WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management

WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management is a German business school with campuses in Vallendar and Düsseldorf, Germany. WHU was founded in 1984 by the Koblenz Chamber of Commerce as the Wissenschaftliche Hochschule für Unternehmensführung; the name was modified in 1993 to honour WHU's benefactor, the businessman Otto Beisheim.[1] As of September 2023, there are 1,989 students (including doctoral students) at WHU, about 248 employees and 59 professors (including assistant professors).[2]

WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management
MottoExcellence in management education
TypePrivate research university Business school
Established1984
RectorProfessor Christian Andres
Academic staff
42 full professors, 17 assistant professors, 3 adjunct professors, 248 non-academic staff members (Sept. 2022)
Students1,989 (September 2023)
Location, ,
CampusVallendar and Düsseldorf
Colors   Blue and white
AffiliationsAACSB, EQUIS, FIBAA
Websitewww.whu.edu

WHU is known for its master's program in management, which has been favourably ranked by numerous publications.[3][4][5] It maintains a global network of more than 220 partner universities, while also offering numerous dual-degree programs.[6] The school is also well known for its entrepreneurship programs and has the fourth largest number of unicorn-founding alumni in the world.[7][8]

Academics edit

Study programs edit

 
The Marienburg in Vallendar is the main building of WHU.

WHU offers numerous study programs. The language of instruction for the bachelor's program is English or German, while all master's programs are taught entirely in English.[9]

  • A three-year program leading to a Bachelor of Science (BSc) in International Business Administration, which includes two mandatory internships and an integrated semester abroad at of WHU's international partner universities
  • A three-year program leading to a Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Business Psychology, which includes two mandatory internships and one semester in one of WHU's international partner schools (started in 2022)
  • A one-and-a-half-year program leading to a Master of Science (MSc) in Management, consecutive to the Bachelor of Science program
  • A one-and-a-half-year program leading to a Master of Science (MSc) in Finance, consecutive to the Bachelor of Science program (started in 2013)
  • A one-and-half-year Master of Science (MSc) program in Entrepreneurship, consecutive to the Bachelor of Science program (started in 2017)
  • A one-and-half-year Master of Science (MSc) program in International Business (started in 2021)
  • A one-and-half-year Master of Science (MSc) program in Business Analytics (starting in 2024)
  • A one-and-half-year Master of Arts (MA) part-time program in Management (started in 2021)
  • A full-time MBA Program, which includes studies at the Kellogg School of Management, the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore and the China Europe International Business School
  • A part-time MBA program
  • A global online MBA program
  • The Kellogg-WHU Global Executive MBA Program in partnership with the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University in the United States
  • A doctoral program, leading to the German PhD equivalent Dr. rer. pol.
  • Executive Education (customized programs for companies and open general management programs)

Tuition and selection process edit

The tuition fee per academic year 2023/2024 for WHU's undergraduate students is €15,800 for those who are citizens of EEA countries and Switzerland, and €25,900 for citizens of non-EEA countries.[10] The tuition fee for the Master of Science in management, finance and entrepreneurship programs are €28,300 for the 90 credit track and €34,800 for the 120 credit track.[11] Scholarships, tuition waivers and financial aid schemes are available for eligible students.

The selection process for the undergraduate programmes consists of two separate parts. Students are preselected according to their academic and personal achievements and are offered a chance to compete for one of the roughly 240 seats per year at the final selection day. During that day, candidates deliver presentations, are interviewed by representatives of the private business sector and undergo an analytical IQ Test.

Accreditations edit

All WHU degree programs are recognized by the German state and accredited by the Foundation for International Business Administration Accreditation (FIBAA). In addition, WHU holds accreditations from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) and from the European Quality Improvement System (EQUIS).[12]

Rankings edit

WHU is regularly placed in the top positions in German university rankings.[13]

