Master of Business Administration (MBA) — European Management Saarland University

We have been offering the MBA programme "European Management" since 1990. No other postgraduate programme in business studies takes the specific demands of the European economic area into account to a similar degree. This is because of its subject foci, its internationally renowned lecturers, its international students and its contacts.

Behavioural Management is our vision. Companies and their managers are only successful if they understand people in their roles as consumers, customers, employees and decision makers from economic, societal and psychological perspectives. Understanding behaviour calls for expertise in the theories behind all this, and we need methods to influence behaviour. This leads to the following fascinating questions:

• Why do consumers, employees and managers behave the way they do?
• How do internationalisation and Europeanisation influence behaviour?
• How can we decipher the expectations of customers and other stakeholders and how can we meet them?
• How can we bring the attitudes and skills of employees together with those of managers?
• How can modern information systems and social media help to understand the people we interact with?

With the internationally renowned degree of MBA European Management, all participants qualify for leading management positions in the international job market.

All courses can also be booked individually as certified advanced education courses.

Teamwork and leadership training play an important role in qualifying top leaders. Therefore, our students have the opportunity to work on case studies in each class. They improve both key competencies and soft skills such as leadership, business behaviour, presentation techniques and team building.

Our programme features state-of-the-art teaching methods, high-transfer orientation, guest lectures and panel discussions. "Learning in action" also includes up to three international study weeks in Valencia (Spain), for example.

Practitioners from international institutions and companies lecture on topical issues and share their professional experience. Managers from major companies regularly invite our students to visit their manufacturing facilities and share their insights into management.

The excellent quality of the MBA European Management was reconfirmed in 2009 with the FIBAA seal of accreditation and, in 2019, with the Saarland University Quality Passport in the system accreditation of Saarland University.

Our MBA graduates hold highly sought-after management positions in leading companies in Europe and across the world. Recruiters are European and international companies as well as international governments and administrations.

The programme offers great flexibility, with full-time and part-time options, enabling students to engage in both studies and work. The modular approach allows for tailored study structures, accommodating diverse student needs. The full-time programme can be completed in one year. Part-time students can extend the programme to a maximum of four years.

Students acquire specialist knowledge in all areas of modern business management, covered in 15 courses: Strategic Management, Corporate Sustainability and Social Responsibility, Soft Skills, European Institutions, European Regulations, Economics and Finance, Learning Business by Doing Business, Marketing and Management in Foreign Countries, Retailing and Logistics, Service Management, Data Analysis, Consumer Behaviour, Entrepreneurship, Leadership and Human Resource Management and Cross-Cultural Management.

Each course usually runs from Wednesday to Saturday, as a blocked course. To pass, students need to write either an academic paper or an exam. At the end of the programme, students write a Master's thesis on an innovative and relevant topic in management and marketing research. There is a writing time of three months for full-time students and six months for part-time students.

The entire curriculum of the MBA programme is offered in English.

Students at the EIABM come from all over the world. On their way to taking the lead in global teams, they learn the necessary basics of modern management in the MBA programme: economic, legal and political strategies as well as essential intercultural aspects, through discussions and case studies.

Field trips, lectures, case studies and company visits to the institute's European partner universities offer students the opportunity to deepen and apply theoretical knowledge and interact with international students, practitioners and scholars. The programme is very practice-focused, state-of-the-art teaching methods such as interactive case studies, team work and real-life examples enhance the study experience. Students get valuable insights into the industrial world on various company visits and networking events with experts from the business world. This offers excellent opportunities to start building their career networks for their successful futures, right from the beginning.

Courses are taught by renowned professors from Saarland University as well as from other recognised universities in Germany and other European countries. EIABM chooses their lecturers very carefully from the elite range of leading experts in their fields.

An excellent qualification at the highest level is guaranteed by a high degree of practical relevance and internationality in the study programme the students, state-of-the-art scientific application, practical and professional orientation, interdisciplinarity, and at the heart of the programme, the teaching of responsible action.

There are no integrated internships in the programme. However, students who are interested are welcome to pursue an internship and receive support from EIABM and Saarland University's Career Centre.

The application deadline for the academic year is set to 15 July of the respective year.

Late registration is possible by 30 September at the latest.

Applicants must have an undergraduate degree (minimum: Bachelor's) with at least 240 ECTS. Furthermore, applicants must have professional experience (of at least one year after graduation).

Additionally, TOEFL or IELTS is required.

A GMAT (Graduate Management Admission Test) is required, but this requirement might be waived in some exceptional cases or justified cases.

APS is required for applicants from India, China, and Vietnam.

Approx. 344.30 EUR per semester (as of summer semester 2026; semester fees are subject to change), including the Deutschlandticket which covers main public transport in all of Germany.

More information: https://www.uni-saarland.de/en/study/organisation/fees/semester-fee.html

The Welcome Center at Saarland University provides information on working and living in Saarbrücken. For more information, please visit their website: https://www.uni-saarland.de/en/global/welcome-center/living-working.html.

Cost of living: https://www.uni-saarland.de/en/global/welcome-center/preparing/financing/cost-of-living.html

Saarland University has a Career Centre, an Innovation Centre, a Welcome Centre and an International Office, all of which help and support students with everything related to future careers, finding jobs, part-time jobs, students jobs and internships, etc. The student visa usually entitles all international students to take up part-time or student employment. Please find further information here or contact the welcome centre on campus.

