Qualification goals

The Master's program in Finance & Accounting is offered at the Faculty of Social and Economic Sciences and is designed to enable students to comprehend and help shape subject-specific and interdisciplinary issues and processes. Students should acquire the ability to recognize relevant problems, analyze them using scientific methods and independently develop possible solutions.

The Master's degree program in Finance & Accounting leads to a university degree with professional and research qualifications. The program is designed to impart the ability to analyze business problems with a focus on finance and accounting in depth using scientific methods and to independently develop innovative solutions. The two-year Master's program imparts in-depth knowledge in order to create qualified and challenging employment opportunities in professional practice (business, national and international organizations, administration) on the one hand and to enable students to conduct their own research on the other.

Depending on the orientation in the Master's program, this also lays the foundation for subsequent scientific qualifications, for example a doctorate. In addition, the ability to recognize interdisciplinary problems and to develop possible contributions with a focus on Finance & Accounting for the solution of such problems is to be imparted.

In the elective area I Finance & Accounting, at least four of the five sub-areas Accounting, Banking & Financial Controlling, Finance, Management Control and Taxation must be completed with at least 1 module. From the module group Methods and Research, at least one module in the area "Methods and Research from Finance & Accounting" must be completed.
Students acquire extensive knowledge of relevant research methods and strategies, enabling them to apply the appropriate scientific methods to independently solve complex business problems with a focus on Finance & Accounting.

At the same time, the program has an interdisciplinary orientation, especially with reference to statistics/econometrics as well as business informatics.

On the individual qualification goals ...

Qualification for a qualified gainful employment

Graduates of the Master's program in Finance & Accounting, after attending the specialized scientific modules, are able to,

... analyze unknown, complex financing-related issues, taking into account different types of financing with inter- and intra-organizational effects in a multi-period model, using scientific methods and drawing on scientific literature and legal frameworks, and develop solution concepts;
... to identify financing effects and to conceptualize practicable proposals for the further development of the financing framework. This requires a macroeconomic view of the financing effects in addition to the microeconomic view;
... to apply core competencies of the financial economics profession in the areas of finance and financial controlling as well as in financial intermediaries such as banks, insurance companies, investment funds or hedge funds and in supranational institutions. This includes the preparation of financing and capital commitment plans as well as a risk management concept as well as their analysis and use to answer business management questions (e.g. corporate strategy and company valuation under uncertainty);
... to analyze unknown, complex tax issues taking into account different types of taxes with interpersonal effects in a multi-period model using scientific methods with reference to laws and to develop solution concepts. This corresponds to the ability to declare and plan taxes;
... to identify de lege lata tax effects and to conceptualize de lege ferenda proposals for the further development of the tax norm framework. This requires a macroeconomic view of tax effects in addition to the microeconomic view;
... to apply core competencies of the auditing profession in accountability. This includes the preparation of accounts on the basis of different accounting concepts as well as their analysis and use to answer business management questions (e.g. company valuation);
... to recognize the interactions between the individual sub-areas of the course (e.g. between financing, controlling, taxation and accounting) in situation-specific problem analysis and to take these into account when solving problems;
... to analyze the issues to be dealt with in an interdisciplinary manner (e.g. by taking into account the economic effects, e.g. on the basis of the competences from a Bachelor's degree in economics and in particular from the modules Financial Markets and Financial Systems; Systems of Taxable Profit Determination; International Finance) and to take into account the interdisciplinary interactions by way of an impact assessment;
... to also be able to analyze and assess cross-border issues from a financial and tax perspective and to map and analyze them in accountability. A study visit abroad also serves to familiarize the student with foreign financial systems as well as tax and accounting regulations in order to enable an international comparison of regulations;
... to apply extensive knowledge of relevant research methods and strategies to independently solve complex business problems with a focus on finance and accounting, e.g. on risk management and performance analysis in Strategic Financial Management and Corporate Governance; Corporate Analysis and Rating; on valuation structures in Corporate Valuation and Analysis; Capital Structure and Corporate Valuation; Taxation of International Corporate Activities; on financial market analysis in Financial Markets and Financial Systems; International Finance.

Scientific qualification

Graduates of the Master's program in Finance & Accounting, after attending the specialized scientific modules, are able to,

... to scientifically apply models and theories with special consideration of the respective subject-related aspects (e.g. financing or taxation in capital structure models, e.g. in Systems of Taxable Profit Determination; Strategic Financial Management and Corporate Governance; in capital market models or auditing, e.g. in Accounting according to IFRS; Financial Markets and Financial Systems; in Principal-Agent Theory);
... to analyze, structure and work on complex problems in the field of finance and accounting in depth and to critically reflect on them with regard to current discourses, e.g. in empirical and experimental financial market research; research questions in banking and financial controlling; current questions in business taxation; research seminar on international accounting and auditing;
... using independently selected qualitative or quantitative methods - trained e.g. in the context of empirical analyses of a quantitative and qualitative nature or paper analyses, but also through practical application - to work on scientifically well-founded technical issues, to identify decision alternatives and to critically select them, taking into account possible consequences, e.g. in Capital Structure and Company Valuation; Financial Markets and Financial Systems; Legal Form-Oriented Corporate Taxation; Fixed Income Instruments; Company Valuation and Analysis;
... also to carry out extensive research-related projects in the field of Finance & Accounting independently, taking into account generally accepted principles of good scientific practice, and to assume responsibility in working teams, e.g. in the final thesis; in empirical and experimental financial market research; in research questions in banking and financial controlling; in current questions on business taxation; in the research seminar on international accounting and auditing.

Personal Development

Graduates of the Master's program in Finance & Accounting ...

... can realistically assess their own abilities, have developed a professional self-image and have concrete ideas about how they would like to develop professionally,
... are able to independently acquire the scientific and practical development of the subject through their own continuing education even after graduation,
... are prepared for the self-organizing working methods of the profession through the team-oriented development of solutions in seminars and seminar-style teaching and can communicate and argue in a well-founded manner, consider problems from the field of Finance & Accounting both alone and in teams and involve participants in a goal-oriented manner, taking into account the respective group situation, as they have shown, for example, in Strategic Financial Management and Corporate Governance; Fundamentals of Business Ethics;
... have learned, in the context of group work (e.g. in role plays such as financing provider vs. financing recipient, shareholder vs. outside financier, taxpayer vs. tax audit), to also recognize possible conflict potentials and to find constructive solutions, e.g. in Empirical and Experimental Financial Market Research; Research Issues in Banking and Financial Controlling; Current Issues in Business Taxation; Research Seminar on International Accounting and Auditing;
... are able to critically assess current societal discourses (e.g. on sustainable societal development) through the study of topics in Finance & Accounting and contribute to these issues in the form of their own contributions;
... have internalized a critical and reflective perspective within the framework of the inclusion of the social background of the discipline (e.g. financial ethics, sustainable finance, tax morality; transparent accountability) and the discourse with other disciplines (e.g. history, ethics), so that they can play a decisive role in shaping social processes critically, reflectively as well as with a sense of responsibility and in a democratic public spirit and can also transfer the professional findings to the present and future.

The aforementioned competencies and skills lay the foundation for students to independently acquire the scientific and practical development of the subject through their own continuing education, even after graduation.