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Masters in Business Psychology & Management

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Master of Science in Business Psychology and Management (M.Sc.) in Germany

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Three disciplines in a course of study in business psychology

It is not possible to predict or calculate how consumers will react in the economic cycle or how employees will react in change processes. Business psychologists play an important role in these questions due to their sound academic, interdisciplinary training: First, they possess the psychological expertise to positively influence and steer employees or customers. Second, they have a deep understanding of business administration, which helps them to shape change processes in the organisational structure in a sustainable way. Third, their management know-how enables them to manage internal restructuring particularly efficiently. Business psychology and management are essential for a sustainably growing company.

A Master’s degree in Business Psychology and Management qualifies you for high-level management positions in marketing, advertising and strategy as well as in leadership and human resources.

Start an international career with a Master’s degree in Business Psychology

Our Master of Science programme “Business Psychology and Management” is one of the few programmes in Germany that offers the professional orientation of business psychology in English. It has been specially tailored to the requirements of executives in international companies: Students not only receive excellent professional training, but also qualify in the areas of self-, project and team management, international project management and reflected leadership behaviour.

Masters in Business Psychology - What will you learn?

In the first semesters you will focus mainly on topics from strategic management and international business, which will be conveyed in a practice-oriented manner using various case studies. These include seminars and lectures such as:

  • Innovation Management and Digital Transformation

  • Strategic Analysis and Management

  • International Economics

  • Applied Management Accounting

Learn more about business psychology, and why it is important! 

  • ECTS 120
  • Semester 4
  • Language English
  • Type of Study Full-time
  • Degree Master of Science
  • Campus Cologne
  • Internship Integrated
  • Semester Abroad Optional
  • Start of Studies Winter Cologne
  • Study Fee* 5.730 €
FINANCIAL AID
RANKINGS & ACCREDITATIONS

Study Course Plan

Some information about the study plan for the study programme Masters in Business Psychology:

General business teaching units

Business Economics3 ECTS ? !
  • Analysis of demand, supply, and market equilibrium

  • Theory of consumer choice

  • Theory of the firm, production and cost analysis

  • Market structures: perfect competition, monopoly, monopolistic competition, oligopoly, contestable markets

  • Game theory

  • Pricing strategies

  • Factor markets, labor economics

  • Economics of information

  • Industrial organization

  • Limitations of markets and interventions by the government

  • Econometric techniques related to these topics

Empirical Research Methods3 ECTS ? !
  • Development of a research question

  • Primary vs. secondary data

  • Steps of research process

  • Research designs

  • Quantitative and qualitative data

  • Structured methods of data collection: questionnaire and structured interview

  • Un- and semi-structured methods: qualitative interview and focus group

  • Quantitative and qualitative content analysis

  • Ethical considerations of data collection

  • Sampling

  • Data analysis using statistical software programs (SPSS)

  • Univariate analysis, bivariate analysis (crosstab and correlation), multiple linear regression

  • Writing a research report – structural and other formal requirements

Strategic Analysis & Management3 ECTS ? !
  •  Strategy making process and strategic reasoning: cognitive process of strategy 
    creation through the prism of logic and intuition

  • Setting strategic purpose in the context of responsible stakeholder management

  • Advanced external environment analysis: markets, industries and competitive 
    landscapes in static and dynamic perspective in the domestic and international 
    context

  • Diagnosing and managing strategic capability through national borders over time

  • Cultural and institutional context of strategic management: concepts, frameworks 
    and analytical tools

  • Generic and interactive business strategies, inside-out and outside-in perspective on 
    achieving and sustaining competitive advantage internationally

  • Network-level strategies

  • Corporate development and configuration: strategic options and portfolio matrices

  • Strategy formation

  • Strategic change and corporate restructuring

  • Strategic renewal

  • Strategy evaluation and strategic controls: tools and methods

  • Organizing for success

Innovation Management & Digital Transformation3 ECTS ? !
  • Diagnosing the change context: diffusion and dynamics of innovation 