There is a student scholarship, exclusively available to the MBA programme, called "Deutschlandstipendium". MBA students can apply for it in June of every year. At the end of the MBA studies, there are also two monetary prizes announced every year: the "Villa Lessing Prize" for very good Master's theses with a European focus, and the "Hans Werner Osthoff Prize" for the most successful MBA student. Both have prize money attached to them. It is also possible to apply for student loans at various institutions. More details are available at: https://www.uni-saarland.de/en/global/welcome-center/preparing/financing.html.

Boasting a modern campus and excellent start-up infrastructure at the heart of Europe, right in the border triangle of France, Luxembourg and Germany, we provide an ideal environment for academic pursuit and founding activities with excellent employment options in three countries! Saarland University's Career Center continuously offers events and support to help students build a great career. There are also many support and networking opportunities for entrepreneurial activities, for example a start-up campus and the "Triathlon" ecosystem with the Innovation Centre for entrepreneurship, innovation, and transfer.

The International Office helps students find accommodation. Rooms and apartments are affordable and relatively easy to find. Compared to other major cities in Germany where accommodation is often difficult to find, Saarbrücken offers a wide range of different options within reasonable time frames.

More information: https://www.uni-saarland.de/en/global/welcome-center/accommodation.html

For 35 years, the European Institute for Advanced Behavioural Management (EIABM) has been offering postgraduate education at the highest level, with the MBA programme in "European Management" being the oldest university MBA programme in Germany.

The institute is part of Saarland University, founded in 1948 as a public campus university offering an extensive range of courses and internationally networked state-of-the-art research, giving it a multinational orientation. International students receive excellent supervision and can enjoy a comprehensive range of sports and leisure activities while studying at Saarland University.

The European Institute itself has its origins in 1951 when it was founded, after Saarland University was proclaimed a "European University" in November 1950 and the European Institute was to be the "crown and symbol of the entire university".

Ten years after the foundation of the postgraduate course "European Integration" of the Law Section of the European Institute, a counterpart in economics was created in 1990 with the course "European Economy".

The initiators of the MBA programme were Prof. Dr. Christian Scholz (Business Administration), Prof. Dr. Werner Kroeber-Riel (Business Administration), Prof. Dr. Rudolf Richter (Economics) and Prof. Dr. Werner Pommerehne (Economics). The focus of the study programmes has always been on a behaviour-oriented understanding of markets and people. After all, companies are successful primarily when they understand markets and people.

In 1990 to 1999, the institute initially offered an economics and a business studies programme. Two degrees were envisaged for each field of study, namely "Certificate in European Economic Studies" and "Magister Rerum Politicarum Europaearum" for the economic field of study, while the business field of study awarded the degrees "Certificate in European Management" and "Magister Rerum Oeconomicarum Europaearum" (MBA).

Since 2008 the programme has been operating under the name "MBA European Management", which is the contact point for continuous university education in the field of management, entrepreneurship and innovation.

Boasting a modern campus and excellent infrastructure, the institute provides an ideal environment for academic pursuit. Students benefit from various support services including career counselling, language courses, and start-up assistance, enhancing their overall academic experience. MBA students can take full advantage of the facilities and services of Saarland University's excellent infrastructure such as:

• CIP Pool with state-of-the-art technical equipment, computers, iPads, electronic whiteboards, etc.
• Teaching and study rooms of the latest technical standards, EIABM Institute's library, Student Lounge with seating areas, free coffee/tea making facilities
• Free language courses (such as German courses) at our Language Centre
• Free career counselling, assistance with finding internships, career preparation, advice and workshops at our Career Center
• Free start-up advice and support, close networking with the business community, business start-up courses and access to the network of Triathlon
• Free exciting leisure-time and cultural programme for international students with new offers every month at our Centre for International Students
• Childcare facilities and family support at our Family Office
• Vibrant city for a unique and exciting student life experience

Studying as an MBA student with EIABM means that you are enrolled as a full student at Saarland University. You are thus entitled to make use of a wide range of amenities and fully engage in student life.

Right in the heart of Europe, the Institute's location offers an excellent basis for international management education. Saarland is a beautiful place to live in and a very interesting business location. The state capital Saarbrücken is the economic and cultural centre of the cross-border conurbation SaarMoselle. As a university, congress, trade fair and shopping city, Saarbrücken is a very attractive location for entrepreneurial activities. The city's status as an economic and cultural hub further enhances the opportunities for entrepreneurial endeavours, making it an attractive destination for students seeking international exposure.

Situated in an idyllic wooded spot, our campus provides an ideal learning atmosphere. The special geographical location in the border triangle of Germany, France, and Luxembourg offers graduates of the MBA programme the opportunity to apply for jobs in three different job markets. The institute's geographical advantage enriches the educational landscape, providing access to diverse opportunities within the Saar-Lor-Lux region. Excursions and field trips are integral parts of the MBA programme. In these events, students deepen and apply theoretical knowledge and interact socially with other students, practitioners, and academics. Company visits are regularly organised, as well as excursions to Brussels, Strasbourg and Luxembourg, including visits to institutions such as the European Commission and the European Court of Justice.