Economics (Volkswirtschaftslehre)
Master of Science

International orientation

Globalisation means that business is no longer bound by national borders and the same applies to our field of scholarship. Our master s degree in economics (Volkswirtschaftslehre) therefore has a clear international orientation, both in terms of the course content and the exchange with other faculties around the world. We offer countless opportunities for semesters abroad and at the same time warmly invite students of international master s study programmes to visit HHU as an exchange student. Similar to most of the course literature, selected lectures are held in English. HHU s language centre offers a diverse range of language courses, including many with a special focus on the vocabulary needed for business.

Intensive support

Here in Düsseldorf, teaching takes place in small groups, with intensive support within our study programmes. You won t find overcrowded lecture theatres here at HHU, there ll always be a seat for you! We provide intensive support. In order to foster the direct exchange, you ll be assigned one of our professors as a mentor at the start of your studies. They ll always be on hand to answer any questions you might have about your studies and economics matters. We don t just want to help you, though. Rather, we also want you to support us. For we continuously strive to improve our teaching and therefore welcome any suggestions. In January 2011, we were able to open our new building, the Oeconomicum. Its open-plan architecture ensures short distances and convenient access for students and researchers alike, along with diverse opportunities to engage in discussions. We have also set up a state-of-the-art research laboratory where we use experiments to investigate whether people actually behave in the way that theory assumes in everyday economic life. You ll find study conditions similar to those at a private university here in Düsseldorf, but without the costs: no tuition fees are payable at state universities in North Rhine-Westphalia.

Cutting-edge research

In recent years, the faculty has succeeded in bringing a dedicated team of leading researchers together in Düsseldorf. Nine professors teach economics at HHU and there are also more than 30 early career researchers, who are working on their habilitation or dissertation and are also involved in teaching.

With establishment of the Düsseldorf Institute for Competition Economics (DICE), an academic centre for research into the effects of competition and questions of market regulation has been created at our university, which is unique in Germany and also attracts a great deal of media interest. The following articles (in German) have been published about the university:  Marktforscher für Merkel  (Rheinische Post, 30.09.2009),  Düsseldorfer Ökonomen geben Gas  (Handelsblatt, 08.02.2010),  Konkurrenz im Westen  (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, 07.06.2010).

We conduct research into contemporary issues and analyse aspects such as how we can encourage competition in the energy, telecommunications and media sectors or make the health care system effective and efficient for all sections of the population. Many of our studies are regularly published in the world s most renowned journals and presented at international conferences. Perhaps you can one day help to advance our research after you graduate, too?