  • Sources & types of innovation

  • Product/service, process & business model innovation

  • Individual and corporate creativity

  • Strategic innovation management & the innovation process incl. New Product Development (NPD)

  • Introduction to digitalization, digital age & digital divide

  • Digital drivers & disruptive forces

  • Technological drivers of digital transformation

  • Socio-technological change associated with the adoption of the mentioned drivers

  • Introduction to the digital organization & digital business models

  • Impact of digitalization on the value chain (Industry 4.0)

  • Digitalization-related innovation theories & technology management

  • Digitalization leadership & organisational transformation concepts

  • Change management & transformational leadership

  • Agility and VUCA world

  • SCRUM and Design Thinking

Corporate Social Responsibility3 ECTS ? !
  • Cornerstones of sustainable management

  • CSR as management approach

  • Practical approaches of organizational effectiveness

  • Tools for CSR implementation

  • CSR and financial performance

  • Life cycle assessment

Corporate Governance3 ECTS ? !
  • Historical developments around the world

  • Directors and board structures in different parts of the world

  • Family business governance

  • Role of institutional investors

  • Corporate governance in mergers and acquisitions

  • Socially responsible investments

  • Corporate governance in different regions

Programme specific teaching units

General Psychology3 ECTS ? !
  • Foundations of Psychology

  • Perception, Attention, Cognitions, Thinking, Awareness, Ideas, Emotions, Motivation, Memory, Intelligence, Self-concept

  • Memory structures and memory processes

  • Heuristics as a special form of social information processing

  • Overview of business psychology topics

  • Overview of research methods

Psychological Decision Making & Responsibility3 ECTS ? !
  • Conducting psychological interviews

  • Psychological negotiation techniques

  • Crisis and conflict counselling

  • Phases of escalation

  • Phase-specific intervention

  • Decision-based management: managerial decisions from a psychological point of view

Interdisciplinary competencies

Advanced Intercultural Team Leadership2 ECTS ? !
  • Cultural theories and models

  • The influence of culture on behaviour

  • Team typologies

  • Phases of team development

  • Trust and control

  • Emergence and avoidance of conflicts

  • Leadership verses management

  • Leadership styles

Applied Qualitative Research2 ECTS ? !
  • Differentiation between qualitative and quantitative research

  • Designs of qualitative research

  • Data collection methods

  • Processes of data preparation

  • Data evaluation criteria

Language & Communication Skills2 ECTS ? !

The “Scholarly Writing and Analysis” course is offered for German native speakers. German as a foreign language is offered as an obligatory course for Non-native German speakers.

General business teaching units

International Economics3 ECTS ? !
  • Globalization and income

  • Globalization and international trade

  • Trade and comparative advantage

  • Trade barriers and trade policy

  • Firm location, distance and transport costs

  • Currency crises and exchange rate policy

  • Financial crises, firms and the open economy

Applied Management Accounting3 ECTS ? !
  • Managerial accounting and global business environment

  • Cost term, terms and classifications

  • Systems design: Job-order costing

  • Systems design: Process costing

  • Cost-volume-profit relationships

  • Sustainability and ethics in accounting decision making

Programme specific teaching units

Psychology In Digital Leadership & Agile Management3 ECTS ? !
  • Leadership Theories

  • Theoretical concepts for communication with employees

  • Methods of agile management

  • Technological development effecting leadership

  • Instruments and methods of digital leadership

Advertising Psychology & Sales Management3 ECTS ? !
  • advertising and advertising impact

  • Targets of advertising

  • Information processing of advertising

  • Emotional effects

  • Applying psychology to advertising and marketing

  • Implicit associations and attitudes as well as their measurement

  • Subliminal influencing

  • Intra- and interpersonal influences on attitudes, preferences and behaviour

  • Psychological principles of conscious and unconscious decisions

Market Research & Marketing Psychology3 ECTS ? !
  • Introduction to market research in the consumer goods sector

  • Phases and methods of market research and buyer behaviour

  • Selected methods of data acquisition, data preparation and data analysis various types of market research studies

  • Special benefit potential of data scanning for market research and buyer behaviour research

  • Different methods of data scanning acquisition

  • Market research activities

Business Project6 ECTS ? !

