In addition to the formal requirements, the Master of Science (M.Sc.) in Accounting and Finance is designed for prospective students who have a strong interest in general economic issues or in the fields of accounting and finance in particular. This is especially true if you find it exciting to think in terms of broader contexts while always keeping the big picture in mind. If you envision your future in a leadership role – whether as a corporate executive or in administration – where you guide employees and are recognized as an expert in the successful management of your company or department, then this program is the right choice for you!

Formal admission requirements for the Master of Science (M.Sc.) in Accounting and Finance at JGU are:

• A bachelor’s degree in a field of economics from a higher education institution or a degree that is not substantially different from it.
• In doing so, you must demonstrate coursework of at least 19 credit points in quantitative methods content. This includes, for example, mathematics, statistics, empirical methods, operations research, or game theory.

If you have not yet received your bachelor’s degree certificate by the application deadline, but have earned at least 135 credits in your bachelor’s program, you must apply by the set deadline with a transcript (certified copy issued by your university) of all coursework and exams completed to date, including your average grade to date; this certificate must be issued by the responsible higher education institution. If the admission requirements listed above require proof of a specific number of credit points, applicants must provide proof of two-thirds of that number by the end of the application deadline.

You can find more information in the examination regulations (in German).

Master of Science (M.Sc.) in Accounting and Finance consists five parts:

1. Core

Intended to provide you with a comprehensive overview of all the core fields of the program. Here, you select four fields yourself, whereby you must select at least one of the two fields “Advanced Corporate Finance” and “Asset Management”.

The remaining fields from which you can choose are:

• International financial reporting
• Taxation of partnerships and corporations
• Corporate governance of German companies
• Performance measurement and incentive design

2. Specialization

Here, you choose at least six from a variety of focus areas which cover different topics. The individual topic-related focus areas can be attributed to the relevant fields of the degree program and build on the knowledge you acquired during the core phase:

• Financial accounting
• Taxation
• Corporate governance
• Management accounting
• Financial services
• Corporate finance
• Quantitative methods

3. Research

Here, you will have the opportunity to delve deeply into specific and specialized current issues in the field of financial accounting, explore them with your fellow students, and discuss them with them.

You’ll take one course from each of two subject areas. You can choose from:

• Financial reporting
• Corporate taxation
• Corporate governance
• Controlling
• Financial services
• Corporate finance
• Accounting

4. Electives

This interdisciplinary component of the M.Sc. program allows you to supplement your knowledge in financial accounting with expertise from related fields, thereby refining your professional profile.
You can choose from the following fields and subject areas:

Business administration:

• Logistics and management
• Information systems
• General management
• Marketing
• Cross-channel management and social media
• Management and digital transformation

Economics:

• International economics
• Public policy

Fields outside of business and economics

• Computer science
• Mathematics
• Training of emotional and social skills
• Psychology

You can choose up to three courses from the above listed fields, only up to two of those may be from the fields outside of business and economics.

5. Final phase

Your degree program concludes with the completion of a master’s thesis and participation in a research colloquium, during which you will present the topic of your master’s thesis to your fellow students and discuss the central research question.

Internships

This program of study does not include a mandatory internship. However, voluntary internships are a great way to gain insight into a professional field.

An internship allows you to discover whether everyday life in a particular occupation suits your career expectations and interests. You can gain qualifications for a professional field and acquire important professional and personal skills to start a career. An internship helps you both shape your career path, and mold the remainder of your course sequence – in particular by selecting specializations that suit your practical experience.

You can find further information and relevant internships on the Career Service website.

Stays abroad

Would you like to live abroad for a semester or a year? Do you want to learn another language and get to know a new culture? Or gain a different perspective on your particular subject? A stay abroad provides you with the perfect opportunity to achieve this and is possible with every degree program – either self-organized or by taking advantage of one of the popular exchange programs. This is made possible by various cooperation agreements and partnerships with foreign universities.

For more information on this topic, please visit our websites on studying abroad. Visit our student exchange platform for an overview of cooperating universities in your field.

This program of study does not require you to spend time abroad, but you nevertheless have the opportunity to do so.

The Master of Science in Accounting and Finance prepares you for careers in a wide range of related fields and enables you to find your place in the professional world after graduation. Some examples are:

• Controlling
• Financial auditing
• Tax counseling
• Corporate consulting
• Treasury management
• Risk management
• Investment banking
• Asset management
• Business informatics
• Logistics management
• Human resource management
• Marketing and sales
• Social media management

Not sure what to do after graduation? Don’t worry!

A university degree generally does not prepare you for a single profession but qualifies you for a wide range of career paths – for example, in research, in a typical profession related to your field of study, or in one of many other academic fields.

This is why career orientation is also part of your studies. Gaining practical experience is key, and you can do so through internships, working student positions, part-time jobs or voluntary work, for example.

JGU’s Career Service will support you throughout the entire process with information, advice, workshops and numerous events – from career orientation and working on your profile and skills to finding your dream job and successfully applying for it.