Fernstudium zum Master of Arts in Wirtschaftspädagogik

Business education by distance learning

The Master's degree course in Business Education is an interdisciplinary course that combines business studies (business administration and economics) with pedagogical content. Historically, business education developed from commercial teacher training. Currently, only Allensbach University offers distance learning in business education.

With the "M.A. Business Education" distance learning course, you can give your career a boost or steer it in new directions - depending on your individual goals. Our distance learning program in Business Education offers you high-quality learning materials, supporting Online lectures for all modules, without compulsory attendance and after work as well as intensive supervision. Flexible examination options give you the chance to study at your own pace without having to sacrifice your career and salary. A graduate of the course explains how this can work and how you can start your traineeship in his Field report!

A Master's degree in Business Education opens up many career opportunities: You can work as a vocational school teacher or as a teacher at business high schools. However, you can also pursue a career in the private sector, e.g. in personnel development or adult education.

Not to forget: Many private schools are also looking for business educators as teachers, which could be an option if a civil service appointment is no longer possible (e.g. due to age) or if admission to the preparatory service is not granted.

Do you only need further pedagogical training, but not a Master's degree? Then the Certificate program in business education might be interesting for you!

Lateral entry into the teaching profession for vocational schools

Wenn Sie Berufsschullehrer:in werden möchten, absolvieren Sie zunächst den Vorbereitungsdienst, das Referendariat. Dieses dauert in Baden-Württemberg ca. 18 Monate und wird entsprechend den Vorgaben des jeweiligen Bundeslandes vergütet. Absolvent:innen des Masterstudiengangs Wirtschaftspädagogik an der Allensbach Hochschule werden in Baden-Württemberg zum Vorbereitungsdienst zugelassen, sofern sie ein betriebswirtschaftliches Erststudium mitbringen und nach Abschluss des Masterstudiums eine Mindestanzahl an ECTS in den Fächern Betriebswirtschaftslehre (BWL) und Volkswirtschaftslehre (VWL) nachweisen können. Diese beiden Fächer stellen das Erstfach bzw. das Zweitfach dar. Im Fach VWL bietet die Allensbach Hochschule Zusatzmodule an, falls die erforderliche ECTS-Anzahl nicht erreicht wird, weil z.B. im Erststudium wenige ECTS erworben wurden. In der Regel ist im Masterstudium die Vertiefungsrichtung „Volkswirtschaftslehre I“ zu belegen, um eine ausreichende ECTS-Anzahl im Fach VWL zu erlangen. Für die Zulassung zum Referendariat ist zudem ein Jahr einschlägige Berufserfahrung erforderlich.

As the preparatory service begins on the first day of school after the Christmas vacations, you should plan your Master's studies accordingly in order to receive your certificate and diploma in good time. The Student Advisory Service will be happy to help you with this.

For questions regarding access to the legal clerkship (preparatory service) in Baden-Württemberg Following your distance learning course in Business Education at Allensbach University, please contact us directly. In all other federal states, please contact the relevant authorities directly, as the requirements for admission to the preparatory service vary from state to state. However, admission to the preparatory service in Bavaria is definitely not possible.

NEW From 2025, we will also be offering the specialization Political science . This can be studied to the extent of 65 ECTS if political science is to be taken as a second subject. In Baden-Württemberg, it is possible to apply via lateral entry for the subject combination of Economics / History with Social Studies, provided lateral entry is open for this subject combination. An individual case assessment is carried out here.

Admission options for other federal states must also be clarified individually.

What our students say about studying at Allensbach University:

"The flexibility of the courses on offer and the high quality of teaching at Allensbach University are impressive. The online courses allow me to combine my studies with my professional and private life. The lecturers impress with their professional expertise and their dedicated teaching, which makes learning effective and practice-oriented. The individual support rounds off the educational offer and makes my studies a valuable experience."

Deniz Kalkan, Master's student in Business Education

"The flexible study model at Allensbach Fernhochschule allows me to combine my studies with my professional and private commitments in the best possible way. I am particularly enthusiastic about the practice-oriented and scientifically sound teaching, which offers me valuable impulses for my professional development."

Jean-Paul Wendland, Master's student in Business Education

Further career opportunities with the distance learning program "Business Education"

Career in personnel development

Mit dem Masterstudium Wirtschaftspädagogik qualifizieren Sie sich für eine leitende Position im Bereich der Personalentwicklung oder der betrieblichen Aus- und Weiterbildung. Sie können Ausbildungs- und Schulungs-maßnahmen in fachlicher, pädagogischer, personeller und finanzieller Hinsicht planen und organisieren sowie Bildungsmarketingmaßnahmen durchführen. Hierzu gehört z.B. auch die Entwicklung von Programmen zur Ausbildung von Nachwuchsführungskräften. Für eine Karriere im Bereich des Personalwesens ist der Schwerpunkt „Personalentwicklung“ genau richtig für Sie.

