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Master's in Finance & Accounting (M.A.)

Welcome to the information pages of our master program Finance & Accounting. On the following pages we have compiled all important information about this program for you. If you need further information or have any questions, please contact Prof. Dr. Gösta Jamin (head of the program) or Mrs. Christiane Weinerth ( program manager).

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Brief profile of the master's program in Finance & Accounting

The world is full of opportunities that you can take advantage of as an employee, entrepreneur, freelancer, start-up, investor or in other roles. Examples include building new digital business models, developing international business relationships, connectivity and networking between people, transforming toward a sustainable economy, or new, more human-centric work models. At the same time, the world often also appears to be confusing, as well as full of uncertainty and risks in terms of economic development or the occurrence of completely unexpected events.

In order to take advantage of these opportunities and at the same time successfully manage the uncertainties and risks that also arise, good financial management is a key requirement. If you are interested in finance, the Master Finance & Accounting will provide you with the necessary knowledge and skills to successfully work with other people with different skills and professional backgrounds.

In four semesters, you will acquire in-depth professional knowledge in finance and accounting and acquire personal and methodological skills to take on challenging tasks. At the same time, you will get to know interesting fellow students with very different backgrounds in your semester group. Our full-time professors and our lecturers working in very different practical professions will become part of your network.

The program at a glance: 

Content

Your studies at a glance: 

The master's program Finance & Accounting is divided into four semesters, whereby the fourth semester is used to write your master's thesis. The following figure gives you an overview of the structure of the program, as well as the various courses that have to be completed in the individual semesters:

Below we provide you with detailed information on the individual study modules:

1st semester

  • Accounting and Taxation Module

    In the sub-module "Group Accounting", individual in-depth issues are dealt with based on a basic understanding of group accounting. The sub-module "International Accounting" enables students to interpret the information contained in annual financial statements prepared in accordance with IFRS. Building on the fundamentals of accounting, the submodule "Income Taxes" teaches the basic principles of corporate taxation, including the differences between various legal forms.
     
  • Module Capital Markets & Accouting

    The basic content of this module is the functioning of capital markets and the question for which purposes the instruments traded on capital markets as well as the information derived from market prices can be used. The sub-module "Global Financial Markets & Financial Products" deals with the general functioning of financial markets and in particular with individual central financial instruments such as bonds, shares or currencies. Financial Engineering & Structured Finance" deals with derivative financial instruments and analyzes how a combination of different instruments can be used to manage risks and generate desired cash flow profiles. The sub-module "Corporate Valuation" uses information derived from capital market prices, such as the cost of capital, to value companies.
     
  • Module Corporate Finance I

    The sub-module "Applied Corporate Finance" covers the fundamentals of corporate finance with the central shareholder value approach. In particular, selected levers of value enhancement and financial analysis such as working capital management are applied theoretically and practically on the basis of case studies. In the sub-module "Entrepreneurial Finance and Venture Capital", you will gain a sound insight into entrepreneurial thinking and action as well as how equity investors evaluate investments, especially in start-ups; special attention is paid to innovative forms of financing.
     
  • Module Methodology and Key Competencies I

    The sub-module "Optimizing Conversations and Negotiations" teaches the basics of successful communication as well as techniques of good conversation and negotiation management. The sub-module "Change and Project Management" deals with project management processes and know-how against the background of effective stakeholder management. The aim of the sub-module "Presentation Techniques" is independent and responsible presentation of even complex issues, taking into account the biographical and situational situation of the audience (personal competence/ independence).
     

2nd semester

  • Module Financial Services and Asset Management

The sub-module "Capital Market, Stock Exchange and Supervisory Law" deals with the legal foundations for the functioning of modern capital markets to protect the rights of market participants. In the sub-module "Financial Psychology and Behavioral Economics", the capital market theoretical knowledge and models are complemented by the behavioral science dimension, with which actual market events can be better explained than under the premise of completely rational behavior. The practical process of portfolio management is the subject of the submodule "Asset Management", from strategic asset allocation to performance measurement of portfolio managers.

  • Module Information Management

Topics of the sub-module "Business Modeling and Data Analytics" are selected topics from the area of financial modeling and data analytics. The lecture includes the practical use of the most important Excel tools, functions and new analysis techniques, through the use of data analytics tools. In "Enterprise Resource Planning" there is an introduction to Information Management and ERP systems. The sub-module "Data Warehousing and BI" teaches the basics of data warehousing, business intelligence and financial performance management.