Publisher Ranking Year Worldwide Germany
Financial Times Global MBA 2023 68th 2nd
Master in Management 2023 13th 1st
Master in Finance 2022 15th 1st
Top MBAs for Entrepreneurship 6th 1st
Executive MBA 2022 16th 1st
European Business Schools[14] 13th 2nd
QS Top MBA 2023 59th 3rd
Executive MBA (Joint Programs) 2022 12th 1st
Master in Management 2023 24th 1st
Master in Finance 2023 24th 1st
Subject Ranking: Business & Management Studies 2023 128th 3rd
Subject Ranking: Accounting & Finance 2023 101st-150th 2nd-4th
Subject Ranking: Business & Management Studies 2023 451st-500th 17th
ARWU Subject Ranking: Business Administration 2023 101st-150th 1st
Subject Ranking: Finance 2023 151st-200th 3rd-4th
Subject Ranking: Management 2023 151st-200th 2nd
THE Subject Ranking: Business and Economics 2018 88th 5th

WHU's master's program in management was Germany's top-ranked program for nine years in the last decade by the Financial Times, including for five consecutive years between 2013 and 2017.[15][16][17][18][19] In 2019, Times Higher Education ranked WHU third worldwide in its Master in Management ranking.[3] As of 2021, WHU's placement and career services departments have been ranked among the top two worldwide for the twelfth time in a row by the Financial Times' Masters in Management rankings.[20] WHU has maintained the first position in Germany in every Master in Management ranking published by The Economist and QS till date.[21][22]

In 2020, the Financial Times ranked WHU first in Germany for all its programs: MBA, Master in Management, Executive MBA, and Master in Finance.[23][24][25][26] In the list of business schools with the most unicorn-founding alumni, WHU is placed fourth globally, tying with INSEAD, behind Harvard Business School, the Stanford Graduate School of Business and the Wharton School.[7] According to the BYU PhD ranking that tracks alumni publications in 12 leading accounting journals, the doctoral program placed fifth worldwide in the Managerial Accounting category.[27] WHU's SCM Group ranked first in Germany and sixth globally for Supply Chain Management empirical research in 2020 according to the SCM Journal List ranking.[28]

As of 2020, WHU's joint Executive MBA program with the Kellogg School of Management has been placed first in Germany for the twelfth time in a row by Financial Times. In the recent edition of the EMBA ranking from the Financial Times published in 2022, WHU has, continuing its streak since 2003, ranked at #1 in Germany for the Kellogg-WHU Executive MBA Program. In The Economist ranking of EMBA programs in 2020, the joint Kellogg-WHU EMBA Program ranked first in Germany for the fourth time in a row and fourth worldwide.[29]

Critisicsm edit

Accusations of problems with the internal culture and excessive stress edit

The business school has been accused of fostering an overly competitive environment, even at the cost of the mental health of its students. Additionally, they were accused of overly focusing on rankings and grades but insufficiently developing the ability for critical discourse and not succeeding at creating a student body with an appropriate diversity of backgrounds.[30][31] Additional criticisms, including by former students, often focus on exzessive memorisation and a failure to foster a culture of out-of-the-box thinking.[32][30]

After the death of a student who was believed to have died due to overworking himself during an internship but was found to have died due to an underlying condition, the school responded that high pressure is an unfortunately norm in the business world and that they are taking steps to address it.[33]

Controversy about the academic work of Ulrich Lichtenthaler edit

A former student and then-professor at the University, Ulrich Lichtenthaler, was accused of repeated and significant misconduct in his research and publications.[34][35]

WHU and the University of Mannheim later withdrew his right to teach, and he resigned from his position.[36]

Faculty edit

The faculty at WHU is organized into six groups: Finance and Accounting, Economics, Entrepreneurship, Management, Marketing and Sales, and Supply Chain Management. As of September 2023, there are 42 full professors and 19 assistant professors at WHU who teach at the undergraduate and graduate levels and contribute to the business school's research output.[37]

