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Digital Transformation Technologies and Management (M.Sc.)
Since the early 2000s, more than half of the corporations on the Fortune 500 list have disappeared due to the impact of digital transformation on products, processes and business models. Today, the focus is on companies that put digital technology at the core of their business activities. The value chains and supply chains of entire industrial sectors and regions are being restructured to exploit the potential that digital transformation offers.
To address these challenges, the European Union has proposed its 'Path to the Digital Decade', a policy programme that sets out targets for the digital transformation of society and the economy by 2030. To reflect these developments, the Master's degree programme 'Digital Transformation Technologies and Management' at Saarland University has been created to produce graduates who can actively shape and play a leading role in the digital transformation of Europe.
This double degree-Master's programme is the only one in the world whose graduates are digital transformation managers with an international focus. Working in close partnership with partners at Vytautas Magnus University in Kaunas, Lithuania, students on the programme are taught how to design and structure digital transformation processes and thus strengthen the internationalization of businesses. Graduates from the M.Sc. programme have the skills set needed to take up challenging international research, development and management roles at the interface of business management and computer science.
The digital transformation of the economy requires managers with a skills portfolio that combines technological competence, business acumen, an understanding of complex networks and the ability to identify and exploit transregional and cross-border business opportunities. The double degree Master's programme 'Digital Transformation Technologies and Management' provides students with the opportunity to acquire an in-depth understanding of the complexity and heterogeneity of the European regions and to develop innovative ways of using the specific characteristics of Europe and the European market to drive digital transformation. Graduates from the programme have the following core competencies:
- Knowledge of digital technologies and practical methods that can be used to analyse their impact on organizations and businesses in particular
- The ability to apply artificial intelligence, IT security principles, virtual reality technology and 3D modelling concepts to the design of information systems
- The ability to develop and evaluate digital strategies, processes, products and services to meet market demands
- The knowledge and skills to drive digital transformation in organizations and to establish start-ups for that purpose
- An understanding of current academic research in the fields of IT and business management
- An appreciation of the challenges and opportunities of transnational cooperation within the European Union
To graduate from the programme, students are required to earn a total of 120 ECTS credits, of which 30 credits are awarded for the Master's thesis. The M.Sc. programme has the following structure:
Digital management (36 credits):
- Bank Management
- Business Taxation
- Financial Controlling
- Entrepreneurship
- Trade Management
- Marketing
- Economics – Economic Theory
- Economics – Economic Policy
- Financial Reporting and Financial Management
- Operations Management
- Technology and Innovation Management
- Financial Auditing
Digital technology and infrastructure (36 credits):
- 'Digital Tech & Infrastructure' core modules
- 'Digital Tech & Infrastructure' applied modules
European collaboration (12 credits):
- European Languages
- Intercultural Collaboration
- Language Technologies
Master's Thesis and Seminar (36 credits)
- Seminar paper
- Master's thesis
As part of the double degree structure of the degree, Saarland University students must spend at least one semester studying at Vytautas Magnus University in Kaunas, Lithuania; the Lithuanian students on the programme spend at least one semester studying in Saarbrücken. The international mobility semester enables students to begin early building a network of contacts in Europe from which they can benefit professionally in their later careers.
Graduates from the Master’s programme have a wide range of career options open to them in such fields as:
- Digital consulting / Management consulting
- Digital transformation management / Transformation management
- IT consulting
- Technology management
- IT project management
- Software development / app development
Students seeking admission to the Master's programme must meet the following requirements:
- Bachelor’s degree from a German university or an equivalent qualification from a foreign university (corresponding to at least 180 ECTS credits) in digital business administration, business administration, computer science or a related discipline.
- Proof of proficiency in English (at least level B2 CEFR), only TOEFL and IELTS language certificates are accepted
The Bachelor's thesis must satisfy the following criteria:
- An overall grade of at least 3.0 on the German academic grading scale (or the equivalent grade on the ECTS scale)
- Bachelor's thesis on a topic from the fields of business science and economics or computer science
- At least 15 ECTS credits from introductory modules in mathematics and statistics
- At least 48 ECTS credits from modules in business science and economics or from modules with an information technology focus
- At least 12 ECTS credits from introductory modules in business informatics (only if no specialist computer science modules were completed as part of the applicant's Bachelor's degree)
How to apply
Students can begin this programme at the beginning of the winter or summer semester. Applications for entry in the winter semester must be submitted from the beginning of June to 15 June; applications for the summer semester must be submitted from the beginning of December to 15 December.
