• Standard period of study: 3 semester plus 1 semester master thesis
• Campuses: Dortmund, Frankfurt/Main, Munich and Berlin
• Degree: Master of Science (MSc)
• Accreditations: AACSB, FIBAA, German Accreditation Council
• Practical experience: 12 weeks of compulsory internship, workshops and excursions
• Language: 100 % in English

International business degree that is AACSB accredited, practice-oriented, and open to non-business graduates.

International business studies form the basis for many professions and many graduates require special business knowledge for their dream job or for becoming an entrepreneur. A non-specialized Master's degree such as the ISM International Business Master is the perfect solution for graduates from any area who want to acquire specific business expertise with a Master's degree.

This business study programme starts at ISM each spring semester and is designed - among other - for students who come from a non-business management background, be it engineering, social studies, languages etc., but who're looking at advancing their career by pursuing a postgraduate degree in international business.

With our master's degree international business, you can obtain a master's in business administration with any prior first degree. Prior knowledge of business administration is NOT necessary. Some of the most popular classes of this program include: Strategic Management, Business Development, International Management, Marketing, Intercultural Management, Investment Theory and Finance.

The International Business study program encapsules both teoretical knowledge and industry-wide solutions designed to make that quantum leap in a managerial field. This is due to the curriculum structure, the delivery of information through experienced, motivated professionals, our lecturers.

Only around 6% of business schools worldwide are AACSB-accredited – an internationally recognized mark of quality for excellence in teaching, research, and social impact.

Due to the international focus of the program of the Master's in International Business, students are trained to become international business and management experts. This program is aimed also at students who have previously studies different disciplines than economics, which means that the basics of business management principles are taught in the first semesters.

In addition to learning business administration, economics, accounting and controlling, the students also learn about human resource management, international marketing and international business management. They will then write a practice-oriented Master's thesis in the fourth semester. This means that students will graduate with 120 ECTS in the fourth semester. This program does not include a semester abroad. 

1st Semester

Principles of Business Administration

• Principles of Procurement & Production (2,5 ECTS)
• Principles of Marketing (2,5 ECTS)

Financial Reporting & Taxation

• Financial Reporting (3,5 ECTS)
• Taxation (1,5 ECTS)

Management Theory & Practice

• Corporate Management (2,5 ECTS)
• Strategic Management (2,5 ECTS)

Quantitative Methods for Business

• Business Mathematics (2,5 ECTS)
• Statistics (2,5 ECTS)

International Business

• International Management (2,5 ECTS)
• Intercultural Management (2,5 ECTS)

Principles of Finance

• Investment Theory & Finance (2,5 ECTS)
• Cost Accounting (2,5 ECTS)

2nd Semester

Leadership Skills

• Corporate Governance & Business Ethics (2 ECTS)
• Negotiation, Communication & Executive Presentations (2 ECTS)
• Leadership & Change Management (2 ECTS)

International Business Environment

• International Business Law (2 ECTS)
• International Financial Management (2 ECTS)
• International Financial Reporting (2 ECTS)

International Strategic Management

• Advanced Strategic Management (2 ECTS)
• Business Development (2 ECTS)
• International Business Game (2 ECTS)

Innovation Competence

• Innovation Management (2 ECTS)
• Project Management (2 ECTS)
• New Business Models & Design Thinking (2 ECTS)

Organizational Development

• Global HR Management (2 ECTS)
• New Work in International Organizations (2 ECTS)
• Transformation in the Global Environment (2 ECTS)

3rd Semester

Financial Planning & Rating

• Business Planning & Modelling (3 ECTS)
• Rating (3 ECTS)

Consulting Project

• Managing Consulting Projects (2 ECTS)
• Consulting Project (4 ECTS)

International Controlling & Corporate Finance

• Corporate Controlling (2 ECTS)
• Business Planning & Venture Capital (2 ECTS)
• Financial Risk Management (2 ECTS)

Marketing in a Globalized World

• Digital Marketing (2 ECTS)
• Customer Relationship Management (2 ECTS)
• Advanced Market Research (2 ECTS)

International Operations Management

• Global Sourcing (2 ECTS)
• Production & Supply Chain Management (2 ECTS)
• Logistics Management (2 ECTS)

4th Semester

• Master's Thesis (30 ECTS)

• Curriculum vitae (CV)
• A successfully completed Bachelor's degree (if you have not graduated yet the transcript of records) or
• an equivalent course of study at a university or university of applied sciences or a foreign university of equivalent level, and
• examinations must be at least 30 ECTS points in the field of business sciences.
• Proof of English language skills (if available), equivalent to the B2 level, for eg. TOEFL, IELTS 6.0 or other (only needed if the medium of instruction in your high school/university was not English)

Note: If you have not studied a Bachelor's degree in the economics field or if your quantitative ECTS points are not sufficient, you can qualify yourself for your postgraduate management studies with the ISM Pre-Master (one semester, 30 ECTS points).