Quick Info
At the East Asia Institute of the Ludwigshafen University of Business and Society you can study International Business Management (East Asia), i.e. obtain a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with the additional qualification China, Japan or Korea. The standard length of this programme is eight semesters because of the one-year studying abroad.
As a higher education entrance qualification, you need an Abitur, a Fachabitur or a vocational qualification. For non-German applicants who have not graduated from a German school there are special requirements. German and non-German applicants will have to pass our entrance examination.
Our International Business Management (East Asia) bachelor programme only starts in the winter semester, its official start is September, 1st.
You register for our entrance examination and, after passing, you will receive authorisation from us to enrol online for our degree programme at the Ludwigshafen University of Business and Society.
Info Summary
- Degree: Bachelor of Science (B. Sc.)
- Type of study: Full-time
- Standard length of programme: 8 semesters, including 2 semesters abroad
- ECTS Points: 240
- Start: Winter Semester
- Application Deadline: July, 15th
- Languages: German, English, Chinese, Japanese, Korean.
- The East Asia Institute belongs to the Ludwigshafen University of Business and Society. We are an educational institution of the federal state of Rheinland-Pfalz and therefore do not charge tuition fees.
International Business Management (East Asia), B.Sc.
The goal of our degree programme is to impart comprehensive business basics as well as special technical and methodological skills and abilities for an activity with or in the economic region of East Asia, which our graduates need in the relevant professional fields of activity to solve demanding and complex factual and management tasks. In this way, we create the prerequisites that are necessary for responsible positions in business and administration, also outside the economic region of East Asia.
Director Prof. Dr Rövekamp introduces our study programme
(The video is in German. It is possible to have the subtitles automatically translated into English using YouTube’s subtitle function.)
How is the study programme structured? (0:15)
What speaks for the study programme? (1:14)
What are the career prospects for graduates? (2:06)
The eight-semester full-time programme concludes with the degree of Bachelor of Science, which is awarded by the Ludwigshafen University of Applied Sciences to graduates majoring in China, Japan or Korea. The programme can only be taken up in the winter semester of each year. The fifth and sixth semesters are completed at universities in China, Japan or Korea.
Our students should be prepared for the broadest possible deployment on the world market, due to the specific orientation first with a view to East Asia. In view of the long historical tradition of the countries of East Asia and their economic importance for the world market and an increasingly converging world, this is particularly important to us.
International Business Management (East Asia): Business Administration & Far East
A brief summary of the central plus points:
- Internationally comparable and fully recognised state Bachelor degree from the FH Ludwigshafen University of Applied Sciences.
- The state-recognised accreditation agency AQAS has audited the Bachelor’s degree programme according to German quality standards and accredited its high quality.
- The Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) degree guarantees sufficient methodological competence in business administration.
- Two compulsory semesters abroad in China, Japan or Korea
- Language and culture classes in Chinese, Japanese or Korean as well as English
- Sound practical experience through internships and practice-oriented courses, business games, case studies, etc.
- Strong student cohesion (“OAI spirit”)
- Personal atmosphere and small group events
- Assistance with planning the stay abroad and applying for funding
- Good career opportunities in companies in Europe or the Far East: OAI graduates are highly sought after by employers as high potentials.
- Top coverage in SPIEGEL, MANAGER-MAGAZIN, EURO-MONEY
- NO NC (Numerus Clausus)
- All courses of the degree programme take place in our modern and well-equipped institute building.
- Courses with a lot of practical relevance in the business subjects
- Native-speaking lecturers in the language courses
- Small semester and working groups (maximum 60 students in business studies and maximum 15 in language and IT courses)
- Compact, binding syllabus and timetable
- Very well-equipped library with Internet workstations
- Integrated year abroad with joint preparation
- Cooperation agreement with the University of Mannheim (free use of the library, cafeteria, sports and counselling facilities)
- Intensive support and a familiar atmosphere
- First-semester support from the student council at the institute
- Very good career prospects
- Optimal transport connections (transport hub Ludwigshafen Mitte 5 min. walk, Mannheim main railway station only three tram stops away) and beautiful location directly on the Rhine in Ludwigshafen South
The course of study can be roughly divided into three sections.
- The first study section serves to teach the basics. Here we lay the foundations for the success of your further studies. The best graduates of the first stage can receive a scholarship from the Haniel Foundation to support their studies abroad.