  • Module Corporate Finance II

The Corporate Finance II module consists of the sub-modules "Due Diligence", "Capital Investment Management" and "Corporate Management". In the context of "Due Diligence" you will learn to derive and manage M&A strategies from parameters of the corporate strategy as well as to independently perform due diligence analyses (especially financial due diligence) and to assess analysis results. In the sub-module "Capital Investment Management"  you will deal intensively with the methods and principles of capital allocation in large companies with several business units in order to make well-founded selection decisions of capital projects taking into account, for example, the investment life cycle, also optimizing the overall portfolio. In the "Company Valuation" submodule, you will apply company valuations to empirical cases, analyze annual financial statements and assess the plausibility of planning calculations. As the icing on the cake, you will acquire basic knowledge in the structure of a financial model and be able to develop simple valuation models yourself.

  • Module Methods and Key Competencies II

The learning objectives of the sub-module "Business Storytelling" are the independent, planned and verbally and non-verbally effective use of stories in business, both during presentations and in marketing and PR (instrumental competence), learning about and implementing the latest research findings from brain research, behavioral psychology and business administration (communicative competence) and taking into account the latest developments in global capitalism, management and communication media (systemic competence). The sub-module "Leadership Behavior" is about getting to know and applying the most important leadership tasks such as agreeing on goals and passing on information, delegation and decision-making behavior, work organization, control and steering, motivation and promotion, coping with stress and conflict situations. The sub-module "Research Methodology" provides the scientific-theoretical basics for the later preparation of the master's thesis.

3. Semester (alternatively: semester abroad at a partner university)

  • Module Governance, Risk & Compliance

    The subject of the module is the regulatory market interventions with which the state attempts to ensure the good functioning of markets and companies. The sub-module "GRC for companies and financial service providers" addresses risk management processes and internal control systems. "Governance & Compliance" deals with the elements of corporate governance and compliance and their significance for companies and their governing bodies. The sub-module "Regulation of Companies" uses a variety of case studies to address how the state intervenes in market activities in different industries in order to achieve a better market result.
     
  • Module Auditing: Methodology and Audit of Annual Financial Statements*

    The sub-module "Auditing Methodology and Audit of Annual Financial Statements" addresses the professional profile, function and working methods of the auditor, supplemented by the sub-module "Current Developments", in which current issues in auditing are discussed. In the sub-module "Professional Law and Special Audits", the topics of professional law (the auditing profession, organization of the auditing profession, professional supervision and quality control, professional principles, professional framework conditions, liability) and special audits (formation audit of a stock corporation, audits of changes in equity, audits of financial service providers, insolvency law over-indebtedness audit and audit of insolvency, audit of the ability of companies to restructure) are discussed.
     
  • Controlling Module*

    Topics of the sub-module "Controlling Tools" are the instruments of strategic controlling as well as the basic instruments of operational controlling. In the sub-module "Cost Management", the structure and management areas of cost management as well as selected instruments of cost management are addressed. In the sub-module "Stakeholder Controlling and Reporting", participants learn about various concepts of controlling from different perspectives.
     
  • Module International Consulting*

    The module aims to enable students to provide management consulting services in an international context. Students should be familiar with the challenges, working methods, methodology and techniques of international management consulting and be able to successfully consult independently in a corporate context that is previously unknown to them. In the market for international management consulting, there are companies that focus on the top management topics of strategy and organizational consulting. These topics of "Strategic Consulting" are characterized by independent questions and methods. Operational topics with a great closeness to the lived everyday life of the organization and directly experienceable effect in the implementation, i.e. the goal of "Corporate Performance Enhancement" are addressed differently in consulting, which is then the target of a second course in this module. The module is rounded off by the sub-module "Business Communication".

4th semester 

  • Preparation of the Master's thesis 

* Selection of 2 out of 3 study modules

+++We will mail you the module handbook on request (christiane.weinerth@hwg-lu.de).+++

Special features

Integration Finance & Accounting

The most important special feature of our program is the integration of the sub-areas "Finance" and "Accounting", in contrast to programs that concentrate on one of the two areas at a time. In professional practice, both areas are strongly linked anyway, since every investment or financing decision ("Finance") has a feedback effect on corporate reporting ("Accounting"). This gives our graduates a broader knowledge base from which they can benefit when they start their careers.

Practical relevance

Our Master's students appreciate the high level of practical relevance in the lectures, which is not only provided by our full-time teaching professors. External lecturers from the private sector (e.g. BASF, SAP, Deloitte, E&Y,...) enrich the lectures with integrated exercises, case studies and seminars, which give our students the opportunity to test the practical relevance of what they have learned. Furthermore, these contacts not infrequently lead to a first career start or a voluntary internship.

