Master's degree in logistics

You will gain an in-depth understanding of digital transformation across industries and business models and learn how change leadership succeeds in the VUCA world. At the same time, you will analyze current IT applications and start-up solutions in transport, logistics and supply chain management, from operational systems to robotics and artificial intelligence. Based on case studies and practical guest lectures, you will independently develop digital business models and reflect on their implications for a working world 4.0/5.0.

You will deal intensively with alternative drive technologies such as hybrid, electric and fuel cell across all modes of transport, from truck to rail to city logistics. You will also learn planning methods for designing and optimizing transport networks and evaluate their performance, costs and ecological footprint. The combination of cooperation models in the transport industry with modern network typologies will enable you to independently develop organizational structures for complex transport requirements.

In this module, you will immerse yourself in the world of the smart factory: from automated conveyor systems and autonomous mobile robots (AMR) to pallet warehouses and automated small parts warehouses to modern identification technologies such as RFID and IoT. At the same time, you will work with the SAP S/4HANA warehouse management system and evaluate the use of artificial intelligence in the warehouse. In project-oriented exercises, you will develop use cases for the optimal selection and implementation of technological modules in operational intralogistics practice.

You will learn what constitutes smart cities and smart urban logistics concepts and analyse the role of digitalization, alternative transport concepts and information and communication technologies for liveable, sustainable cities. In the area of smart factory and simulation, you will deal with cyber-physical systems, the concept of the digital twin and various simulation methods. Using professional simulation software, you will model and optimize logistical processes based on practical application examples.

You will learn about the strategic management process in transport, logistics and supply chain services organizations, from market analyses and geostrategy to M&A activities and value-oriented management indicators. At the same time, you will learn professional consulting techniques: Top management presentations, creativity techniques, the development of crisis radars and the conceptualization of business plans. You will use the strategic tools you acquire here later in the curriculum directly in the top management consulting pitch.

You will deepen your knowledge of the legal foundations for the digital and physical logistics world: from business transactions in e-commerce, data protection and copyright law to competition law issues. In transport law, you will familiarize yourself with the legal relationships in freight, forwarding and warehousing law and learn how to apply international regulations such as CMR and CIM. You will also work on individual and collective employment law, enabling you to solve relevant practical cases independently.

Using standard market simulation software, you will work on a practical case study on strategic network design and optimize distribution structures from a performance and cost perspective. At the same time, you will learn how to systematically identify and evaluate risks in global supply chains and manage them through preventive and reactive measures. At the end of the module, you will be able to design resilient logistics structures and develop strategies for effective risk management.

You will become familiar with the entire purchasing process for international transportation, logistics and supply chain services, from the outsourcing decision and awarding of contracts to contract design and order implementation. In Supplier Relationship Management, you will deepen your knowledge of supplier evaluation, process auditing according to IATF and VDA as well as supplier integration in the development and start-up phase. In an action-oriented role play, you and your team will defend an international logistics concept in front of managers from the business world, who will challenge you realistically as a practice challenger.

You will explore the basics of knowledge management and learn how organizations systematically identify and model knowledge and make it machine-processable using semantic technologies. In the second part of the module, you will deal with machine learning, IoT and specific AI applications in logistics, from order planning and predictive maintenance to spare parts logistics. You will also learn how to critically evaluate the quality of training data and reflect on the ethical aspects of using AI in logistics applications.

In Cross Cultural Management, you will be sensitized to cultural differences in international logistics networks and learn to master intercultural challenges in leadership and communication with confidence using recognized models. In negotiation techniques, you will acquire strategic tools and apply them directly in simulated logistics negotiations. Through role plays and video studies, you will develop a basic set of skills for your future work in international teams and with global partners.

You will learn the basic concepts of business intelligence: Data warehouse architectures, multidimensional modeling, key figure systems for corporate management and professional reporting according to international design standards. In the area of big data, analytics and machine learning, you will work with modern tools on explorative data analysis, clustering, classification and regression, always in line with the CRISP-DM process model. Using selected case studies from logistics, you will apply your knowledge in a tool-based manner and learn how to gain a reliable basis for decision-making from large volumes of data.

You will learn about the architecture and performance features of modern business application systems and will be able to make well-founded decisions for the selection and introduction of suitable IT solutions. In practical case studies in the SAP ERP system, you will optimize logistical business processes in materials management, sales, transport, production planning and quality management. You will also develop an understanding of the complexity of IT projects, from the integration of new applications into established system landscapes to questions of user acceptance and change request management.

In this event, you will bring together the knowledge you have gathered from the curriculum and work on a complex reorganization task, from turnaround management and lean administration to shared service centers and project and program management. In a holistic role play, you slip into the role of a strategy consultant and defend your top management consulting pitch in English in front of real managers from industry and logistics services. At the end of the module, you will have acquired convincing presentation techniques at management level and will be optimally prepared for consulting activities as an in-house consultant or in a management consultancy.

You will learn the philosophies of the automotive industry, such as lean production. In Automotive Supply Chain Design, you will analyze industry-specific value creation architectures, new requirements due to battery cells and semiconductor production as well as the dimension of sustainability along the international value chain according to GRI standards. Practical guest lectures, excursions to automotive factories and case studies with a focus on compliance and supplier purchasing round off the module.

In the compulsory elective area, you choose one of the modules on offer. The selection options here are constantly being developed and you can also take courses from other degree programs or Departments.

In the fourth semester, you will complete your studies by writing your Master's thesis. In line with the orientation of our degree programs, we focus on application-oriented research work with a practical reference point in the business environment. This gives you the opportunity to work on operationally relevant issues using your theoretical knowledge, to apply your skills directly in the company and to expand your personal network with potential future employers.
The Master's thesis can be written in German or English.