Course Content

The first module deals with the conditions that influence work in organizations, such as the areas of personnel and strategy, and the aspects of business ethics that they involve. The course begins with a two-day on-site seminar in Berlin titled “The Art of Management.” This seminar supports you right from the start in developing your personal attitude towards the complex interdependencies of organization and management, which is one of the key prerequisites — along with a solid foundation of knowledge — for successful management work.

In the second module, you’ll acquire the principal management instruments in finance, market research, marketing and sales, and accounting and controlling. You’ll work with the logic of these core areas of an enterprise and learn how each of them functions. You’ll examine the demands they place on other parts of an organization, as well as the contribution that these vital units make to the continued existence and development of a company. You will recognize how the functional areas are intertwined and be able to consider them in your management actions.

In the third module you will analyze existing economic policies and laws with regard to their effects on your organization. You will further develop the entrepreneurial attitude that forms the basis for your management action, and study the successive phases of innovative projects with a view to controlling them. You will investigate the consequences of internationalization and globalization for the management and direction of small and medium-sized as well as larger enterprises, and consolidate the insights you have gained on an international field trip to China, South Korea, Central or Eastern Europe, or the US.

The fourth module teaches general skills and techniques that are relevant to management. You will acquire the know-how to guide processes of change professionally, and will engage with the concept of corporate lobbying as an introduction to the art of advancing interests, both within an organization and in dealing with third parties. An on-site seminar gives you the opportunity to broaden your skills in “The Art of Communication.” A study of the tools of project management rounds out this module, which leaves you with sustainable improvement in your abilities for successful action in organizations.

The fifth module is centred on expanding your personal skills in knowledge management, leadership and cross-cultural communication — indispensable areas for successful professional activity. This module strengthens your personal abilities in dealing with knowledge, with people, and with different cultures and roles, including expert cultures, in the corporate environment and in organizational practice. Didactic formats such as the skills portfolio, the leadership diary, and the analysis of video recordings support you by reflecting your professional action, and reinforce the development of your personal management style.

To conclude your course of study, you will write a scientifically grounded master’s thesis that connects theory and practice. Your thesis may be on a specific project from your own professional context, or on a general topic in the field of management. The objective in either case is to discuss an issue that is relevant to practice using the knowledge and methods you have acquired and augmented during your course of study at DUW, and to propose an answer based on your discussion. In developing your master’s thesis, as in all other phases of your studies at DUW, you will receive academic supervision and thorough guidance counselling.