Corporate Sustainability & Sustainable Finance
Master of Arts (M. A.)

Our master’s degree programme is designed as a full-time course of study comprising fourteen modules spread over three semesters, including your master’s thesis.

The contents are didactically linked: In the first semester, you will be acquainted with the basic concepts of corporate sustainability and sustainable finance, and develop a sound understanding of the overall context and broad perspectives. The second semester builds upon this foundation to hone the detailed knowledge required in the key areas of implementation. You will also explore current issues in greater depth.

In each semester, you will work on practical projects in companies, providing opportunities to apply your knowledge directly and to gain important practical experience, as well as in decision-orientated simulation games.

The master’s thesis in the third semester concludes the programme. By successfully completing the programme, you will demonstrate that you are able to use scientific methods to work on a problem in the field of sustainability and to present and defend it orally in a group setting (in the subsequent “colloquium” seminar).

The university awards students who successfully complete the programme the academic title Master of Arts (M.A.).

The European Union has recognised the threats posed by climate change and the unsustainability of existing systems and is actively countering them with legislative processes and instruments such as the Green Deal, the EU taxonomy and CSRD reporting. As a result, companies in every sector will have to address these issues, regardless of their own value system. Some of them have recognised that intelligent positioning and suitable strategies can make it possible to exploit the potential opportunities presented by the rapid pace of change.

All are urgently looking for people who understand the complexity of sustainability and the associated economic consequences (ESG opportunities and risks) and who can actively assist them in addressing this issue. Whether in the companies themselves, in large or small management consultancies, or in the financial sector – where ESG represents a highly relevant field of action in its own right – you will find a wide range of implementation and management positions where you can put yourself and your values into play.

With a Master of Arts degree, you can take on responsible management positions in business. This degree also opens the door to the senior civil service and formally qualifies you to embark upon doctoral studies.

Applicants for this master’s degree programme in Corporate Sustainability and Sustainable Finance require a bachelor’s degree or German “Diplom” in either economics, other social sciences, engineering or natural sciences with an overall grade of at least “good” (German system: 2.5) worth at least 210 ECTS credit points – including at least 15 credit points acquired in the basic principles of quantitative methodology (mathematics, statistics, business information systems). However, if these methodological skills are lacking, they can – and must – be demonstrated within one year of commencing the degree programme, at the latest.

The minimum linguistic proficiency required is level B1 in German and level B2 in English (See: Common European Reference Framework for Languages – “CEFR”).

Please note: The number of places on this master’s degree programme is limited to 25 students per intake, starting only in the winter semester of each academic year. Candidates will be selected from the applicants who have submitted all the required documents on time, based on the average grade achieved for their first degree.

You can find all the key information about the applications process under applications and admissions.

We advocate the values of openness, tolerance and acceptance. Our aim is to provide everyone at Kempten University of Applied Sciences with education in an international context. We support university-wide, cross-faculty measures to promote international projects and the active exchange of knowledge with international partners.

In various modules on this degree programme, you will meet numerous lecturers from globally active companies with sound international project experience. Joint lectures with our international partner universities will offer you diverse insights and experiences presented by students and lecturers from other countries, whilst the international dimension to the global topic of sustainability will be explored in greater depth in an international summer school.

The current service fees of Kempten University of Applied Sciences for students from non-EU countries in the English-language degree programs can be found here.