Start-up Management” and “Service Management,” both enriched with industry speakers and entrepreneur input. A broad selection of electives across business and economics lets you tailor your profile, and the Master’s thesis consolidates the programme’s conceptual and practical learning into a focused research or applied project.

Core components & requirements

• Participation in action-learning projects with Bayer Cares Foundation laureates (boot camp + two-semester collaboration)
• Mandatory “From Idea to Innovation: Start‑Up School” with pitching to experts
• Mandatory “Innovation and Creativity in Individuals, Teams and Organisations” featuring an Open Innovation competition with a multinational company
• Required courses including “Entrepreneurial Networks and Start‑up Management” and “Service Management” with practitioner speakers
• Wide range of electives across business and economics to personalise your studies
• Master’s thesis to demonstrate integrated conceptual and practical competence

This master’s pathway combines a compact set of core modules with a wide choice of electives so you can build both a strong theoretical base and targeted practical skills. In the first two semesters you take six mandatory courses — Advanced Business Ethics; Service Management; From Idea to Commercialisation: Start‑Up School; Entrepreneurial Networks and Start‑Up Management; Innovation and Creativity in Individuals, Teams and Organisations; and Social Innovation I. Together these modules train you to recognise and develop new business opportunities, manage innovation processes in organisations and teams, design and deliver service and social innovations, and navigate ethical and network-related challenges involved in launching ventures.

After the core phase you choose elective modules to specialise further. You must select seven electives from the entrepreneurship & innovation list (examples include New Product Development and Change Management), and a further five electives may be freely chosen either from the Entrepreneurship & Innovation options or from other Business Administration specialisations (Market‑oriented Corporate Management; Finance; Accounting, Controlling and Taxation; Business Analytics & Operations Research). The Start‑Up School and the project/seminar formats emphasise hands‑on experience in moving ideas toward commercialisation. Required courses are delivered entirely in English; elective modules may be offered in English or German. Teaching formats include lectures, lectures with exercises, practical courses, projects, seminars, tutorials and workshops — a mix that supports applied learning and career readiness.

Program requirements (concise)

• Six required core modules: Advanced Business Ethics; Service Management; From Idea to Commercialisation: Start‑Up School; Entrepreneurial Networks and Start‑Up Management; Innovation and Creativity in Individuals, Teams and Organisations; Social Innovation I
• Choose 7 electives from the Entrepreneurship & Innovation module list (e.g., New Product Development, Change Management)
• Choose 5 further electives freely from either the Entrepreneurship & Innovation list or other Business Administration specialisations (Market‑oriented Corporate Management; Finance; Accounting, Controlling and Taxation; Business Analytics & Operations Research)
• Language: all required/core courses taught entirely in English; required electives and elective modules may be in English or German
• Course types available: Lecture; Lecture and exercises; Practical Course; Project; Seminar; Tutorial; Workshop

Graduates are prepared for entrepreneurial careers (founders, co-founders) and innovation roles within national and international companies, such as product manager, innovation manager, or corporate venture/strategy positions. The programme’s emphasis on business model development, start-up pitching, and experiential projects also suits consulting roles with a focus on innovation and market-creation.

The social-impact focus and partnership projects with social enterprises equip graduates for roles in social entrepreneurship, impact investing, incubators/accelerators, and NGOs. The strong practical orientation, industry exposure and interdisciplinary electives additionally support transitions into finance, operations, or analytics roles where innovation capabilities are valued.