The overall objective of this course is to provide students with possibility of applying their business knowledge on concrete business situation, related to the field of their specialization.

By the end of the module students should be able to:

  • Define project goals for the “client”.

  • Work under the set timeframe and agreed project scope.

  • Cooperate in the international project teams.

  • Evaluate markets/ industries/ competitive landscapes.

  • Develop possible strategic directions for the “client” business.

  • Formulate recommendations.

Elective area

Business Elective3 ECTS ? !

A business elective is a business or management-related elective course.By choosing Business Electives in the second and third semester you can personalize your degree course and extend your management knowledge.

Interdisciplinary competencies

Project & Change Management2 ECTS ? !
  • Basic competence (Project specifications, project goals and evaluation, project phases and cycles, project norms and rules)

  • Social competence (Communication, motivation, groups and team structures, leadership, conflict management)

  • Methodological competence (Structural   aspects,   time   management,   cost management, human resource management, creativity and problem solving)

  • Organisational competence (Quality management, documentation, risk management, project start and closure)

Applied Quantitative Research2 ECTS ? !
  • Strengths and weaknesses of quantitative research

  • Criteria of Measurement Quality (Reliability, Validity, Objectivity)

  • Levels of Measurement (nominal, ordinal, interval, ratio)

  • Scales of Measurement (e.g. Likert, Guttman, semantic differential…)

  • The logic of sampling (populations and sampling frames)

  • Obtaining quantitative data (observation studies and survey research)

  • Questionnaire construction and interview techniques

Language & Communication Skills2 ECTS ? !

The “Scholarly Writing and Analysis” course is offered for German native speakers. German as a foreign language is offered as an obligatory course for Non-native German speakers.

Programme specific teaching units

Work & Organisational Psychology3 ECTS ? !
  • Models of labour practices

  • Work analysis and evaluation

  • Job design

  • Work motivation, satisfaction and performance

  • Complaints management

  • Self-management: definition and techniques

  • Selected examples of work and organisational psychology in professional practice

Human Resource Development & Coaching3 ECTS ? !
  • Performance appraisal

  • Human resources development

  • Needs analysis and various forms of training and personnel development

  • Transfer and evaluation of personnel development measures

  • International posting

  • Employee appraisals and target agreement

  • Customer orientation

  • Social skills

  • Development of coaching

Modern Trends of Applied Business Psychology3 ECTS ? !
  • Aptitude diagnostics and personnel selection

  • Recruiting / recruitainment

  • Shared economy

  • SMART working

  • Talent management

  • Performance management

  • Diversity management

  • Leadership in virtual teams

Psychological Testing, Assessment & Statistics3 ECTS ? !
  • Methods of data collection

  • Descriptive data analysis: proportions, frequency distributions

  • Correlation tin order to calculate relationships

  • Inferential statistical statements on context and difference hypotheses

  • Differences between groups: t-test and analysis of variance

  • Test procedures for nominal or ordinal scaled data

  • Effect sizes

  • The concept of test strength

Business Simulation Game3 ECTS ? !

In a business simulation game participants have to manage their own virtual company which operates in the same market as other participant-operated competitors. This involves making typical management decisions in realistic environments. Beside the deepening and active examination of subject-specific knowledge the simulation games also include the team environment, where interaction, communication and prioritization are of paramount importance. Participants learn how to manage risk and uncertainty while time is limited and information constrained. Group-reflections help to take over different perspectives and to discuss pros and cons of content- as well as behavior-related actions.

Master Thesis Tutorial2 ECTS ? !

During the Master Thesis Tutorial you will learn the fundamentals for your Master thesis: Defining the topic as well as structuring the thesis and you will learn the theoretical knowledge for scientific working.

Elective area

Business Elective3 ECTS ? !

A business elective is a business or management-related elective course.By choosing Business Electives in the second and third semester you can personalize your degree course and extend your management knowledge.

Interdisciplinary competencies

Skills Elective2 ECTS ? !

