Management & Sustainable Accounting and Finance (MSc, Double Degree Option)

This master's programme takes a forward-looking approach to business by prioritising sustainability over short-term profit. Taught in English in Lüneburg, Germany, it explores sustainable practices across management, accounting and finance and offers a double‑degree option for students seeking additional international exposure. Current, real-world topics such as emission trading, green finance, and digital innovations like bitcoin and blockchain are integrated into seminars and class discussions.

The curriculum is anchored in economics but deliberately crosses disciplinary boundaries: you will engage with perspectives from politics, law, sustainability studies and psychology, reflecting Leuphana’s institutional emphasis on interdisciplinary and sustainability-focused education. Small-group teaching and interactive exchanges with lecturers and peers are part of the learning experience.

Graduates are well prepared for roles in management across commercial and production firms, strategic consultancies and auditing companies, and the programme also provides a solid foundation for doctoral research. International applicants should note the programme language (English) and the university’s sustainability profile when considering fit and career goals.

Requirements

• Specific admission criteria are not provided in the original description — consult the official programme page for precise entry requirements and application deadlines.
• Programme language: English — applicants will need to demonstrate sufficient English proficiency (details on accepted tests and levels available from the university).
• Double‑degree option: additional or partner‑institution requirements may apply; check the programme’s website for details and mobility rules.

Program structure and key modules

This MSc combines in-depth accounting and finance content with sustainability and research training. Across the first two semesters you cover qualitative and quantitative research methods alongside core sustainability-focused subjects: financial and non-financial corporate reporting, sustainable corporate finance, sustainable management accounting, sustainable corporate governance & auditing, and business valuation. In the third semester you apply these methodological and specialist skills in a small-group research project that results in a quantitative empirical seminar paper. Throughout the programme you also complete compulsory modules on start-up and behavioural corporate finance and can choose electives either to deepen accounting/finance expertise or to sample courses from other Master’s programmes.

Management Studies

The Management Studies strand develops practical management and entrepreneurship capabilities. In semester one you study Organisation, Strategy & Innovation using tools such as case studies; semester two addresses Digitalisation from multiple disciplinary viewpoints; and in semester three you take part in an Entrepreneurship Project to develop concrete business ideas for company partners. These components are designed to strengthen your ability to translate theory into applied solutions in changing organisational contexts.

Complementary Studies and Master’s dissertation

Three compulsory Complementary Studies modules — Engaging with Knowledge and Sciences, Reflecting Research Methods, and Connecting Science, Responsibility and Society — broaden your perspective by introducing theories and methods from outside business, including topics such as the philosophy and ethics of science and research. The final semester is devoted to an empirical Master’s dissertation, supported by a Master’s Forum that helps you refine your research question, methodology and engage in peer and supervisor discussion. Note: a double-degree option is available as part of the programme structure.

Key requirements and components

• Six core modules (across semesters 1–3) covering sustainability-focused accounting and finance topics and research methods
• Three Management Studies seminars (Organisation, Strategy & Innovation; Digitalisation; Entrepreneurship Project)
• Three Complementary Studies modules: Engaging with Knowledge and Sciences; Reflecting Research Methods; Connecting Science, Responsibility and Society
• Three elective modules to customise your profile or take courses from other Master’s programmes
• Semester 1: qualitative research methods; introduction to financial/non-financial reporting; sustainable corporate finance; sustainable management accounting
• Semester 2: quantitative research methods; sustainable corporate governance & auditing; business valuation; plus an elective for practice-oriented study or cross-program coursework
• Semester 3: small-group quantitative empirical seminar paper (research project) and compulsory modules on start-up and behavioural corporate finance, plus two electives
• Final semester: empirical Master’s dissertation, with ongoing support and methodological feedback via the Master’s Forum
• Double degree option available (programme includes an option to pursue a double degree)

Graduates are prepared for management and advisory roles in commercial and production firms, strategic consultancies and auditing companies, where expertise in sustainable accounting, reporting and finance is increasingly in demand. The programme’s combination of methodological training and applied projects also provides a solid foundation for doctoral studies and research careers in sustainability‑oriented business fields.

The curriculum’s entrepreneurship and management modules furthermore support careers in start‑ups and innovation roles, while the option to study abroad or pursue a double degree broadens international employability.