Many personalities. Two campuses. One University.

Business Informatics (BSc)

The interdisciplinary Business Informatics programme combines practice-oriented business administration topics and applied computer science. Business informatics specialists are concerned with the structure, mode of operation and design of IT-supported corporate information and communication systems. Scarcely any company today can dispense with using information systems, and it is increasingly innovative IT solutions that form the basis for corporate competitiveness. Here, business informatics specialists make a substantial contribution to identifying and exploiting automation potential that can be tapped with the help of information systems. This requires on the one hand a detailed understanding of corporate organisation and key work processes and on the other hand knowledge of how application systems, databases, tools, operating systems as well as local and global communication systems and networks work.

The later areas of activity of business informatics graduates are the design, development and introduction of corporate information and communication systems as well as the maintenance and operation of IT infrastructure.

Both these areas of activity must be closely dovetailed with business requirements in order to ensure optimal and at the same time efficient support for business processes within the company. Among the most important business systems are, for example, online portals (e-commerce), internet and intranet, customer databases, ordering and order processing systems, salary accounting, warehouse and material flow monitoring, cost accounting, production planning/control systems.

For documents such as the module handbook, study plan and examination regulations, please visit the German page.

Career prospects

Business Informatics graduates work successfully at the interface between technology and business. Thanks to their dual qualification, they are able to comprehend interdisciplinary contexts and make them understandable for decision-makers. Employers greatly appreciate the combination of technical know-how and a business approach to quality, time and costs.

The demand for business informatics specialists has remained high for many years. As a rule, they are in demand where solutions to problems need to be addressed simultaneously from both a technical and a business perspective.


Admission conditions

1. Higher education entrance qualification

Admission to the programme is conditional on a higher education entrance qualification.

You require one of the following:

  • Higher education entrance qualification for universities of applied sciences (Fachhochschulreife)

  • General higher education entrance qualification: German Abitur

  • An entrance qualification recognised as equivalent

In the case of the entrance qualification for universities of applied sciences, a differentiation is often made between the academic part and the practical part. The academic part is completed at school. The practical part can be a completed training course (e.g. apprenticeship) or a 6 or 12-month guided work placement. As a rule, which type of work placement you require in order to be entitled to study is indicated on your certificate. If you are unsure, please contact your school.

If you have obtained your entrance qualification for universities of applied sciences in a federal state other than North Rhine-Westphalia, please check your certificate to see if it is also valid here.

2. Subject-related work placement:

Not required.


Programme structure

In the first two years, the Business Informatics programme teaches broad, basic, function/method-oriented knowledge. The fundamentals of business administration and the respective technical specialisation are flanked by integrated subjects that help to dovetail engineering and economics topics. Building and expanding your expertise in the area of interdisciplinary and intercultural communication are achieved through parallel language courses and training in soft skills.

In the first year of the programme, the fundamentals of business administration and the chosen technical specialisation are taught. In the area of business administration, key topics are marketing, value chain management, investment and finance as well as commercial law. In the technical disciplines, the focus lies on the fundamentals of mathematics, computer science and the natural sciences as well as first application-oriented topics such as design, mechanics and programming.

In the second year, the economics base is broadened to include corporate accounting and macroeconomics. In the technical disciplines, students further develop their skills in application-oriented subject areas.

The third year is devoted to a specialisation. Depending on their individual abilities, interests or aptitudes, students specialise in specific business administration and technical subjects. This allows them to prepare specifically for their preferred career path.

The programme contains a practical phase (compulsory work placement) in the seventh semester lasting at least ten weeks. Here, you apply the knowledge you have acquired during your studies in corporate practice. Key advantages of the practical phase are contact to interesting companies and an easier transition from university to career.

The programme ends with your bachelor’s thesis, where you work on a topic independently, in a scientifically sound manner and within a prescribed time period of ten weeks. You can focus on one or more of the core areas of the industrial engineering or business informatics programme, whereby the way in which you present your topic should make the integrative study approach clearly recognisable.


Business Informatics