This one-and-a-half-year, practice-oriented master’s programme prepares you for management roles in international companies. Taught in English and delivered with a clear international perspective, the curriculum blends management fundamentals with region-specific knowledge and intercultural competence. Graduates receive a prestigious MBA (Master of Business Administration) after successful completion.
Teaching is concentrated in Würzburg and is scheduled mainly on Fridays and Saturdays, making the programme intensive but compact. The academic calendar runs across three semesters: the first semester takes place from early October until the end of January; the second semester begins around March and continues until the end of July; the third semester restarts in early October. Students choose a regional focus—Asia, Latin America or Europe—and those selecting Asia or Latin America travel to a partner university in Taiwan or Colombia for about three weeks at the start of the second semester to complete Module 5. Europe-focused students complete Module 5 in Würzburg. Aside from taught modules, the master’s thesis may be completed at THWS, at a partner university abroad, or in cooperation with a company.
The first semester equalises students’ foundational knowledge and builds language and intercultural skills alongside methodological training in project management and research—preparing you for later project work and your thesis. The second semester deepens professional expertise and provides intensive regional content tied to your chosen focus. The third semester continues professional skill development and culminates in an individual master’s thesis that demonstrates your ability to apply theory in practice.
Key facts / requirements
This curriculum is organised across three semesters to build from core decision-making and intercultural skills to specialised regional business expertise and a research-based master's thesis. The first semester establishes foundations: business decision-making and innovation, practical project skills, and targeted language training (German, Mandarin or Spanish) at both general and business levels, combined with courses in organisational behaviour and cross-cultural management to prepare you for international teamwork. Project work and research methods early in the programme ensure you can apply theory to real-world international business challenges.
The second semester intensifies functional and strategic capabilities while embedding a regional perspective. You study how to do business in and with Western Europe, Asia or Latin America alongside modules in international management, economics, finance and controlling, strategy in the digital age, international marketing and supply chain management, leadership, organisational development and business ethics. The third semester covers international legal and reporting frameworks, information systems and a business simulation, and culminates in a supervised master's thesis that integrates your regional focus with academic research or applied consulting.
Programme structure and key modules
Learning outcomes
This program’s admission is based on your previous degree, the total credit points you’ve earned, your final grade (on the German scale), and relevant work experience. The full, legally binding details are given in § 3 of the Study and Examination Regulations (SPO), but the main points are summarized below. If you don’t meet the credit-point threshold, the university offers compensatory courses; similarly, an extra year of work experience can be credited as ECTS points.
International applicants should check how their diploma, credit system and grades map to the German evaluation (if unsure, contact the admissions office or consult § 3 of the SPO). Also be prepared to document and describe your post-graduate professional experience, since at least one year of qualified work after your first degree is required.
Admission requirements (summary)
For exact definitions (e.g., what counts as “qualified” work experience) and procedures for international grade/ECTS recognition, refer to § 3 of the Study and Exam Regulations (SPO) or contact the admissions office.
Winter Semester (International)
31 July 2026
Winter Semester (EU/EEA)
31 July 2026
This MBA is designed to prepare you for managerial and leadership roles in internationally oriented companies. The curriculum builds core business competencies (strategy, finance, marketing, operations) together with region-specific language and intercultural skills, so graduates are well placed for positions in international management, business development, supply chain management, international marketing, consultancy or corporate finance.
Practical project work, the option to complete a company-linked thesis, and the short-term study stays with partner universities enhance employability by providing hands-on experience and international networks. The programme is particularly suitable for students seeking careers that require both general management skills and a deep understanding of a particular world region.
HWR Berlin (Berlin School of Economics and Law) — Berlin
Dortmund University of Applied Sciences and Arts — Dortmund
Furtwangen University — Villingen-Schwenningen
Harz University of Applied Sciences — Wernigerode