In the Soft Skills Courses you will improve your social, leadership and project management skills. Additionally to the courses in the first and second semester you can choose another one in the third semester. Decide for yourself which of your personal competences you want to push forward.

Experimental Research2 ECTS ? !
  • Psychological experimentation as an application of the scientific method

  • Identifying the problem and defining the research question

  • Formulating a testable hypothesis

  • Operationalisation of the dependent and independent variable

  • Planning and conducting an experiment

  • Choosing the right experimental plan (experimental and quasi-experimental)

  • Different experimental designs (e.g. randomized or matched groups; factorial designs; within or between subject designs, …)

Language & Communication Skills2 ECTS ? !

The “Scholarly Writing and Analysis” course is offered for German native speakers. German as a foreign language is offered as an obligatory course for Non-native German speakers.

Programme specific teaching units

Master Thesis18 ECTS ? !

During your 4th semester you are working on your Master thesis. You have 19 weeks to complete your thesis and the subject is freely selectable. A supervisor from CBS will support you and you can write the thesis in collaboration with a company as well. Or you can write your thesis in connection with a stay abroad.

Internship or Study Abroad10 ECTS ? !

You can choose between an internship (lasting at least eight weeks) or a semester abroad at one of our partner universities.

master-business-psychology-and-management

Expertise in business management & psychology

Starting in the second semester, the focus will change to business psychology research on customers and digital business: In courses such as “Advertising Psychology & Sales Management” or “Market Research & Marketing Psychology”, you will learn how you can better understand and positively influence the purchasing decision processes of customers using psychological analysis methods. Further courses with an emphasis on business psychology await you:

  • Psychology in Digital Leadership & Agile Management

  • Work and Organisational Psychology

  • Human Resource Development and Coaching

  • Modern Trends of Applied Business Psychology

Business Management & Psychology career path - What can I do with a master's in business psychology?

A Master of Science degree in Business Psychology and Management in Germany offers you numerous career opportunities in international companies – whether as a freelance consultant or as an employee in middle and upper management. Alumni of a Master of Business Psychology with a focus on management will find employment:

  • in recruiting, personnel selection and aptitude diagnostics

  • in people team management

  • in personnel and organisational development

  • in coaching

  • in strategy consulting

  • in marketing management

  • in communication and advertising management

  • in agile or change management

  • in market and opinion research

As a further option, a doctoral programme in this subject area at our university is open to you following your master’s degree in business psychology.

This is What Our Students Say

Philip Kollmann
Project Manager
Wayne´s Coffee

"Especially the soft skill courses have been of great help for my performance in job interviews. Through my work in the Finance and Business Club I have built up a broad network and acquired project management skills that have enabled me to score points with companies."

Katrin Rieger
Bereichsdirektorin Reisevertrieb Deutschland / Vice President Sales
HanseMerkur Krankenversicherung

"The practical learning in small groups prepared me optimally for today's project and team work. The CBS provided me with the decisive soft skills and current knowledge from the world of business."

Christopher Rosenbaum
Manager
Ernst & Young GmbH
Wirschaftsprüfungsgesellschaft

"The Management Studies programme prepares you thoroughly for the tasks of a consultant. In particular, the development of presentation techniques as well as analytical thinking is of enormous importance in the everyday life of a consultant."

Oliver Kiderle
EMEA Regional Product Expert
Google Inc.

"The focus on internationality and practical skills have had a very positive influence on my development at Google. Especially the structured and very versatile project work, which is often found at a private school, was extremely helpful."

Kalle Kenkel
Commercial Excellence Manager
GE Healthcare

"My studies at CBS prepared me for a career in today's dynamic, global work environment. As one's origin and physical location become less and less decisive, it has become increasingly important to have a multinational network and adapt quickly to various cultures and environments."

Neil Jordaan
Global Digital Content Manager
Elanco

"Many professors shared their professional business experience with us in class and were able to illustrate dry theory with practical examples. I also enjoyed the international atmosphere on campus."

