Qualification goals

Graduates of the M.Sc. Strategy & Sustainability program:

• are able to compare key models and theories across the three module groups: Strategy, Sustainability, and Digitalisation-People-Culture, and have analyzed at least one of them in academic papers;

• Possess broad and integrated knowledge in business administration from the aforementioned module groups as well as from the Research module group, enabling them to understand and critically assess new scientific problems and tasks in the context of strategic management and sustainability management (e.g., through modules like Corporate Strategy and Growth, Strategic Renewal and Transformation, Sustainability Accounting and Reporting, or Organizational Crisis Management);

• Demonstrate the ability to analytically engage with complex academic problems, reflect on them in a theory-driven and perspective-oriented way, as shown in seminar contributions;

• Have shown through their thesis that they can conduct research in accordance with recognized principles of good scientific practice, applying acquired knowledge and research methods to a defined research question, and assessing its contribution to the sub-discipline within business administration/strategy/sustainability management;

• Select, adapt, and appropriately apply more complex qualitative and quantitative methods (e.g., experiments, surveys, focus interviews) to specific research questions. They can also develop their own ideas and critically reflect on their implementation, as demonstrated in academic papers and presentations.

Graduates of the M.Sc. Strategy & Sustainability program:

• Are capable of developing solutions to complex or novel questions in strategic management, considering modern sustainability requirements and applying scientific methods, and of implementing these in professional practice – as demonstrated in the Research module group;
• Can apply theoretical knowledge and learned management tools appropriately and contextually to business problems, and develop their own solution approaches based on established theories and methods, as demonstrated in their Master’s thesis.

Graduates of the M.Sc. Strategy & Sustainability program:

• have shown in group work that they can critically examine models or theories and argue their topic in a well-founded, target group-oriented manner, taking into account the perspectives of other people;
• have shown in group work that they can make decisions, set priorities and distribute tasks; in doing so, they take responsibility for themselves or their task in the group;
• have developed an individual professional self-image, are able to assess their own skills (professional, methodological and social skills) in a differentiated manner and already have concrete ideas for their further development; they are able to independently acquire the current state of relevant research through their own further training;
• reflect on the societal background of companies and their strategic decisions, can explain their significance for the present and play a decisive role in shaping social processes in a democratic community spirit;
• have the willingness to assume responsibility within the framework of the professional values of their activity or profession and are able to independently analyze and optimize operational and market processes in strategic, sustainability-relevant decision-making fields by justifying their own professional actions with theoretical and methodological knowledge and assessing their own abilities;
• assess alternative courses of action not only in terms of short-term profit maximization, but also with regard to possible side effects and consequences, and take responsibility for decisions accordingly.