Module Overview

Please note that SWS (Semesterwochenstunden) and Contact Hours mean the same and may be used interchangeably.

Module Overview

Module A/I

Courses in the module A/I are the core courses of the MBR program. You must take six courses within this module, each of which counts for two contact hours ("Semesterwochenstunden").

The core courses take place at least once a year and are taught in English. These courses are exclusively accessible for MBR students.

Applications for A courses in general are coordinated centrally by the MBR coordinator. At the beginning of each semester, all MBR students will receive an e-mail with details about the application procedure. Please note that classes are typically capped at 20 participants. In case of high demand, senior MBR students will be given priority to facilitate their completion of the program. Please also be aware that you cannot change your registrations after you have submitted them.

A list of current and past A/I courses can be found in the Course Catalogue and Previous Courses pages.

Module A/II

Module A/II (8 contact hours) consists of a research project in cooperation with the student's mentoring chair (4 contact hours) and the course "Presentations and Reports" (4 contact hours). During the research projects that are guided by the professor and/or more experienced doctoral candidates, students gain practical experience in conducting research. The research projects generally lead to a joint scientific publication.

Module B/I

For the eight contact hours in module B/I, research-related courses are offered in two clusters Accounting & Finance and Marketing & Strategy, Innovation and Leadership & Learning.

Students can choose their courses in this module from the course catalogue. For B/I courses the following guidelines apply:

• Students must pick courses from their own cluster
• Courses from previous degrees (in particular Diploma degrees) will not be recognized (exception: Y-Model)
• Doctoral seminars held by the individual chairs are recognized as two of the eight contact hours, if held during the Covid-19 pandemic, prior to the return to in-classroom teaching (please note WS 23/24 exceptions)
• Project courses and courses from the modules "Basic principles" and "Subject-specific basics" of the faculty's MSc program are not recognized as B/I courses
• Examinations for B/I courses are determined by the individual lecturers
• Students only require a "pass" for B/I courses
• Selected courses from the TU Munich will be recognized as B/I courses, as described in the TUM cooperation documentation (PDF, 215 KB)
• Similarly, courses by the VHB can be recognized as B/I courses (please see the FAQ)

When students have completed their B/I courses, they can submit them to the MBR coordinator (see Regulations).

Module B/II

Module B/II (8 contact hours) consists of a set of courses that are relevant for the PhD student's research. They can include research-related topics from all areas such as economics or psychology. It is also possible to take courses from external graduate schools or research programs, as well as certain summer schools (for important information, see the FAQ). The courses are chosen in alignment with the student's doctoral supervisor.

In module B/II, credits can also be awarded for student's own teaching. For taught classes, the number of contact hours counts double (e.g., a two hour tutorial counts as 4 contact hours). Courses that are held repeatedly can only be counted once.

When students have completed their B/II courses they can submit them to the MBR coordinator (see Regulations).

Module C - Project Study

The Project Study is not the dissertation.

Module C consists of a project study. The project study is an independently conducted academic study which intended to lead to a scientific publication. The project study can prepare the first paper of a cumulative dissertation (e.g., review of literature, development of hypothesis, exposition of research design), but substantive parts of it cannot be included unchanged into the final dissertation.

There are no fixed dates for starting or ending the project study. At the beginning of the project study, students must notify the examination office using our registration form (PDF, 535 KB).

Starting with the registration students have four months to complete their study. An extension of up to one month is possible (a justified request must be sent to the examination board together with a letter of agreement from the doctoral advisor at least one both before the official deadline).

Three printed copies of the project study must be handed in: one to the examination board (covered by submitting to Oliver Mocker as stated here) and one to each of the two reviewers. Please review our Regulations page to clarify all requirements before submitting!

The project study must include a declaration that the work has been done independently and that it follows proper citation standards. A template for the declaration (DOCX, 32 KB) (in German) is available for download.