Job profiles for business educators

For academically particularly ambitious graduates of business education, the Master's degree program can serve as a starting point for a career in higher education and represents an additional qualification for lecturers.

Master of Arts in Business Education: The combination of economic and pedagogical knowledge makes you a sought-after expert in the education sector.

You will acquire the necessary skills while working at a university with many years of experience in distance learning and a first-class teaching and service concept. You design your business education studies at Allensbach University individually, flexibly and goal-oriented - according to your needs.

Guaranteed quality: Der Studiengang „Wirtschaftspädagogik“ ist vom Akkreditierungsrat für acht Jahre reakkreditiert worden und von der Staatlichen Zentralstelle für Fernunterricht (ZFU) zugelassen. Der Studiengang ist international anerkannt und berechtigt auch zur Promotion.

Job profiles for business educators

Professional fields of activity for graduates of the M.A. Business Education program

Like many areas of non-school education in Germany, the field of vocational education and training is characterized by the part-time or freelance nature of teaching staff. Entry into education, personnel development, training or educational planning is often based on professional or general business, personnel and organizational qualifications. For this reason, the majority of students on the "Business Education - Master of Arts" course already have professional experience in the field of vocational education and training, and in some cases also in the field of academic education. These students want to professionalize their pedagogical work and consolidate their position, or aspire to a managerial position.

The "Business Education - Master of Arts" degree program is therefore aimed in particular at professionals who

are active in training and further education in companies and want to take on management positions,
work for educational institutions and in education administration and want to take on management tasks or a lecturer position,
work as managers in HR departments,
work as a freelance lecturer or consultant or
want to teach at vocational schools,
possibly pursue a doctorate later on.

In terms of a job description, the "Business Education - Master of Arts" degree program is based on the job description "Business Education Teacher" from the Federal Employment Agency. This has replaced the former job description "Diplom-Handelslehrer:in".

A degree in business education is usually expected for access to this profession; for management positions, specialized tasks or activities in science and research, a Master's degree is required. The description of the job profile clearly shows that former commercial teachers and now graduates of a master's degree program in business education have successfully opened up many areas of activity beyond vocational school teaching. Tasks and activities are (1):

Teaching commercial and business management content:

Prepare, conduct and follow up subject lessons; assess the individual performance and development level of lesson participants; perform educational tasks within the framework of subject lessons; if necessary, advise lesson participants on support options and measures or individual support measures in the event of learning and performance difficulties

perform management tasks in the area of training and further education:

Plan and organize education and training measures in technical, pedagogical, personnel and financial terms; carry out educational marketing measures;
Plan and organize training measures in terms of content and business; assess training measures according to cost-benefit ratios; participate in the development and implementation of management trainee programs, if necessary, participate in other training and further education measures

perform tasks in the area of human resources:

Carry out personnel planning and recruitment measures; cooperate with employment agencies, including specialist placement services, if necessary;
Determine personnel deployment; manage personnel administration responsibly; manage payroll accounting

Science and research (usually with a Master's degree):

contribute to the conception of training and further education; assess business didactic models and concepts

The Federal Employment Agency lists vocational schools (e.g. vocational schools and business high schools) as the first field of activity for the job description of business educators. Business educators also work in economic institutes at universities or in adult education. Important employers are business and employers' associations as well as public administration and, last but not least, companies from various sectors of the economy.

As an academic discipline, business education takes this into account by offering an appropriately broad range of business education study programs with the aim of preparing students for a variety of jobs in vocational schools as well as in companies, chambers, associations and private education providers.

In order to enable specialization and thus individual profile development within this broad framework, the "Business Education - Master of Arts" course has various specializations.

In focus "Personnel development" ("continuing education" for short), students concentrate on post-school qualification phases. This concerns, among other things, adaptation and upgrading qualifications, in-company training work and the market of training providers, but also personnel and organizational development and work design that promotes learning.

Although many graduates of the "Business Education - Master of Arts" degree program have already successfully completed the preparatory service for the teaching profession at vocational schools as lateral entrants and career changers and are working as teachers at vocational schools in various federal states, the degree program is not specifically designed for admission to the preparatory service. Admission is always decided on a case-by-case basis in the individual federal states. For the state of Baden-Württemberg, the possibility of admission to the traineeship was confirmed by the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport in March 2016.

