International Management, B.Sc.

About the course

A co-operative (dual) business degree taught fully in English, with 180 ECTS credits over three years. Each year has about 32 weeks of study at HSBA in Hamburg and about 20 weeks at your partner company, and in the third year you choose one of 13 minors, such as Finance & Insurance Management or Shipping & Sustainable Leadership.

Entry requirements for Irish students

• HSBA asks for a school-leaving qualification that gives university entry and says EU qualifications can generally be recognised, after a case-by-case check. It publishes nothing specific about the Irish Leaving Certificate. Under German rules, the Leaving Cert gives direct entry only with six subjects: at least two at Higher Level with H5 or better, the other four at O6/H6 or better, including two languages and Maths at O5/H6 or better. For business courses you also need Higher Level Maths at H5. LCA and LCVP are not accepted. Confirm with HSBA admissions.
• Maths: HSBA requires a Maths average of 2.5 or better on the German scale (worked out from your two best Maths grades out of a maximum of five). If you do not meet this, you can sit HSBA’s Maths admission test, which is available in English.
• English: B2 is required. HSBA exempts applicants whose school qualification was gained in an English-speaking country, but it does not name Ireland, so confirm with HSBA that the Leaving Cert qualifies. Otherwise HSBA accepts TOEFL iBT 72, IELTS Academic 5.5, Cambridge FCE grade A, or CAE/CPE grades A-C; certificates must be no more than two years old at registration.

How to apply

1. Check your Leaving Cert subjectsMake sure your subjects meet the German entry rules, including Higher Level Maths at H5 for business, and check your Maths grades against HSBA’s 2.5 German-scale threshold.
2. Apply to partner companiesRegister on HSBA’s Study Place Exchange, find International Management vacancies for the 2027 intake and apply to each company directly. HSBA notes that German is often needed to get a company placement.
3. Sort out any testsIf your Maths grades are not strong enough, take HSBA’s Maths admission test. If the English exemption does not apply to you, get a B2 certificate (such as IELTS Academic 5.5) and have it ready before registration on 31 August 2027.
4. Sign the contract and startOnce a company offers you a study contract, it registers you with HSBA. The course starts on 1 October 2027.

Costs

• HSBA’s financing page lists a tuition fee of €825 a month (about €9,900 a year). HSBA does not say which intake this applies to, and a 2027 fee is not published. Partner companies usually pay most or all of the fee: HSBA’s sample shows the company paying €675 a month and the student €150, alongside an example salary of €1,200 a month, but every contract is negotiated separately. Entrance test fees, if you need to sit HSBA’s tests, are not confirmed here, so check with HSBA.

At a glance