Press & Public Relations at HSBA

Maren Gomez Moreno explains how she managed to turn her start-up idea into a success

Diverse perspectives, experience from various markets around the world and a high degree of adaptability – students from international MBA programmes bring a wide range of skills to the table, making them particularly valuable not only to globally active companies. 

At HSBA, too, just under 20 highly qualified students from 13 nations began their studies in October 2025 to get to know the German market and regional companies, acquire sound business management expertise and further develop their leadership skills.

In the latest university rankings published by the Centre for Higher Education Development (CHE), HSBA Hamburg School of Business Administration has once again achieved an outstanding result. Undergraduates on the Business Administration programmes and the Business Informatics programme rate their university more positively than average. Particularly noteworthy is the overall study experience as the central overall rating: with top scores of 4.6 (Business Informatics) and 4.5 (Business Administration), the HSBA stands out clearly from other universities. This means that the HSBA is once again among the best dual-track universities in a nationwide comparison.

“We are delighted with the feedback from our students, which confirms that we are on the right track,” explains Prof. Dr Max Johns, Vice-President for Teaching & Didactics at the Hamburg School of Business Administration. “Students come to us seeking personal support, well-organised study programmes and a practical focus. Our aim is to offer the best practice-oriented teaching in Germany within a personal atmosphere and to continue developing it in an innovative way.”

In the comprehensive student survey, HSBA scores highly across the board: in its Business Administration programmes, it ranks well above average in all 13 out of 13 categories, whilst in Business Informatics, 7 out of 8 categories receive above-average ratings. The organisation of studies is particularly outstanding, receiving an excellent rating of 4.8 out of 5 stars from business administration students. The range of courses, academic support, and career and practical orientation also achieved top marks of 4.5 out of 5 stars each, underlining the high quality of the programme.

With around 120,000 students surveyed, the CHE University Ranking has been the most comprehensive and detailed comparison of higher education institutions in the German-speaking world for 25 years now, covering facts on study programmes, teaching, facilities and research, as well as students’ assessments of study conditions at their universities.

The full CHE Ranking for 2026 is now available on HeyStudium, the new portal from Die Zeit, at www.heystudium.de/ranking, and in the new ZEIT Study Guide.

In the Süddeutsche Zeitung’s latest ranking of Germany’s best private universities, HSBA is among the leading institutions: it takes first place in both the categories Innovative Strength & Future Orientation and Subject/Thematic Focus. HSBA also impresses with top rankings in other areas – including practical relevance, graduate quality, the university’s reputation and international orientation.

Best University

• Innovation & Future Orientation
• Subject/Thematic Focus

Top University

• Practical Relevance
• Graduate Quality
• University Reputation/Image
• International Orientation

The results highlight the strengths of HSBA’s dual study model: a close integration of theory and practice, clear subject-specific profiles, and a consistent focus on the demands of a global and changing world of work.

The study was conducted by the SZ Institute in collaboration with INNOFACT and is based on a representative survey of HR managers, former, current and prospective students. A total of over 1,200 people took part, including 651 HR decision-makers. Among other things, the assessment covered practical relevance, innovative strength, international orientation, as well as reputation and image.

Read the full ranking here.

In a recent article in the Handbook of Innovative Marketing (Springer Gabler), the Department of Marketing Transformation at HSBA explains how marketing education needs to be reimagined in order to cope with the current changes. Prof. Dr. Inga Schmidt-Ross contributed to the publication and summarises the key points in the following article.

Our Professor of Business Informatics, Dr Marco Landt-Hayen, discusses the potential of human consciousness during sleep and its connection to generative AI.

As part of the Dies Academicus celebrations, the HSBA Best Paper Award was presented yesterday to our Professor Dr Sönke Hartmann. The award was given for the article “Fifty years of research on resource-constrained project scheduling explored from different perspectives”, which appeared in the renowned European Journal of Operational Research. The co-authors of the article are Christian Artigues, Directeur de Recherche at the University of Toulouse, and Mario Vanhoucke, Professor at Ghent University.

HSBA doctoral candidate Johanna Försterling successfully defends her thesis. Congratulations!

HSBA integrates PINKpro to strengthen students’ development of key future skills

Business Administration? Many school pupils have only a limited understanding of what it actually involves. Since 2022, HSBA has been offering the Junior Academy (formerly known as the Young Academy), a compact programme designed to introduce interested pupils to the key concepts and topics in Business Administration while supporting them in their career planning. 

Due to strong demand and consistently positive feedback, the programme will now be expanded: for the first time, HSBA will offer an intensive holiday week in summer 2026, providing an even more in-depth insight into the field. 

“If you really want to understand economics, the best way is simply to experience it first-hand,” says Professor Max Johns, Vice President for Teaching and Learning at HSBA. “Under the umbrella of ‘Junior HSBA’, we are expanding our range of orientation programmes for school pupils and, alongside our established compact course, will be offering a one-week intensive course during the summer holidays for the first time.” 

HSBA doctoral candidate Chiara Hübscher successfully defends her dissertation. Congratulations!

An interview with applike co-founder and CEO Jonas Thiemann on his journey to success, the lessons he’s learned – and the art of asking for advice.

On 1 January 2026, the Scientific Advisory Board of HSBA began its work with a new line-up. The Scientific Advisory Board is an independent panel of experts that advises the university on the strategic development and direction of its research activities. The new members were appointed by the university management for a term of three years.

From the 2026 academic year onwards, HSBA will offer afast-track Master of Science in Innovation Management for students who wish to complete their degree in a shorter time frame. This compact study option allows students to graduate within four semesters (two years), while maintaining the programme’s academic rigour, quality and depth.