Examples of activities in the private sector:

Personnel development, e.g. personnel officer

International conception, coordination and evaluation of personnel development measures
Expansion of personnel development concepts for different target groups
Responsibility for the management and quality assurance of external trainers and consultants
Support for personnel development topics (e.g. employee evaluation, employee survey, knowledge management)
International consulting for managers and employees with regard to qualification programs, workshops and training courses
Creation of concepts and measures for personnel and organizational development
Contact person for national and international managers and employees on the topic of personnel development
Evaluation of the annual employee appraisals and derivation of development needs
Organization and support of personnel development measures
Development, planning and implementation/supervision of specialist trainee programs and other qualification and further training programs
Selection, design and implementation of aptitude assessment measures
Development of systematic education controlling
Support for management development

(1) Federal Employment Agency (2012): Business educator. Information on the profession. http://berufenet.arbeitsagentur.de/berufe/start?dest=profession&prof-id=58787 [21.05.2012]

Programme Leader: Prof. Dr. MMag. Martin Bauer

What are the admission requirements?

You already have a first degree in economics with at least 180 ECTS. If you have a first non-economics degree, you can start the Master's degree program after completing the eight-month certificate program "Economic fundamentals" have completed. This provides you with the basic knowledge of economics required for the Master's degree course.

Please note that the certificate course in "Fundamentals of Economics" does not allow admission to a traineeship in Baden-Württemberg. This requires a first degree in business administration, e.g. at the DHBW, whose business administration degrees generally meet the admission criteria. If necessary, an additional module in business informatics must be completed.

You must also have at least 12 months of relevant work experience and English language skills at Cambridge Certificate B2 level. If you have not taken a test, you can also prove your English language skills in a telephone interview with the head of studies. The professional experience can also have been gained as part of a commercial apprenticeship or as part of a dual study program.

Special admission requirements for access to the preparatory service for the teaching profession at vocational schools:

For admission to the Master's degree program, a joint admission statute was adopted with the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport Baden-Württemberg. This regulates the requirements for admission to the Master's degree program for those applicants who are aiming for lateral entry into the preparatory service for the higher education career at vocational schools in Baden-Württemberg.

Welche Anerkennungen sind möglich?

Sofern Sie bereits vergleichbare Studienleistungen in einem Masterprogramm oder vergleichbaren Programm einer anderen Hochschule erbracht haben, ist eine Anerkennung grundsätzlich möglich. Bitte sprechen Sie unsere Studienberatung an. Für die Prüfung benötigen wir das Transcript of Records und den Modulkatalog des bereits absolvierten oder begonnenen Masterstudiums.

How is your course structured?

Der interdisziplinär ausgerichtete Masterstudiengang Wirtschaftspädagogik verbindet vertiefte wirtschaftswissenschaftliche Kenntnisse, Fähigkeiten und Fertigkeiten mit fortgeschrittenen pädagogischen Kompetenzen.

1. Semester: Kernmodule der Wirtschaftspädagogik und der Wirtschaftswissenschaften

Wissenschaftliches Arbeiten und Forschen in der Wirtschaftspädagogik (5 ECTS)
Lehren und Lernen I: Lernsituationen didaktisch gestalten und Unterricht sequenzieren (10 ECTS)
Internationales Management und interkulturelle Kompetenz (5 ECTS)
Corporate Finance (5 ECTS)
International Economics (5 ECTS)

In the first semester you will first receive an introduction to academic work and the specifics of research in business education. In the comprehensive module Learning and Teaching I, you will then be taught the most important skills for designing lessons in different learning situations. Two business administration and one economics module complete the first semester, which thus comprises 50 % each of business education and economics content.

2. Semester: Kernmodule der Wirtschaftspädagogik und der Wirtschaftswissenschaften, Start Vertiefungsrichtung

Berufliche Bildungsprozesse auf der Steuerungsebene verstehen (5 ECTS)
Qualität in Bildungsinstitutionen organisieren (5 ECTS)
Bildungspraxis erkunden, gestalten und reflektieren (5 ECTS)
Wirtschafts- und Unternehmensethik (5 ECTS)
Vertiefungsmodul 1 (10 ECTS)

In the second semester you will deal with the fundamental contexts of the vocational education and training system and learn about quality management approaches in educational institutions. An important component of the course is the teaching internship, which is also planned for this semester, but can also be completed later. During your internship, you will spend a week observing lessons, but also teach at least one lesson yourself. The second semester also includes increasingly important issues in business and corporate ethics and the first module of your compulsory elective subject, which gives your degree course a specific profile.

3. Semester: Kernmodule der Wirtschaftspädagogik und der Wirtschaftswissenschaften, Vertiefungsmodule

Lehren und Lernen II: Lernumgebungen mit digitalen Medien entwickeln (5 ECTS)
Aktuelle Herausforderungen der Wirtschaftspädagogik verstehen und einschätzen (5 ECTS)
Internationale Rechnungslegung (5 ECTS)
Vertiefungsmodul 2 (10 ECTS)
Seminararbeit im Wahlpflichtbereich (5 ECTS)

In the third semester the module Learning and Teaching II focuses on the highly topical subject of digitalization in the classroom, which will continue to gain in importance. Another compulsory business education module deals with current challenges in business education, including digitalization, but also heterogeneity/diversity. International accounting is added as a business module. The focus of the third semester is your compulsory elective subject, which is represented by a content module and a seminar paper.

