Study Programs
The programs offered by the Mercator School of Management are entirely consecutive and follow international standards. They are conform with ECTS (European Credit Transfer System) guidelines to guarantee that credits earned abroad or at the MSM can easily be taken into account. The accredited programs Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Bachelor of Science in Business Education offer Abitur graduates a first professional degree with a broad and theoretical foundation. It conveys basic qualifications like presentation or discussion techniques and gives students the opportunity to specialize in various fields of business administration. Case studies and computer-based company plan simulations complete the six semester Bachelor program.
After having earned an honor's degree in the Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (or a comparable program), students can choose from six alternative tracks in the Master program in Business Administration plus an independent Master in../?id=5281 Business Education of four semesters each.
Peculiarities of Studying at a Business School
The aim of studying at a Business School is an outstanding, demanding and swift education that qualifies students to successfully meet the requirements of business life. At the MSM, students, professors, and other academic personnel work closely together in interactive lectures and outside the lecture halls. The efforts of the MSM are supported by various activities of the student administration, who are, for instance, responsible for an orientation week at the beginning of each semester. During the orientation week, new students will get to know each other in small groups and will be familiarized with the campus and with program structures and requirements. Older students and teachers will present their experiences to the small groups in individual conversations. Later on, a mentor (a member of the academic staff) will be assigned to accompany each group during the course of their studies. Thus, students will get the opportunity to meet their group and advisor several times each semester to discuss ways of increasing the speed and efficiency of their studies.
One of the successfully tested and established means of speeding up our programs is the development of block lectures, which divide each semester into two parts. After six weeks of compact four-hour lectures, we reserve one week for evaluation and another week for exams. This rhythm continues in the second half of the semester to guarantee a better organization of exam dates and to allow students to quickly apply their new knowledge to other fields of business administration. Thereby, we offer a dense and intense teaching system to meet the demands many students have to face when co-ordinating their studies with other areas of their private lives, e.g. the time they need to finance their studies or to take care of their children.
Furthermore, we intend to motivate students to proceed with their studies more quickly by mixing classical lectures and seminars (such as weekly lectures or block seminars) with other interesting forms of teaching, like tutorials (students help students), computer-based company simulations (e.g. TOPSIM), and extensive case studies.
The lectures and seminars focus on scientific approaches to the development of management competences, but also consider various connections to actual company life. Guest lecturers and honorary professors working in companies complete the practical experiences that our own teachers permanently integrate in their lectures and seminars. The combination of theoretical and practical aspects ensures Bachelor students a first degree that qualifies them for a profession in business administration. It also prepares them for further scientific research in the Master programs. Moreover, it gives students the opportunity to become involved with complex problems of business life while they are still working towards their degree.
