Bachelor of Science Business Administration Kühne Logistics University

KLU – ranked among the world's top five percent of business schools (AACSB) – is your launchpad for a future-proof career in any industry you dream of. Our BSc in Business Administration gives you far more than core business skills: you develop KLU's unique operations mindset – critical, data-driven and action-oriented, ideal for the fast-changing, AI-driven economy. You'll study fully in English in small classes with classmates from across the world, enjoying a vibrant campus life that's both fun and full of purpose.

Choose from four specialisations:

• Digital Management & Innovation
• International Management
• Supply Chain Management 
• Sustainable Management

An integrated internship and semester abroad give you hands-on experience and a global perspective, while KLU's strong employer ties help you move confidently into top Master's programmes or the job market.

Why Study Business Administration at KLU?

• Unique Approach to Business: Develop an operations mindset, a unique skill set that will make you stand out from the crowd and give you an advantage in the future business world.
• Small Classes, Big Impact: This is your chance for a smooth transition into university. Benefit from a close community, and hands-on innovative learning with the newest technologies, including AI.
• Truly International: Our BSc in Business Administration is one of the few in Germany taught 100% in English. With a diverse campus, over 100 destinations for your semester abroad, and our international hub in Saigon, you'll be ready to launch a global career.
• Ready for the AI Era: Our programme combines cutting-edge technologies, including AI tools and projects, with an operations mindset and specialisation options, giving you a competitive edge over other graduates.
• Future-Proof Career: At KLU, you'll get top-notch career guidance from day one through our Career Skills Course, your integrated internship, and student consulting projects.

Course Organisation

The standard track spans six semesters and 180 ECTS, structured around a strong core in business fundamentals combined with an in-depth specialisation of your choice. In the first two semesters, you build your foundation with core modules such as Fundamentals of Accounting, Statistics, Mathematics for Business & Economics, Marketing, Fundamentals of Management and Strategy, Introduction to Digital Management, Logistics and Supply Chain Management Fundamentals, Human Resource Management, Microeconomics, and Personal Skills, while also beginning your first specialisation modules.

Following an initial break, semesters three and four deepen both your core knowledge — with modules like Corporate Finance, International Business Law, and Macroeconomics — and your chosen specialisation: Digital Management & Innovation, International Management, Supply Chain Management, or Sustainable Management. A mandatory internship, supported by KLU's Career Services team, connects your studies to real industry practice, and your semester abroad at one of KLU's 100+ partner universities lets you complement your studies with courses in areas such as Data Science, Innovation, Leadership, Luxury Management, Psychology, or Sustainability.

You will round off your degree in semesters five and six with further specialisation modules, a Seminar, Personal Skills courses, and finally the Deep Dive Business Challenge — a hands-on consulting-style project tackling a real business problem — together with your Bachelor's thesis, in which you will dive deep into a topic of your choice.

Internship

Your Bachelor's in Business Administration includes a three-month internship integrated into your studies, which you may choose to complete in Germany or abroad. This is your chance to put the concepts and methods you've learned into practice, gain first-hand insight into real business challenges, and build valuable professional connections early in your career. If you choose the intensive track, you'll complete two internships, giving you even more hands-on experience before graduation. Throughout the process, KLU's Career Services team supports you in finding the right opportunity.

Academic Admission Requirements

• High school diploma or school leaving certificate qualifying you for admission to German universities
• Proof of English language proficiency (B2)
• Interview with our admissions team and faculty

Depending on your country of origin, there may be additional requirements — feel free to ask.

Have you not yet received your final school leaving certificate? No problem. Just apply with your latest transcript and submit your final certificate once it's available.

If your high school curriculum or course combination doesn't directly qualify you for admission to a German university, you may need to complete KLU's one-year Business Foundations Programme (Studienkolleg) before starting your Bachelor's degree. Not sure whether this applies to you? Simply get in touch to inquire.

Included in tuition fees

At KLU, we believe in educating talented minds regardless of financial background, offering scholarships and tuition financing covering up to 100% of our fees. Our Brain Capital model lets you defer part or all of your tuition until after graduation, with income-based repayments once you've entered the workforce. Multiple loan schemes are also available to cover living expenses.

We offer a limited number of merit-based and need-based scholarships, plus sports scholarships for German and international top-athletes. Students with grants from recognised gifted-education institutions (Begabtenförderwerke) can apply for a full tuition fee waiver, and we proudly support students from refugee communities in Hamburg. Check each scholarship's specific criteria to find your best fit.

