Accounting, Finance, Controllership
Master of Science (MSc)
Accounting, Finance, Controllership MSc
We are pleased that you are considering studying for an MSc in Accounting, Finance, Controllership.
The following contains information about the structure and procedures to follow in this full-time study programme as well as other relevant information, e.g. about admission requirements and the lecturers.
Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any further questions.
"My name is Farshid and I am studying for a Master's degree in Accounting, Finance and Controlling. Accounting, finance as well as cost accounting and controlling are simply exciting subject areas for me. For this reason, I searched for Master's programmes with this special focus and found Fulda University of Applied Sciences. The practice-oriented content of the Accounting, Finance and Controlling programme and the modern, compact and international campus convinced me. "
"I am Ksenija and I am studying for a Master's degree in Accounting, Finance and Controlling. After my bachelor's degree in business administration, further specialisation in my focus area of accounting was particularly important to me. With Fulda University of Applied Sciences, I found a university with a practical and international focus, where the professors not only report on research, but also share experiences and examples from their own practical experience."
Apply now until 31 March!
Info Events
You can get first-hand information from our lecturers and students at our information events.
You can find current dates in the schedule here.
Important points about the programme
Study programme
| Programme name and degree | Accounting, Finance, Controllership Master of Science (MSc) |
|---|---|
| Target group | Graduates ("Diplom", Bachelor), predominantly in the areas of business and economics |
| Goal | Expertise in accounting, finance, controllership and ability to assume management functions. Our Master’s programme offers excellent career opportunities in, for example, accounting, financing, controllership, project- and risk-management, and mergers and acquisitions departments in many sectors, including banking and insurance, consulting companies, auditing firms, public service and non-profit-organisations |
| Start | Winter and summer semester |
| Standard duration | 3 semesters |
| Teaching methods | Seminar-based teaching, case study work, use of an e-learning platform, etc |
| Language of instruction | German and English |
| Lecturers | Professors from the Department of Business at Fulda University of Applied Sciences and experts from the field |
| Accreditation | The accreditation process has been completed successfully. |
Profile and objectives
The Master’s in Accounting, Finance and Controllership normally lasts three semesters and can be started in the winter or summer semester each year.
If you have enjoyed accounting, finance and cost-accounting controllership in your studies so far, this programme could be just the right choice for you. The Master’s programme builds on undergraduate knowledge in these areas of expertise. Our goal is to help you to become an expert in accounting, financing and controllership and to attain the competence necessary to assume a management position in the future.
Full consideration is given to the latest business and research findings. Towards the end of the programme, there is a seminar with a special focus on research. Through this seminar, we not only want to help you with your Master's thesis but also to prepare you for a possible doctorate later on. Master’s degrees at universities and universities of applied sciences are of identical value.
After successful completion of the Master’s study programme, you will be awarded a Master of Science (MSc) degree.
Content and structure
Our lecturers, who are experts in their field and recognised academics, will provide you with detailed practice-oriented knowledge in the areas of accounting, finance and controllership.
The following table gives you a structured overview of the entire study programme and the individual modules.
| 1st semester | 2nd semester | 3rd semester |
|---|---|---|
| Foundations of Business Administration | Individual Financial Statement according to IFRS | Consolidated Financial Statements and Analysis |
| Quantitative Methods of Business Administration | Strategic Controllership | Equity Holdings, Business Valuations and Reporting |
| Taxation | Investment and Project Controllership | Seminar in Accounting, Finance or Controllership |
| Business Law | Operations Controllership | Master's thesis |
| International Financial Markets | Financial Risk Management | |
| Management and Corporate Governance | Corporate Finance and Capital Market |
Goals for the Accounting component
Publicly listed companies prepare their financial statements in accordance with the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). Some medium-sized companies in Germany have also decided to prepare their financial statements on the basis of international accounting rules, especially IAS/IFRS.
In this component of the study programme, you will learn to apply the IFRS balance sheet rules. After completing this topic, you will have mastered individual financial statement and consolidated financial statement structures according to the IFRS. You will know the differences between IFRS and the German Commercial Code (HGB) and be able to analyse financial statements prepared in accordance with the IFRS in order to draw conclusions about financial positions as well as performance and changes in the financial position.