Department Chairholder
Mergers & Acquisitions Nihat Aktas
Empirical Corporate Finance Christian Andres
Entrepreneurship II Malte Brettel
Marketing Tim Oliver Brexendorf
Technology and Innovation Management Holger Ernst
Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Technological Transformation Dries Faems
Strategy and Marketing Martin Fassnacht
Monetary Economics Ralf Fendel
Macroeconomics and International Economics Michael Frenkel
Leadership Fabiola H. Gerpott
International Accounting Martin Glaum
Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises Christina Günther
Economic and Social Policy Christian Hagist
Market Research Walter Herzog
Entrepreneurship I Christoph Hienerth
Production Management Arnd Huchzermeier
Finance, Accounting and Taxation Martin Jacob
Sales Management and B2B Marketing Ove Jensen
Empirical Capital Market Research Lutz Johanning
Organizational Theory Peter-J. Jost
Family Business Nadine Kammerlander
Corporate Management and Change Ayse Karaevli
International Business and Supply Management I Lutz Kaufmann
Strategic Management Jane Lê
Institute of Management Accounting and Control Lukas Löhlein
Econometrics and Statistics Michael Massmann
Organizational Behavior Miriam Müthel
Innovation and Corporate Transformation Serden Özcan
International Business and Supply Management II Felix Reimann
Institute of Management Accounting and Control Marko Reimer
Finance Markus Rudolf
Institute of Management Accounting and Control Utz Schäffer
Household Finance Nic Schaub
Digital Marketing Christian Schlereth
Sports and Management Sascha L. Schmidt
Operations Management Liji Shen
Logistics Management Stefan Spinler
Demand Management & Sustainable Transport Arne Strauss
Service Psychology Tillmann Wagner
Logistics and Services Management Carl Marcus Wallenburg
Behavioral Finance Mei Wang
Industrial Organization Jürgen Weigand
Corporate Finance B. Burcin Yurtoglu

The faculty includes the following centers: WHU Asia Center, Biopharma Management Center, Center for Collaborative Commerce, Center for Controlling & Management, Entrepreneurship Center, Center for European Studies, Center of Asset and Wealth Management, Center for Sports and Management, Financial Accounting and Tax Center, Henkel Center for Consumer Goods, Center for Market-Oriented Corporate Management, Center for Responsible Leadership and Wipro Center for Business Resilience.[38]

Notable people edit

Honorary professors edit

Alumni edit

  • Birgit Bohle, CEO of DB Fernverkehr
  • Thomas Buberl, CEO of Axa Group[39]
  • Julian Deutz, CFO of Axel Springer, diploma[40]
  • Robert Gentz, founder and board member of Zalando, diploma 2007[41]
  • Armin Grossklaus, CFO of ATC Group / Oklahoma City, Detroit, US
  • Michael Haenlein, professor at ESCP Europe, diploma 1999
  • Jan Heitmann, poker player
  • Andreas Herrmann, professor at University of St. Gallen
  • Christoph Israng, German diplomat
  • Philipp Justus, managing director of Google Germany, Austria and Switzerland
  • Ulrich Lichtenthaler, German economist
  • Matthias Muck, Professor at University of Bamberg
  • Andreas Nick, Member of the Bundestag (German parliament), diploma 1990, PhD 1994[42]
  • Matthias J. Rapp, CFO of TÜV SÜD AG[43]
  • Thorsten Reitmeyer, former CEO of Comdirect bank
  • Dominik Richter, founder and CEO of HelloFresh
  • Oliver Samwer, CEO of Rocket Internet[44]
  • Christoph Schweizer, CEO of the Boston Consulting Group[45]
  • David Schneider, founder and board member of Zalando, diploma 2007[41]
  • Stephan Schubert, founder OnVista
  • Margret Suckale, board member of BASF, EMBA[46]
  • Marco Vietor, founder audibene
  • Axel Wieandt, German bank manager
  • Saygin Yalcin, founder and CEO of SellAnyCar.com
  • Oliver Zipse, board member of BMW, EMBA 1997[47]

