Structure of the Bachelor’s Program

The advanced phase of the program consists of modules in Economics, modules in minor subjects, if studied, and the bachelor’s thesis. You can generally decide which modules you want to study during this phase, which means you can tailor your degree to your interests and career ambitions.

Excluding the bachelor's thesis, students are required to obtain between 65 and 73 ECTS credits during the advanced phase of the program, of which up to 48 ECTS credits may be gained from modules in minor subjects. Students must complete at least one seminar, but it is possible to attend up to three seminars. If you don’t study Mathematics as a minor subject, you must either complete the module entitled International Economics, or one or two module(s) on a topic relating to Business Administration which is/are worth at least six ECTS credits.

You must attend a consultation to discuss your module choice and your goals. Usually, these consultations take place with either a (junior) professor, or senior academic staff member (Privatdozent).
 

Elective Modules in Economics

The Department of Economics in Mannheim is unrivaled in Germany when it comes to the number of modules on offer in the bachelor’s program, and the opportunities given to students to tailor their degree program to their interests. Taking a glance at the module catalog shows how diverse a bachelor's program in Economics at the University of Mannheim can be.

Economics students in their third year can also attend modules in Economics from the B.Sc. Economics program at Heidelberg University thanks to a cooperation agreement which is in place.
 

Interdisciplinary Elective Modules and Minors

During the advanced phase of the program, you can choose to only study modules available at the Department of Economics (including Economic History, Statistics, and Econometrics).

Alternatively, you can choose different interdisciplinary focuses by attending modules from one, or several, of the available minor subjects: Mathematics, Law, Business Administration, Business Informatics, Philosophy, Sociology, Political Science and Psychology. ​​​​​​
 

Key Competences

Key competences are becoming more and more important on the labor market. They are an important aspect of the bachelor's program in Economics, and as such, are taught to students during the program’s subject-specific modules. In addition to this, students can obtain up to eight ECTS credits from courses that teach key competences during the advanced phase of the program. Students can attend these courses from the second semester onwards. Further information can be found here.
 

Bachelor’s Thesis

Towards the end of the third year, students write a bachelor’s thesis and, where required, attend a bachelor’s seminar. The thesis demonstrates that you can work independently on a topic and apply scientific methods. You can write your thesis on a topic from one of the following areas:

• Economics
• Statistics
• Econometrics
• Economic History

In certain circumstances, it is also possible to write your thesis in one of these areas at Heidelberg University. With the approval of the relevant area representative, you can also write your thesis on a topic relating to Mathematics, Business Informatics or Philosophy. However, to do this, you must have selected the subject as a minor (see above).
You have eight weeks to complete your thesis, which is worth 12 ECTS credits.