Goals for the Controllership component
In this component you will learn to understand the meaning and the responsibilities of strategic and operative controllership for the successful implementation of company goals and will aquire a working knowledge of the required methods and instruments. Beginning with strategic portfolio management, you will examine the tasks of investment and project controllership at strategic and operational levels. In addition, you will familiarise yourself with the functions, responsibilities, methodologies and instruments of investment controllership, as well as company valuation and reporting on the investment life cycle of international companies.
Goals for the Finance component
In this component you will gain an understanding of the operations of international financial markets and become familiar with the financial risk management of an international company. You will be able to connect the key components of capital market theory to capital market financing approaches, outline the approaches for determining company specific costs of capital and to compare the most important, and necessary, financial options of a capital market oriented company.
The module handbook is an integral part of the Examination Regulations.
Admission requirements
To be admitted to the Master’s programme in Accounting, Finance and Controllership, students must have successfully completed studies in a related subject area at a recognised institution of higher education and have the required language skills. You can find more information about the language skills here.
To be awarded the Master’s Degree, students need a total of 300 credit points (ECTS), i.e. 90 credit points from the Master’s programme and 210 credit points from your undergraduate programme. If you have only obtained 180 credit points in your undergraduate studies, you can make up the shortfall of 30 credit points during the Master’s programme by completing an internship or taking additional modules.
You will find details of the admission requirements in the Examination Regulations. Click here to access the Examination Regulations including the module handbook.
Click here for an unofficial English translation of the Examination Regulations
and the module handbook/programme description.
Please also note that only a limited number of places are available on this programme.
Internships/Studies abroad/Erasmus
This Master's programme does not include obligatory internships or study periods abroad.
If a qualifying degree with 210 ECTS is available, the modules of the degree programme "Accounting, Finance and Controlling" cannot be substituted. The completion of practical professional studies or studies abroad can only be considered if additional ECTS have to be acquired because only 180 ECTS were achieved in the qualifying degree.
The programme is governed by the Department of Business’ general regulations for internships and study periods abroad. If required, more detailed information on internships and study periods abroad can be obtained from the directors of this degree programme. You can also find further information on international topics here.
Instruction and instructors
The quality of this programme is largely attributable to its organisational framework and the didactic skills of our experienced educators. Our team consists of professors as well as highly qualified staff lecturers and adjunct lecturers. Depending on the module, we also employ the services of guest speakers whose mother tongue is English, guest lecturers from other tertiary institutes and other experts from the field. Our strength lies in conveying the skills and knowledge required in actual practice in accounting, finance and controllership. During the project work on a case study and in the preparation of your Master's thesis, you will also learn the techniques of academic and scientific analysis, research and writing. This will prove especially beneficial should you decide to pursue a doctoral programme.
We prefer seminar-style teaching. in other words, we encourage an active exchange between teachers and students. Traditional lectures tend to be an exception. Complex subject matter is taught through specific, comprehensible examples and case studies, and sometimes with the support of e-learning tasks and software (e.g. Excel).
Some of the classes are conducted in English. This gives you a valuable opportunity to familiarise yourself with subject specific terminology in English.
Students can access teaching material on the Department’s electronic platform “eFBW“, which is also a platform for communication between students and their professors and instructors.
Our classes and teaching are assessed towards the end of each semester as part of our quality assurance processes.
Excellent career opportunities for graduates
Experts in accounting, finance and controllership are in high demand. Studies indicate that graduates can expect to earn high incomes.
Graduates frequently find gainful employment in the department of a conpany's Chief Financial Officer (CFO). In order to prepare them for these functions, the programme concept is very practice and application oriented, which gives graduates a distinct advantage over graduates from traditional universities where less emphasis is placed on practice. This job-oriented approach thus gives our graduates a competitive edge when applying for employment in business enterprises.
Our Master’s programme opens up career opportunities in commercial departments in all industrial sectors (e.g. accounting, financing, controllership, project and risk management, mergers and acquisitions), banking and the insurance industry, consulting, auditing, the police force (white collar crime), public service and non-profit organisations.