4. Semester: Kernmodule der Wirtschaftspädagogik und der Wirtschaftswissenschaften, Masterthesis

Developing learning environments in a research-oriented way (5 ECTS)
Leadership (5 ECTS)
Masterthesis mit Kolloquium (20 ECTS)

In the fourth semester befassen Sie sich mit der forschungsorientierten Gestaltung von Lernumgebungen anhand einer realen Aufgabenstellung aus dem Bereich der beruflichen Schulen, erwerben daneben aber im Modul Leadership auch die für viele Berufsfelder unabdingbaren Führungskompetenzen.

Die Masterthesis, in der Sie ein komplexes Thema aus dem Bereich der Wirtschaftswissenschaften oder der Wirtschaftspädagogik eigenständig mit wissenschaftlichen Methoden bearbeiten, schließt Ihr Studium ab. Ihre Masterthesis präsentieren Sie zum Abschluss in einem Kolloquium (online).

Choose your specialization!

1. Wahlpflichtbereich: Berufs- und Betriebspädagogik

Berufliche Bildung (10 ECTS)
Personalentwicklung (Betriebliche Bildung) (10 ECTS)
Seminararbeit im Wahlpflichtbereich (5 ECTS)

2. Wahlpflichtbereich: Human Resources Management

People Business Partner und New Work (10 ECTS)
Personalmarketing und Personalentwicklung (10 ECTS)
Seminararbeit im Wahlpflichtbereich (5 ECTS)

3. Wahlpflichtbereich: Integrations- und Diversity Management

Diversity Management (10 ECTS)
Intercultural Integration Management (10 ECTS)
Seminararbeit im Wahlpflichtbereich (5 ECTS)

4. Wahlpflichtbereich: Marketing Management

Marketing Management (10 ECTS)
Digitales Marketing (10 ECTS)
Seminararbeit im Wahlpflichtbereich (5 ECTS)

5. Wahlpflichtbereich: Rechnungslegung und Steuern

Handelsrechtliche Rechnungslegung (10 ECTS)
Nationale Unternehmensbesteuerung (10 ECTS)
Seminararbeit im Wahlpflichtbereich (5 ECTS)

6. Wahlpflichtbereich: Wirtschaftspsychologie

Work and Organizational Psychology (10 ECTS)
Kommunikationspsychologie und Coaching (10 ECTS)
Seminararbeit im Wahlpflichtbereich (5 ECTS)

7. Wahlpflichtbereich: Volkswirtschaftslehre I

Wirtschaft und Staat (10 ECTS)
Geldpolitik, Zins und Finanzmärkte (10 ECTS)
Seminararbeit im Wahlpflichtbereich (5 ECTS)

Die Vertiefungsrichtung „Volkswirtschaftslehre I“ ist i.d.R. zu belegen, wenn eine Zulassung zum Referendariat in Baden-Württemberg angestrebt wird.

8. Wahlpflichtbereich: Volkswirtschaftslehre II

Labor Market Economics (10 ECTS)
Internationale Handelstheorie (10 ECTS)
Seminararbeit im Wahlpflichtbereich (5 ECTS)

Diese Module können auch ergänzend gebucht werden, wenn für die Zulassung zum Referendariat zu wenige ECTS in VWL vorliegen.

9. Wahlpflichtbereich: Politikwissenschaften I

Wirtschafts- und Sozialordnung der BRD (10 ECTS)
Politische Ökonomie (10 ECTS)
Seminararbeit im Wahlpflichtbereich (5 ECTS)

10. Wahlpflichtbereich: Politikwissenschaften II

Internationale Beziehungen (10 ECTS)
Europäische Integration: Politik und Recht im europäischen Mehrebenensystem (10 ECTS)
Seminararbeit im Wahlpflichtbereich (5 ECTS)

11. Wahlpflichtbereich: Politikwissenschaften III

Vergleichende Politikwissenschaft (10 ECTS)
Politische Theorie (10 ECTS)
Seminararbeit im Wahlpflichtbereich (5 ECTS)

How long will your studies take and what degree will you receive?

The standard period of study is 24 months. This refers to full-time study and can be extended accordingly if you are working at the same time. A free extension of 12 months is included in the tuition fees, so that the course can be completed in up to 36 months, depending on individual scheduling.

Our Student Advisory Service will be happy to provide you with the current tuition fees on request. Please fill in the contact form below - thank you!

After you have successfully completed all examinations, the university will award you the academic degree "Master of Arts - Business Education", which also entitles you to a doctorate. Alternatively, we also award the degree "Magister Artium".

Master's degree in Business Education (M.A.)