Strategic Marketing Management

Study Program

The Finance Master of Science Degree is taught in three semesters plus Master’s thesis. In addition to acquiring knowledge, students participate in group and project work that train their problem-solving abilities and help them to further develop their soft skills (teamwork, presentation techniques, etc.). These basics will be taught in the first semester, followed by specialization in the second semester. The students spend their third semester at a university abroad that cooperates with the ISM. This supports the students’ intercultural competences and enhances the international perspective of the study program. Additionally, an internship, a project-internship and a practical Master’s thesis are built into the program.

Foundational semester (1st Semester)

This semester focuses on building a good basic knowledge of the financial sector and is supplemented by basics in private law. The main focus however is on financial management. This module contains subjects such as Asset and Liability Management as well as Institutional Finance Management, thereby covering all essential areas of Finance Management. At the same time the implemented financial instruments will be explained in detail. These subjects will be complemented by the module Financial Theory, which focuses on the theoretical side of Finance Management. While learning the theory, an excellent knowledge of the complex context of financial economics will be taught, a valuable asset for professional Finance Management. Additionally, the students will learn Business Ethics, International Financial Laws and Quantitative Economics.

Specialization Semester (2nd Semester)

In the second semester, students intensify the knowledge they acquired in the first semester. They take part in the three modules Financial Engineering, Financial Planning and Communication as well as Operational Management. They also have the choice between the modules Accounting and International Controlling depending on their interests and future perspectives. New types of investments and their profit-risk-potential are quantified. The students take an in-depth look at different kinds of investments and use this knowledge to create new financial products. Other focal points are Business Planning as well as Company Rating. In addition to the other subjects different possibilities of controlling and reducing financial risks are taught in Financial Risk Management. The students learn how a company’s value can be enhanced and qualify for investor-directed communication and networking. Completing the financial modules, Operational Management creates a link between finances and operative activities in the form of Commodity- and Real Estate Management. To further personalize the course, students can choose to learn about the IFRS-system, Auditing and systems for handling company data in Accounting. Controlling includes value-oriented leadership and participation-controlling as well as analyses and model calculations for Risk Management.

International Semester (3rd Semester)

During their international semester, students further develop and strengthen their intercultural competence, improve their language skills and deepen their knowledge of regional financial commodities. With this in mind, students choose one of the ISM’s partner universities in Europe or overseas to study at.
A further part of this semester is either an internship or a theoretical pro-seminar. This guarantees that students will always have the same sufficient scientific qualifications as well as hands-on knowledge of Finance, uninfluenced by whether they may have been educated on either a more practical or a more theoretical level.

Master's Thesis

The Master’s thesis is the last stage of the program. Students should apply the knowledge gained in the first three semesters to their thesis. In the process, students deal extensively with a financial topic and transfer general knowledge to specific problems, in order to solve concrete problems for companies or answer research questions.