Business Engineering at the Professional School: Interface with Technology

How do I present myself even more competently to customers? How can I score more points in an interdisciplinary team? How can I open up new areas of work in the company? Many employees with a business management background who work in a manufacturing company face the challenge of successfully combining commercial and technical areas. "With the part-time Master's programme in Business Engineering, we offer a programme at a high university level in theory and practice," says Dr.-Ing. Jens Heger, Professor for Modelling and Simulation of Technical Systems and Processes.

At the Institute of Product and Process Innovation (PPI), international scientists focus their research on digitalisation in industrial production and on optimising manufacturing and production processes. Current research results are incorporated into teaching. Students also benefit from the PPI's cooperation with the Helmholtz Centre Hereon in Geestacht with its state-of-the-art equipment. "Our degree programme has a technical-practical component of about 70 to 80 per cent. Students improve their understanding of technical processes not only in theory, but also in experimental implementation," explains Jens Heger. For years, programme coordinator Ulrike Kahlfeldt has experienced how students open up new perspectives in their companies through the Master's in Business Engineering: "Our students often come with a solid background in business administration. The strongly technically oriented degree programme offers them real added value."

Conversely, employers benefit from the further training of their employees: "It is not uncommon for students to bring questions from their everyday professional lives to the lectures. At the latest in their Master's thesis, they can develop a concept for a case study from their company," explains Jens Heger. Current research results and university know-how thus come directly to the companies and can strengthen their competitiveness. Jens Heger sees another plus for companies: "Whoever sponsors is an attractive employer in times of a shortage of skilled workers." In addition, students expand their network through the study programme, which can stimulate new cooperations, as the engineer explains.

University certificates will soon offer low-threshold access to the degree programme. The modules can be credited towards a Master's degree when entering the programme at a later date.

Interested students can apply for Business Engineering at the Professional School until 31 January.

Jens Heger studied computer science with a minor in economics at the University of Paderborn. He received his doctorate in production engineering from the University of Bremen. In his research, he deals with issues from production and logistics and works on these using methods such as machine learning, image processing and operations research. The transfer of scientific results into business practice is particularly important to Jens Heger.