By Rüdiger Kurtz, Bochum University

In October 2022, thirteen students on the International Business and Management (IBM) bachelor's degree in Bochum began their master's degree at the Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School at University College Dublin (UCD). The close cooperation with the renowned business school, which offers a large number of internationally top-rated master's degrees, means a great success for the business faculty of the Bochum University of Applied Sciences.

It all started just five years ago. From 2017 Katja Rissmann, who started her bachelor's degree in IBM at Bochum University of Applied Sciences in 2014, spent her final year at UCD, where she studied Human Resource Management. "Many things were new and unknown to me," says the first Bochum graduate, remembering the beginnings of the cooperation and her move to Ireland: "Fortunately, Edward Sodmann, as the supervisor of the cooperation, actively supported me in addressing the university." Looking back, according to Rissmann, the wide-ranging bachelor's degree in Bochum and the specialized master's degree in human resources management in Dublin opened up many perspectives for her. She has been working for Amazon for almost four years, currently as a Human Resources Business Partner. "The reputation of the business school in the industry is excellent," confirms Lea Ansorge, who completed the Master's degree in Business Analytics at the UCD from 2020-2021. "The majority of my fellow students had signed employment contracts throughout Europe and other parts of the world before the end of the program", says Ansorge. She herself works as a customer engineer for Google Cloud. English-language terms and globally operating companies often come up when talking to the protagonists of the German-Irish cooperation. "For our students, the year at the UCD means a career boost," explains Edward Sodmann, who is still available to the Bochum students with advice and action. It is no coincidence that the UCD occupies numerous top places in the Financial Times ranking of the world's best master's degrees.

Lukas Riedel, who is currently studying in Ireland and was the first Bochum student to be awarded a scholarship by the UCD for his academic and special non-university achievements, is also convinced of the quality of the courses. However, according to Riedel, the requirements are also very high: "A lot of knowledge is imparted in a relatively short time, so that it is essential to prepare and follow up on the content well in order to effectively keep up with the subject matter of the modules". His Bochum fellow student Yasmin Leißner can only agree: "The types of examinations are complex and examinations take place several times during the trimester," says the 24-year-old: "The workload is correspondingly high, continuous learning is necessary".

Both positively evaluate the fact that in the course of studies at the UCD - as well as at the Bochum University of Applied Sciences - great importance is attached to sustainability aspects. "In various modules, for example, concepts are conveyed on how not only costs but also emissions can be reduced", explains Riedel. For Yasmin Leißner, this aspect was decisive for the decision to study abroad at UCD: "I am very interested in sustainability and in my 'Food Business Strategy' course I can put a greater focus on sustainability in the food sector". In addition, there are also very practical reasons for students of the German-English IBM course to decide to spend a year in Dublin. "On the one hand, there is the simple application process at UCD", enumerates Lukas Riedel, "and then, of course, the fact that Ireland is part of the EU and, as a student in Dublin, I am not affected by Brexit". The students from Bochum are obviously not alone with this view. "Fellow students from around 70 countries and a global alumni network are very helpful for finding out about different career paths and opening up new perspectives", says Lea Ansorge.

Project groups at the Smurfit Graduate Business School are intentionally diverse and international. "The intention is", explains Edward Sodmann, "to present the students with intercultural challenges and thereby motivate them to adapt flexibly to situations and to find compromises. These experiences are very valuable for future working life in an international context.  

In addition to all the positive aspects, one must of course consider that tuition fees of almost 15,000 euros are currently incurred for the one-year master's program. "The higher cost of living in Dublin should also not be underestimated", adds Yasmin Leißner: "The rents are significantly higher than in Bochum". The Bochum students and graduates would still make the decision in favor of the UCD again and again. "It's simply a great opportunity to acquire a highly respected Master of Science in the fourth year of the Bochum IBM course", concludes Lukas Riedel and is certain that the Bochum-Dublin cooperation will continue to be successful.

The Bochum students at the UCD (group photo):
Andriesen, Julian
Fronius, Jan
Haslinde, Luisa
Lange, Tobias
Leissner, Yasmin
Lüttenberg, Malte
Menzel, Melina
Probst, Aylina
Reale, Ines
Riedel, Lukas
Schmitz, Maria
vom Bruch, Leonard
Wolde-Mikael, Moses

This article was originally posted here.