Patrick Stein
Head of Human Resources
Boston Consulting Group

"The strongly practice-oriented studies and the international orientation of the CBS, as well as the lectures held in English, were an absolutely necessary basis for starting a career with a renowned, international company."

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Practical and diverse: Masters in Business Psychology and Management

During your business psychology master’s degree, you will gain important practical experience within the context of our business projects, where you will work together with business partners on real or realistic business cases, aswell as during an eight-week internship at home and abroad. If you wish, you can write your Master Thesis in the fourth semester as a project in a company of your choice.

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You would like to inform yourself about our Bachelor and Master programs at home in peace? Request your information material now without obligation and free of charge, and we will be happy to send you our study information material by e-mail.

Follow us on Instagram & Facebook, get to know us at one of our Information Events, or Contact our student advisors to learn more about us.

Marc Spitz

Marc Spitz

Study advisory: Campus Brühl (Cologne)
Got any questions? We are happy to help!

Phone: +49 (0) 2232 56 73 406
WhatsApp: Reach us on WhatsApp
E-Mail: study@cbs.de
Elsa Chumakova

Elsa Chumakova

Study advisory: Campus Aachen
Got any questions? We are happy to help!

Phone: +49 (0) 2232 5673-423
WhatsApp: Reach us on WhatsApp
E-Mail: study@cbs.de
Lidia Gusev

Lidia Gusev

Study advisory: Campus Berlin/Potsdam
Got any questions? We are happy to help!

Phone: +49 (0) 221 931809 - 476
WhatsApp: Reach us on WhatsApp
E-Mail: study@cbs.de
Maike Refräuter

Maike Refräuter

Study advisory: Campus Düsseldorf/ Neuss & Solingen
Got any questions? We are happy to help!

Phone: +49 (0) 157 58248880
WhatsApp: Reach us on WhatsApp
E-Mail: study@cbs.de
Elena Göpfert

Elena Göpfert

Study advisory: Campus Hamburg
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Phone: +49 (0) 221 93 18 09-683
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E-Mail: study@cbs.de
Simon Blache

Simon Blache

Study advisory: Campus Hanover
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Phone: +49 (0) 15758244899
WhatsApp: Reach us on WhatsApp
E-Mail: study@cbs.de
Mirjam Zimmermann

Mirjam Zimmermann

Study advisory: Campus Mainz
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This is What Our Students Say

Philip Kollmann
Project Manager
Wayne´s Coffee

"Especially the soft skill courses have been of great help for my performance in job interviews. Through my work in the Finance and Business Club I have built up a broad network and acquired project management skills that have enabled me to score points with companies."

Katrin Rieger
Bereichsdirektorin Reisevertrieb Deutschland / Vice President Sales
HanseMerkur Krankenversicherung

"The practical learning in small groups prepared me optimally for today's project and team work. The CBS provided me with the decisive soft skills and current knowledge from the world of business."

Christopher Rosenbaum
Manager
Ernst & Young GmbH
Wirschaftsprüfungsgesellschaft

"The Management Studies programme prepares you thoroughly for the tasks of a consultant. In particular, the development of presentation techniques as well as analytical thinking is of enormous importance in the everyday life of a consultant."

Oliver Kiderle
EMEA Regional Product Expert
Google Inc.

"The focus on internationality and practical skills have had a very positive influence on my development at Google. Especially the structured and very versatile project work, which is often found at a private school, was extremely helpful."

Kalle Kenkel
Commercial Excellence Manager
GE Healthcare

"My studies at CBS prepared me for a career in today's dynamic, global work environment. As one's origin and physical location become less and less decisive, it has become increasingly important to have a multinational network and adapt quickly to various cultures and environments."

Neil Jordaan
Global Digital Content Manager
Elanco

"Many professors shared their professional business experience with us in class and were able to illustrate dry theory with practical examples. I also enjoyed the international atmosphere on campus."

Patrick Stein
Head of Human Resources
Boston Consulting Group

"The strongly practice-oriented studies and the international orientation of the CBS, as well as the lectures held in English, were an absolutely necessary basis for starting a career with a renowned, international company."