At KLU, we believe in preparing you for a career with purpose. Our dedicated Career Services help you launch a successful career through a fully integrated curriculum that includes a strategic Career Skills Course, personalised 1:1 career coaching, and industry-focused guest lectures. You'll benefit from exclusive networking events, an active alumni network, and exclusive internship and job offers, plus the chance to showcase yourself in our annual CV book, shared with top employers. All of these services are seamlessly woven into your studies to give you a competitive edge.

KLU's business network includes companies such as Accenture, Airbus, BASF, Beiersdorf, DB Schenker, IBM, Kühne+Nagel, Lufthansa Group, and Siemens.

It is recommended that you start looking for accommodation as early as possible. Our Student Services Office will be happy to assist you in finding suitable accommodation.

KLU, Kühne Logistics University, is a leading, state-recognised, international university based in Hamburg, Germany, with a second campus in Saigon, Vietnam, and with a planned expansion to Africa and the Americas. Among the top five percent of business schools worldwide, as per AACSB accreditation, KLU offers high-quality education, fully in English, including Bachelor's, Master's, MBA, PhD, and Executive Education programmes in business and management, data science and analytics, and notably, logistics and supply chain management.

Funded by the Kühne Foundation, KLU is committed to empowering contemporary leaders with a strong operations mindset. Our teaching and research activities blend academic excellence with a hands-on approach preparing our students to tackle real-world problems with a future-oriented approach. Emphasising digital transformation, entrepreneurship, and sustainability, KLU shapes leaders to drive responsible and sustainable change globally.

Our students benefit from an exceptional professor-to-student ratio, providing them individual support from world-class, highly research-active professors. Integrated internships, participation in student and sports clubs, and international exchanges with prestigious business schools and universities worldwide provide the best environment to gain additional experience and enjoy their student life. This is rounded off with tailored career coaching and partnerships with top companies to ensure a successful career path.

KLU's Name and Meaning:

• Kühne represents our founder and benefactor, Klaus-Michael Kühne, a visionary German businessman whose influence has shaped KLU's powerful corporate network, bridging academia and industry while creating exceptional opportunities for our students and alumni.
• Logistics reflects our origins in driving progress in logistics, operations, & supply chains. While this stays core to our mission, offering students a unique edge through an operations mindset, we've since expanded into broader management education, earning global recognition with prestigious AACSB accreditation, placing us among the top five percent of business schools worldwide.
• University stands for our faculty's dedication to producing cutting-edge science. As world-class researchers, they bring the latest insights to students, helping them gain up-to-date knowledge and hone the critical skill of knowledge production. Students learn to differentiate rigorous research from mere opinions, giving them a competitive edge in an era of continuous learning.

KLU's Operations Mindset

The operations mindset is a unique skill set (rooted in our logistics heritage) that allows anyone to approach any challenge with the strategic and pragmatic vision of a leader. This mindset empowers you to "get things done", enhancing your problem-solving skills by rigorously analysing the situation and coming up with effective and innovative solutions that can be implemented, even in a fast-paced environment. The operations mindset encompasses many skills that are key to moving projects forward, such as strategic thinking, data-driven decision-making ("head"), open mentality, quick adaptability, strong cooperation ("heart"), and a hands-on approach ("hand").

Hamburg is a popular city among German students. Its cultural spectrum rivals that of Berlin. Students can experience the diverse nightlife offered at the Reeperbahn, enjoy great music at the Elbjazz and Dockville festivals, relax in the cafés and trendy bars in the St Georg and Schanze districts, and watch the Hamburg sunset at the city's popular harbour beach clubs.

With over five million inhabitants, the Hamburg metropolitan area is among the biggest winners to profit from the opening up of Eastern Europe and worldwide globalisation. This metropolis on the water is the most easterly of the northern seaports, making it the ideal port for Eastern Europe. As a global hub serving overseas countries, Central and Eastern Europe, and the Baltic area, Hamburg benefits from its central position at the confluence of the global trade handled by European logistics.

Hamburg is also considered to be one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Its extensive stretches of water and green parks and the historic residential areas are renowned. There are many attractive possibilities for leisure activities. These special qualities, together with the maritime atmosphere and its proximity to the North Sea and the Baltic Sea, make Hamburg a jewel among international cities.

The historic core of Hamburg's port is the "Speicherstadt", the former warehouse area, where the world's most beautiful warehouse complex was built at the end of the 19th century. Against this background, the new HafenCity is being constructed on the former harbour area, and it is right here — in the centre of Hamburg and right on the waterfront — where Kühne Logistics University is located. Students find everything they need in order to study and feel comfortable. This includes superbly equipped interactive teaching and study rooms, state-of-the-art facilities, broadband wireless access, a well-stocked library, and access to relevant online databases for research.