At the turn of the year, the HSBA management appointed Prof Dr Oliver Schnittka as the first Affiliate Professor and Dr Hans Jaich as the first Affiliate Research Fellowat HSBA. With the newly introduced Affiliate Fellowship Programme, the university is systematically expanding its national and international research network, strengthening academic exchange and increasing the visibility of its research activities.

Congratulations! HSBA doctoral candidate Tatjana Minulla successfully defended her dissertation

HSBA port and logistics expert Prof. Dr Jan Ninnemann has been appointed to the Hamburg Senate's Scientific Climate Advisory Board.

Dr Marco Landt-Hayen Strengthens Teaching and Tesearch in the Field of Artificial Intelligence

Over 200 prospective students and guests took the chance to experience HSBA first-hand. The programme featured taster lectures, applicant coaching, information sessions, campus tours and a company fair.

Scientists present their research on economic sustainability and resilience in times of geopolitical crises

Interview with our alumnus Philipp Joshua Spiegel on machine learning, sensor technology and intrinsic motivation.

Our Professor of Business Informatics, Dr Maria Bockhahn, on the limits and future prospects of intelligent systems

Prof. Dr. Sönke Hartmann and Gregor Sparfeld receive award for outstanding teaching

In her bachelor's thesis, our alumna Lydia Bräuer investigated how customer lifetime value can be predicted using data science methods – and gained valuable insights into the opportunities and limitations of artificial intelligence in marketing.

New study examines displacement effects of opt-out default options

Athens, Limassol, Hamburg, Vilnius, Schleswig-Holstein, Valletta, Belgrade, Sofia, Paris, Palermo, Lisbon, Amsterdam, Milan, Copenhagen, Dublin

Interview with our International Management alumna Sydney Kloppenburg about commitment, community and internationality.

This week, we welcomed our new students from Germany and around the world to campus. With over 300 Bachelor's and over 60 Master's students, an above-average cohort of students is starting the new academic year. We are particularly pleased with the high level of interest in HSBA's new international MBA programme, which is being offered for the first time in both full-time and part-time formats.

Study in one of Europe's most dynamic economic regions: in direct exchange with Hamburg's business leaders

An international research team has investigated what is necessary for people to consume sustainably — the answer is surprising. It is not a lack of information or higher prices, but rather a lack of social pressure that prevents people from consuming sustainably.

Formal farewell ceremony for all graduates in the trading hall of the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce

Every year, our Master's students set off on a week-long trip to visit companies in different economic regions; the study trip is organised by the students themselves in collaboration with the teaching staff. This year, three groups of students from the MSc Innovation Management and MSc Digital Transformation and Digitalisation programmes travelled to Silicon Valley, Turin and Hamburg. They gained in-depth insights into regional economic issues, got to know the country and its people together, and created an unforgettable experience.

Here are some highlights, lessons learned and impressions from their trips – many thanks to all participants, especially Patrycja Kubicz & Evgeny Azarov (Turin), Rike Braker (Silicon Valley) and Lamees Al Maaite & Jiranan Panlanatiyarak (Hamburg) for their input and the great photos!

A big thank you goes to all the companies that gave our students such a warm welcome. The study trip is supported by the Association of Friends and Sponsors of HSBA (VFF).

Prof Dr Maria Bockhahn brings international research experience and many years of practical experience in the digital economy to the table. She focuses on artificial intelligence, data processing and software development in order to prepare students for the challenges of the digital world in a practical way.

There was cause for celebration at HSBA’s campus, and with good reason: the HSBA’s Association of Friends and Sponsors (VFF) is looking back on 15 years of commitment to the business school. Sponsors, alumni, students, teachers and corporate partners came together at the anniversary reception to honour the association's many years of work and set new goals for the future. 

Under the motto ‘Hamburg! Act! Fair! – Business and science together for fair trade,’ students from various universities once again developed marketing or communication concepts or potential analyses for cooperation partners with the aim of strengthening fair trade in Hamburg and, this year, in the metropolitan region as well. The competition aims to motivate and activate people to #fairhandeln (trade fairly) for human rights and climate justice worldwide.

During the meeting of the HSBA Board of Trustees and the Board of Governors (BOG), Alexander Birken, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Otto Group, and Preeti Bendele, Dean of Hapag-Lloyd Academy – both highly esteemed members of the Board of Trustees and the BOG – were honourably discharged from their positions. At the same time, four new members were appointed to the Board of Trustees and the vacant positions on the BOG were filled.

After more than seven years of service to HSBA, Alexander Birken, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Otto Group since March 2025, is stepping down from his positions on the HSBA Board of Trustees and Board of Governors. He was given a formal farewell by the university management and other board members at the beginning of June.

Together with 23 other European partners, HSBA, through the Hamburg Maritime Institute headed by Prof. Dr. Max Johns, is participating in the EU research project SeaAhead, which was just kicked off in Athens at the end of April. With a budget of €4 million and a duration of 48 months, the project, which is funded by the EU's Erasmus+ program, aims to advance maritime education through innovation, focusing on state-of-the-art technologies such as extended reality (XR). The project is thus timely, coming at a time when Europe urgently needs to become more independent strategically and industrially.

The maritime sector is undergoing remarkable changes due to increasing environmental regulations and technological advances. This requires an adjustment of skills, as the gap between existing and desired skill levels is growing, particularly in the areas of environment and technology. The overall goal of the EU project SeaAhead is to create Centers of Vocational Excellence (CoVEs) that bring together experts from education, research, and industry. This will strengthen innovation to ensure the growth, competitiveness, and future viability of the industry.

HSBA again ranks top in nationwide comparison of dual universities

HSBA Hamburg School of Business Administration does particularly well in the latest university ranking of the Centre for Higher Education Development (CHE), now available online at ZEIT CAMPUS.