Applications for admission are submitted online via Saarland University's student information management (SIM) portals. If you have any questions about using the SIM portals, please check out our SIM Saarland help pages.
Applicants with a Bachelor's degree from a German university
Please submit the following documents with your application:
- A photocopy of your undergraduate degree certificate that satisfies the entry requirements for the Master's programme
- An officially signed and stamped transcript of records or a verifiable record of academic achievement from your current university that shows the ECTS credits awarded to you for individual modules, courses or learning activities, your overall grade or the average grade achieved so far, the number of ECTS credits earned at the time the application period closes and the number of credits still required for graduation from the undergraduate degree programme. Please note: Your application will not be processed if you fail to provide a transcript of records or a verifiable record of academic achievement.
- Proof of proficiency in English (at least level B2 – CEFR), only TOEFL and IELTS language certificates are accepted
Please only submit your application online, do not send your application documents in paper form.
Applicants with a Bachelor's degree from a foreign university
Please include the following documents with your application:
- A photocopy of your higher education entrance qualification (e.g. Abitur, Baccalauréat, E.C.E., Attestat, etc.)
- A photocopy of your university degree certificate
- A photocopy of your record of academic achievement from your current university that shows the ECTS credits awarded to you for individual modules, courses or learning activities, or that at least indicates the individual subject areas studied and the associated student workload, unless this information is already provided on your university degree certificate. Please note: We are unable to process applications that do not include a record of academic achievement as described above.
- Photocopies of the translation into English of your school-leaving certificate and your record of university studies (degree certificate and record of academic achievement). The translations must be validated by a qualified, sworn translator.
- Proof of proficiency in English (at least level B2 – CEFR), only TOEFL and IELTS language certificates are accepted
Please submit your application online and upload all scanned documents in the file manager for online applications. You will also need to submit a paper application, including all supporting documents in officially certified form, to:
Saarland University
Department of Economics Examinations Office
Campus B4 1
66123 Saarbrücken
Germany
If you have a Bachelor's degree from a foreign university, we will need to examine your academic qualifications to determine whether your degree can be recognized as equivalent to a German university degree. This process can take up to three months and must be completed before the end of the application period. Please make sure that you send in the relevant application documents early enough for us to carry out the equivalence assessment in good time. Once equivalence has been verified, you must submit your signed application online within the designated application period. Information on whether the applicant has been accepted will be sent out as early as possible so that the visa procedure can be completed in good time before the start of studies.
| Standard period of study | 4 semesters (full-time study) Part-time studie options are available |
| Qualification | Master of Science (M.Sc.) Multiple degree in cooperation with Vytautas Magnus University in Kaunas, Lithuania |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Required English proficiency | Level B2 (CEFR) |
| Restricted entry programme | No |
| Application period | Winter semester: Beginning of June to 15 June Summer semester: Beginning of December to 15 December |
| Tuition fees | None |
| Semester fee | See current fee structure |
Cedric Klein, M.Sc.
Saarbrücken Campus
Building B4 4, Room 0.10.4
Phone: +49 681 302-4273
cedric.klein(at)wiwipa.uni-saarland.de
www.uni-saarland.de/vipa
Anne Küntzler
Wirtschaftswissenschaftliches Prüfungssekretariat
Phone: 0681 302-2138
a.kuentzler@wiwipa.uni-saarland.de
www.uni-saarland.de/vipa
Central Student Advisory Service
Saarbrücken Campus
Building A4 4, Ground floor
Phone: +49 681 302-3513
studienberatung(at)uni-saarland.de
www.uni-saarland.de/studienberatung
Central Student Advisory Service
Saarbrücken Campus
Building A4 4, Ground floor
Phone: +49 681 302-3513
studienberatung(at)uni-saarland.de
Central Student Advisory Service
Accredited study programmes
Saarland University was one of the first universities in Germany to achieve Quality Assurance Accreditation and has held the Accreditation Council's official quality mark continuously since 2012.
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