Business Development (Master of Arts)

Business Development (Product Management & Start-up Management)

The Master's programme Business Development (Product Management & Start-up Management) at Aalen University is aimed at future product managers, innovation drivers and founders. Through the close integration of management, product development and entrepreneurship skills, students are optimally prepared for leadership and innovation tasks in companies as well as for starting their own businesses.

The Master's programme is practice-oriented, interdisciplinary and combines economic expertise with technical understanding.

Why this Master's programme?

    • Strong practical relevance: Company projects over two semesters
    • Interdisciplinarity: Engineering and economics students work together
    • Founding or innovating: Preparation for career paths as Entrepreneur oder Intrapreneur
    • Innovative learning environment: Access to start-up campus, innovation centre and modern laboratories
    • Flexible & customisable: Elective modules for personal specialisation

Course content & structure

The central modules teach the core competencies for product management, innovation and start-ups:

  • product management
  • Start-up-Management
  • Start-up and project financing
  • Project and quality management
  • Business models & business plan
  • Leadership
  • Start-up-Innovation

Students choose three modules (15 ECTS) from the extensive range of master's programmes offered by Aalen University.
This allows technical or economic specialisations to be tailored entirely to individual profiles.

Over two semesters, students work on a real project in a company or start-up.
The topic may originate from the following areas:

  • Product Management / Business Development (Intrapreneurship)
  • Start-up / Founding (Entrepreneurship)

The project is supervised by professors, external experts or corporate partners.

In the third semester, students explore a practical or scientific issue in depth.
Students can also work on these in cooperation with companies.

Learning and teaching formats
  • Lectures & interactive seminars
  • Practical projects with partner companies
  • Working in interdisciplinary teams
  • Innovative methods such as lean start-up, design thinking and agile product development
  • Modern forms of assessment (project work, presentations, traditional examinations)

Students benefit from a modern, innovative learning environment:

  • Start-up Campus Aalen – Support for start-ups
  • Innovation Centre (INNO-Z) – Creative spaces & shared desk workstations
  • CAD/CAM centre – virtual product development
  • Usability- und Medientechnik-Labore
  • System development and research centres
  • Completed, professionally qualifying university degree
  • numerus clausus (NC)
  • Start of studies: summer and winter semesters
  • Application via the central application portal of Aalen University
  • Degree: Master of Arts
  • Standard period of study: 3 semesters
  • Scope: 90 ECTS
  • Type of study: Full-time, consecutive
  • Language: German (with some English)
  • Semester fee: approx. €170

Graduates take on demanding specialist and management roles, including:

  • product management
  • innovation management
  • Business Development
  • project management
  • Establishing and developing your own start-ups
  • Consulting in the field of innovation and strategy

Contacts

Studiengangsleitung
Prof. Dr. Ralf Haerting
Telefon: +49 7361 576-6567
E-Mail: ralf.haerting@hs-aalen.de

Sekretariat
Susanna Steininger
Telefon: +49 7361 576-2397
E-Mail: susanna.steininger@hs-aalen.de