References edit

  1. ^ "Kaplan A.: European Management and European Business Schools: Insights from the History of Business Schools". European Management Journal. 32: 529–534. doi:10.1016/j.emj.2014.03.006.
  2. ^ "About WHU - whu.edu". www.whu.edu.
  3. ^ a b "THE/WSJ business school report". 6 December 2018.
  4. ^ "Executive Masters in Management Ranking". The Economist.
  5. ^ "Masters in Management" – via Financial Times.
  6. ^ "Global Partner Network - WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management". www.whu.edu. Retrieved 2017-03-13.
  7. ^ a b "B-Schools With The Most 'Unicorn' Founders". 3 March 2017.
  8. ^ "Top MBAs for entrepreneurship" – via Financial Times.
  9. ^ "WHU at a Glance - WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management". www.whu.edu. Retrieved 2017-10-17.
  10. ^ "We help you find ways to finance your studies | WHU". whu.edu. Retrieved 31 January 2023.
  11. ^ "Invest in your future - Master of Science Fees & Financing | WHU". whu.edu. Retrieved 31 January 2023.
  12. ^ "About WHU". whu.edu. Retrieved 2020-02-13.
  13. ^ Deininger, Roman (27 May 2014). "WHU Otto Beisheim School of Management: Geld und Moral". Süddeutsche.de (in German). Retrieved 2022-06-19.
  14. ^ "European Business School Rankings 2022 - Business school rankings from the Financial Times - FT.com". rankings.ft.com. Retrieved 2022-12-07.
  15. ^ "Business school rankings from the Financial Times - FT.com". rankings.ft.com.
  16. ^ "Business school rankings from the Financial Times - FT.com". rankings.ft.com.
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  18. ^ "Business school rankings from the Financial Times - FT.com". rankings.ft.com.
  19. ^ "Business school rankings from the Financial Times - FT.com". rankings.ft.com.
  20. ^ "Masters in Management Ranking 2020" – via Financial Times.
  21. ^ "Masters in Management 2019 Ranking". 26 June 2019 – via The Economist.
  22. ^ "QS Business Masters Rankings". www.topuniversities.com.
  23. ^ "Business school rankings from the Financial Times - FT.com". rankings.ft.com.
  24. ^ "Business school rankings from the Financial Times - FT.com". rankings.ft.com.
  25. ^ "Business school rankings from the Financial Times - FT.com". rankings.ft.com.
  26. ^ "Business school rankings from the Financial Times - FT.com". rankings.ft.com.
  27. ^ "Managerial Accounting Phd Program Research Rank by BYU". www.byuaccounting.net.
  28. ^ "The SCM Journal List".
  29. ^ "Executive MBA Ranking 2020". 29 June 2020 – via The Economist.
  30. ^ a b "Kritik an Privatunis: Viel lernen, wenig diskutieren und hinterfragen". Der Spiegel (in German). 2013-05-01. ISSN 2195-1349. Retrieved 2024-02-08.
  31. ^ gruenderszene (2020-07-21). "Mythos WHU: So tickt die junge Generation an der Gründer-Uni". Business Insider (in German). Retrieved 2024-02-08.
  32. ^ "SAAL ZWEI: "Business Schools züchten Nachwuchs, den die Gesellschaft nicht braucht"". 2016-05-10. Archived from the original on 2016-05-10. Retrieved 2024-02-13.
  33. ^ gruenderszene (2020-07-21). "Mythos WHU: So tickt die junge Generation an der Gründer-Uni". Business Insider (in German). Retrieved 2024-02-08.
  34. ^ "Top-flight German business prof faces severe accusations of academic misconduct | Economics Intelligence". 2012-09-22. Archived from the original on 2012-09-22. Retrieved 2024-02-21.
  35. ^ "ulrich lichtenthaler". Retraction Watch. 2018-08-14. Retrieved 2024-02-21.
  36. ^ "Vorwürfe unredlicher wissenschaftlicher Praxis gegen Professor Dr. Ulrich Lichtenthaler: Senat der WHU beschließt Aberkennung der Lehrbefähigung - whu.edu". 2013-09-21. Archived from the original on 2013-09-21. Retrieved 2024-02-21.
  37. ^ "Faculty". WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management. Retrieved October 15, 2022.
  38. ^ "Centers - WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management". www.whu.edu.
  39. ^ "Thomas Buberl | AXA". AXA.com.
  40. ^ "Curriculum Vitae Dr. Julian Deutz Axel Springer SE". www.axelspringer.de. Archived from the original on 15 April 2014. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
  41. ^ a b "The Management Board". Zalando Corporate Website.
  42. ^ "Deutscher Bundestag - Nick, Andreas". Deutscher Bundestag.
  43. ^ "Leadership | TÜV SÜD | TÜV SÜD". Tuev-sued.de. Retrieved 2020-02-13.
  44. ^ "About | Rocket Internet". Archived from the original on 2015-03-23. Retrieved 2015-04-22.
  45. ^ "BCG's New CEO-Elect Christoph Schweizer | BCG".
  46. ^ "Margret Suckale". www.basf.com. Archived from the original on 3 March 2017. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
  47. ^ "CV Oliver Zipse, Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG". www.press.bmwgroup.com.

External links edit

50°24′01″N 7°36′49″E / 50.4003°N 7.6135°E / 50.4003; 7.6135