Business Administration (B.A.)
B.A. Study Programme Business Administration
The dual study programme Business Administration at the HSBA offers practically oriented studies in combination with a parallel systematic training course in a company. By alternating the sites of learning between the university and the company they are currently working in, students have the opportunity to apply their theoretically gained knowledge directly and to reflect upon the results.
On graduation, students have already become seasoned young executives and can look forward to above-average career opportunities. In accordance with its dual character, the programme is marked by regularly alternating practical and theoretical phases: the practical part comprising 32 weeks annually, the theoretical part consisting of up to three phases a year with 20 weeks altogether. The three-year course totals some 1,700 hours of tuition.
Broad-based skills in business administration are at the core of the first two years of study. In addition to the acquisition of discipline-specific knowledge, methodological and social competencies are conveyed through participation in various seminars and special projects. In their third year, students can choose a functionoriented focus for their studies, for example Marketing, Distribution, Human Resource Management,
Logistics or Finance. They can apply and deepen the knowledge gained by analysing various case studies.
The studies are highly application-oriented due to the permanent alternation of places of learning, and to the involvement of seasoned professionals both in teaching and in course design. With the high standard of professional experience they gain, graduates are able to carry out executive tasks in their companies. Each year's student intake is allocated a study group comprising 30 participants. Language courses and communication seminars are held in groups of not more than 16 students, thus ensuring personal proximity to the teaching staff and close exchange between the staff and the students. This enables classes to resemble seminars more than lectures, a factor central to the philosophy of the HSBA. In addition to encouraging students to be highly motivated, it also means that tuition is more effective than at most other universities that adopt more conventional approaches.
The details of the modules are as follows: 
Plan of Study Business Administration
Dual studies - the company
The in-house part of the training
The in-house part of the training takes place in the partner company with which the student concludes a contract. Each company uses its discretion by taking its respective size, line of business and performance process into account when planning how to communicate not only general principles but also specialist knowledge. The companies undertake to carry out the practical part with regard to the relevant course contents. In doing so, they orient their training to the module descriptions provided by the HSBA.
The practical part is conducted in the company’s different functional areas. Knowledge, skills and abilities are communicated through the provision of comprehensive information via the functional areas concerned. As the programme progresses, the tasks given to students in the companies require ever more independence and responsibility (especially in the third year) on the part of the students. The students thus practice cooperative behaviour strategies and negotiating competence. By seeking solutions to complex problems and participating in decisionmaking processes, the students are gradually introduced to a full range of management responsibilities. This practical part of the training in the companies is far more than an internship accompanying a theoretical study programme. It is vital not merely for acquiring practical knowledge in a systematic manner, but also for developing the requisite social behaviour patterns for business life.
The companies involved expect that in public, students view themselves as representatives of both their company and the HSBA.
Degree and financing
The Bachelor of Arts
Is the final degree of the dual B.A. programme Business Administration at the HSBA. It is internationally recognised and equivalent to the degrees of state universities in Germany, and in European and non-European countries. Due to its unique, highly practical orientation, the HSBA Bachelor distinguishes itself from other Bachelor degrees.
Additional Qualifications
In addition to the internationally recognised degree Bachelor of Arts (B. A.), other professional qualifications
can be acquired. For example, a vocational education examination can be taken before the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce in a profession corresponding to the student’s company or, where necessary, certificates of studies completed at partner universities of the HSBA abroad can be acquired.
Financing
Tuition fees currently amount to 535 € per month. It is intended that the students contribute at least u 150 per month to these fees. However, both company and student can agree upon a different level of contribution. During their studies, students receive compensation from their companies which is usually in line with an apprentice’s compensation valid for the respective companies. They are thus already financially independent to a great extent at this time.
Prospects
With the Bachelor of Arts degree, the graduates of the HSBA are optimally qualified for a professional career in an organisation. With the relevant experience, they are also able to assume management tasks in a company. Furthermore, the HSBA offers a part-time M.A. and a part-time MBA course. However, graduates of the HSBA can also study for a Master’s degree at all private and state universities in Germany and abroad.
Advantages for students
The students of the HSBA have a great number of advantages compared with students at other universities:
Optimum learning conditions
Learning must be fun, so students study in the bright, modern and friendly surroundings of the Handelskammer City Campus; not far from the hub of business life but opposite the Hamburg Stock Exchange and near the City Hall, the banks and the many trading and service companies in the city of Hamburg, the gateway to the world.
Practically minded teaching staff
Scientific orientation and hands-on teaching are a challenging combination. The professors and lecturers at the HSBA have professional experience in companies, and are highly qualified specialists and economists. In addition, our staff comprises lawyers and trainers from partner companies.
Student participation
Due to the HSBA’s size and character as a private university of the Hamburg business community, our students are able to participate in designing the HSBA curricula. In addition, they have the opportunity of developing a variety of projects on their own initiative, supported by the university’s executive board.
Admission requirements
As a rule, the candidate must possess a higher education entrance qualification which has to be recognized in Hamburg. Applicants with an advanced technical college entrance qualification can be admitted in principle. However, each individual case requires to be inspected by the HSBA. If necessary, the candidate is required to apply at the board for education and vocational training for granting of an advanced technical college entrance qualification.
In addition, candidates must demonstrate good knowledge of mathematics, German and English. Proof can be provided by achievement of an average score of 10.0 points; two senior high-school certificates are required for this. If a student has taken a subject as a Special Subject, or a course with higher requirements, a bonus of 1.0 points is added to the calculated average score.
If the required score was not achieved in one of the subjects, HSBA offers an opportunity to take admission examinations in English, Mathematics and German. An examination can be re-taken once in each of these three subjects if necessary.
Proof of the required knowledge of English can alternatively be provided by: TOEFL internet-based, scoring at least 90 points; or International English Testing Service (IELTS) “academic”, scoring an average of at least 6.5 points; or a Cambridge Proficiency Exam, getting Grade A or B. HSBA also holds its own English admission test at TOEFL level.
In addition, a candidate has to sign a study contract with a company.
Personal study requirements are:
- Initiative
- Ability to work in teams
- Willingness to perform
- Resilience
- Perseverance
- Ability to give and take criticism
The way to the HSBA
Applications should be sent directly to the participating companies. A list of available study places can be found on our website.
However, applicants can also suggest a company on their own initiative, one which has not yet participated in the programme but is willing to conclude a contract with them.
Further information:
HSBA Hamburg School of Business Administration
Alter Wall 38
D-20457 Hamburg
Telephone: ++49(0)40-36138-711/-712