Study abroad 

Internationality is very important to us at the University of Applied Sciences Ludwigshafen. Therefore, you have the option of spending the third semester of your studies at one of our partner universities. The study achievements there will be credited to you under certain conditions. 

Double Degree

With a double degree, you take an important step towards an international career. In addition to deepening your specialist knowledge, you will get to know the culture, mentality and language of the host country and prove that you can find your way around independently in a foreign environment. Our Master in Finance & Accounting currently offers two double degree programs in Australia:

A double degree program with the University of Economics in Katowice (Poland) is being planned.

Working in small groups

Every winter semester, approximately 25 students start the Master's program in Finance & Accounting. This means that you benefit from working in small groups and from the opportunity to get to know all of your lecturers personally and to increase your personal added value through the resulting more intensive contact. 

Career opportunities

Graduates of the Master's program in Finance & Accounting work in demanding specialist and management positions, e.g. in large and medium-sized companies, at financial service providers, at auditing and consulting firms, in start-ups or as self-employed professionals. We are constantly developing our study program so that our students have optimal opportunities in the job market. This applies not only to the technical content, but also to methodological, personal and social skills, as well as with regard to internationality.

The following are examples of testimonials from some of our graduates: 

Here you will find an overview of the professors, as well as the teaching staff and lecturers who conduct the lectures in the master's program Finance & Accounting:

Prof. Dr. Gösta Jamin

Head of Master's Program Finance & Accounting 

Areas of teaching: Banking, financial markets and derivatives, risk management, corporate regulation, economics. 

"The financial system is one of mankind's greatest inventions, along with the invention of the wheel and the taming of fire."

Read more

Prof. Dr. rer. pol. Birgit Angermayer

Teaching areas: Group accounting, accounting of insurance companies and credit institutions, business valuation, tax planning, professional law, cost accounting. 

further information

Prof. Dr. Andreas Diesch

Areas of teaching: Income taxes, international tax law, taxation of corporate restructuring, accounting, investment, cost accounting. 

further information

Prof. Dr. Stefanie Hehn-Ginsbach

Teaching areas: Investment and Finance, International Finance, Portfolio and Capital Market Theory, Investment and Value Enhancement, Applied Corporate Finance

"Corporate Finance is the key to sustainable business success and is becoming increasingly important with growing global connectivity and digitalization. It is my passion to qualify you for exceptional careers in these exciting and dynamic fields of activity and to guide you in investing in your education and skills."

more information

Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Carsten Pohl

Teaching Areas: Statistics, SAP ERP, mathematics, asset management 

"Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted" - Albert Einstein

more information

Prof. Dr. Hartmut Walz

Teaching areas: asset classes and investment psychology, current developments in the financial services market, behavioral economics (English), investment banking, financial psychology and behavioral economics, financial services. 

"The ultimate secret to successful investing and retirement planning is that there is no secret!"

Read more

Prof. Dr. Markus Widmann

Syllabus: International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), financial statement auditing, auditing methodology, auditing standards,...

more information

Christine Heinzel

Teaching areas: Marketing, Human Resources, Project Management, Conflict Management, International Business Skills, Scientific Work

more information

Dr. Jochen Haller

Teaching Area: Entrepreneural Finance & Venture Capital

more information

Tobias Kampmann

Teaching Area: Capital Investment Management

more information

Application

Our master's program Finance & Accounting is a consecutive master's program. Therefore, a basic knowledge in both Finance and Accounting is an indispensable admission requirement. You will find these regulated in the special examination regulations (§2). 


An overview of the achievements that we can credit from your first degree can be found here

-> please enclose a lecture overview with ECTS information to your application and do not forget to indicate the topic of your bachelor/diploma thesis!

Literature note: For those with a non-explicit finance and accounting background, we recommend the following books to improve your knowledge: 

  • Perridon/Steiner: Financial Management of the Enterprise 
  • Sorg/Birk/Angermayer-Michler: International Financial Reporting according to IFRS
  • Angermayer-Michler: Fundamentals of Group Accounting 
  • Weber/Schäffer: Introduction to Controlling (also available in English) 

Language requirements: The study program is predominantly held in German. A qualifying portion of the courses is in English. The Master's program is also open to foreign students with comparable degrees and sufficient knowledge of German and English. Here you can find the admission requirements for foreign students.

Admissionrestriction: The Master's program in Finance and Accounting has an admission restriction of 25 students. Here you can find the NC-table of the University of Applied Sciences Ludwigshafen.

To the application

Application deadline is 15.07. of the current year.

Contact

For all questions regarding the content of the Master please contact:

Ms. Christiane Weinerth
Email: christiane.weinerth@hwg-lu.de
Phone: 0621-5203-314
Mobile: 0162-6418062