WHU

Master of Arts: Requirements & Career Opportunities –
The perfect follow-up to your Bachelor's degree.

Do you want to continue your education straight after your Bachelor's degree and complete a management course? Or perhaps you have been working in your profession for a few years but want to obtain a Master of Arts? Then go for it! Use your knowledge as a basis for climbing the career ladder and start with the Master of Arts in the very next semester! You can find everything you need to know about this degree program, such as what Master of Arts basically means, in our overview below.
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What does Master of Arts mean?

Like every degree at a university or college, the M.A. (Master of Arts ) is an academic degree. It can be obtained in various fields of study, such as economics, social sciences, or humanities. In other sciences, such as mathematics, the Master's degree is completed with the Master of Science. The Master of Arts follows the Bachelor's degree and can be a specialisation or in-depth study in a certain subject area as well as a change of subject for the graduate.

What Master of Arts programs are there in general?

Master programs can take place in various fields, following on from the respective basic Bachelor's degree programs. Depending on the academic orientation, the fields of study also differ:

  • In linguistics and cultural studies, for example, one could graduate with a Master of Arts in Classical Philology, i.e. in a specific language.
  • In the social sciences, German studies would be a possible subject.
  • In economics, many study business administration, i.e. a classic business studies program. In addition, Master of Arts programs can also be taken in theology or art and a degree can be obtained.

Can I study the Master of Arts part-time?

The Master of Arts degree can be obtained while you are working and it does not have to be taken as a full-time degree at university. The main advantage here is the flexibility and the practical focus, which means you can integrate what you have learned into your everyday professional life straight away. 

WHU's Part-Time Master - the perfect career path alongside work

The Master of Arts program begins with online courses that can be taken at any time and place. The advantage of this is that you can continue to work in your job and take time off to study. The classroom lectures begin after two months and these take place at two locations: Dusseldorf and Vallendar. The Part-Time Master in Management program is taught fully in English, it takes 17 months to complete and costs €33,000. The dual studies Master's program begins in September each year and also includes a one-week capstone module abroad. This serves as a practical test of international relations. After the core modules and all lectures have been completed, the last semester follows, in which students have a few months to prepare their Master's thesis. With this academic thesis, Master's degree programs are completed and the academic degree of Master of Arts is attained. A doctorate may then follow if the requirements for this are met.

What are the requirements for taking up a Master of Arts program at WHU?

At WHU, the Master's degree can be taken part-time in only one field of study, namely business administration. Graduates then receive the academic degree of Master of Arts in Business Administration. The prerequisite for this course is a completed Bachelor's degree. A Bachelor's degree in the field of economics would be desirable. In addition, you must have at least one year's work experience, regardless of whether it is an internship, a job as a research assistant or a full-time job. This is not only a necessity with regard to the language of instruction, but also with regard to your professional future with international partners. In addition, you must have international experience of at least 3 months and be able to prove it. It should be noted that German-speaking countries such as Switzerland or Austria are not counted. A final admission criterion is proof of your analytical and quantitative skills, which can be found, for example, in a good GMAT/GRE/TM-BASE score.

How much can I earn with a Master of Arts degree?

With the Master of Arts degree, which builds on a previous Bachelor's degree, you deepen and expand your specialist knowledge and thus qualify for more demanding tasks and more responsible positions, which are rewarded accordingly higher. Overall, however, the earnings potential depends on many factors, such as the industry and function in which you work or the size of the company. And of course, your own profile does not only consist of your academic degrees - your practical experience gained while working or from internships can also significantly increase your value to the company. At WHU, the average starting salary for graduates with a Master's degree in Business Administration is 65,100 euros. In many industries, the salary is supplemented by additional benefits such as bonuses or company shares. So far, WHU only has data on full-time Master of Science programs, as our part-time Master of Arts program has just started. In principle, the same career paths are open to you with both degrees, including a doctorate and, of course, the possibility of founding your own company.

What career opportunities do I have with a Master of Arts degree?

With a Master of Arts, you have a wide range of career options. For example, industries such as the automotive industry, management consulting, or companies that deal with future trends such as artificial intelligence or sustainability are open to you. There are also no restrictions in terms of functional areas, regardless of whether you are interested in controlling, want to do marketing, find the logistics processes of a company exciting or want to take on another business management function in the company. Building on the basic knowledge gained in the Bachelor program, you can select courses in the Master's program to prepare you for specific functions. In addition to the academic qualification, the practical part-time study program, similar to an MBA - Master of Business Administration program, offers you intensive group work experiences and thus valuable insights into the working worlds of your fellow students. Maybe this will give you some new ideas for your future career path! The WHU Career Center​​​​​​​ will be happy to advise you on your career options.

TO THE MASTER OF ARTS PROGRAM
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