- In the second stage, the focus is on consolidating and building up knowledge, including a one-year stay abroad in China, Japan or Korea.
- In the third stage, we focus on implementing what we have learned. Here our students show that they have mastered and can implement the contents of their studies and are capable of independent and innovative problem solving.
Detailed information on the content of the degree programme can be found in the module handbook. A study plan can be found in our Special Examination Regulations.
Size is not our goal. We want to keep the East Asia Institute small and manageable and thus increase the intensity of the education. We want to enable individual mentoring and cultivate a sense of community.
We want to train socially competent, cosmopolitan and highly qualified business economists who, equipped with an additional qualification for China, Japan or Korea (including language), can be deployed worldwide.
Overall assessment by the accreditation:
“The expert group considers the conception of the study programme very positive in terms of profiling and objectives.”
Accredited quality of the study programme:
The accreditation agency AQAS has successfully assessed and approved the Bachelor’s degree programme according to German quality standards (state accreditation).
The experts conclude in the report: “that quality assurance … is well regulated.”
The academic degree “Bachelor of Science” (B.Sc.), which is approved rather cautiously for a business studies programme, speaks for itself. This academic degree guarantees a sufficient quantitative foundation of the study content. In most cases, a Bachelor of Business Administration receives a “Bachelor of Arts” (B.A.).
The private elite universities European Business School (ebs) Schloß Reichartshausen (Link: http://www.ebs.de) and WHU Koblenz (Link: http://www.whu.edu), for example, have also been awarded a B.Sc. in Business Administration.
Bachelor’s degrees from universities and universities of applied sciences (UAS) are, according to the resolutions of the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the Länder in the Federal Republic of Germany (Kultusministerkonferenz), absolutely equivalent and just as valuable as a previous diploma degree from a UAS
B.Sc. from the OAI qualifies for Master’s studies at national and international universities and colleges
The study duration of 4 years ensures unproblematic entry into Master’s programmes in the USA.
The reviewers’ opinion of the programme
Excellent career opportunities for an international career:
“The integrated teaching of comprehensive business administration, language and regional studies skills creates good conditions for a responsible professional activity in the East Asian region.”
“There is undoubtedly a need for this kind of education, which is not met in the same way by any other university.
“The fact justifies the excellent labour market opportunities of the graduates (…) and constituted a ‘unique selling proposition’ [unique competitive advantage, OAI].”
Good study organisation:
“The systematic supervision and guidance (..) contributes to efficient study.”
“Small groups within which appropriate didactics can be practised.”
“The very good staffing also enables excellent supervision ratios.”
Excellent study conditions:
“The study programme has (…) excellent personnel and material resources at its disposal.”
“The review panel notes that the East Asia Institute has excellent technical infrastructure and library facilities.”
“It can be noted that by means of the spacious and well-kept premises and the special learning atmosphere at the OAI … a corporate identity is created …”
Selection of students: Selection process:
“The teaching programme is … challenging for the students”. Above-average willingness to perform and self-motivation are necessary.
“The … admission and aptitude assessment procedure ensures good quality and high motivation of the students”
“Selection of particularly qualified and motivated students as part of the admission procedure”.
Overall impression of the evaluators:
“The guiding idea represents the preparation of students for a professional activity with or in the economic area of East Asia.
“The aim of the Bachelor’s programme is to provide solid basic knowledge in business administration and at the same time the skills/leadership qualifications required for communication with the Chinese, Japanese or Korean market.”
“The aim of language teaching is to impart both active and passive communicative competence …”
“The students should be sensitised with regard to dealing with a foreign culture and a foreign value system and thus be encouraged to critically question both the foreign and their own value system. In this way, among other things, an expanded social competence is to be achieved.”
Voices of our first year students
When asked why they came to the East Asia Institute, our student body answered differently.
Johanna: “Last year, I spontaneously spent 6 weeks in China. The country fascinated me a lot during that time. I want to learn more about the people there, the culture and the country. To increase my chances of getting a job later, I still wanted to take an additional course of study that focuses on economics.”
Jan: “I have already been to China and I am interested in business administration. I really liked the atmosphere at the East Asia Institute during a trial visit, as well as the small courses and the range of courses.”
Monique: “I’m doing Chinese. How did I get into it? My father already studied here when the course was still very fresh and recommended it to me. My mother comes from Taiwan, so I can already understand a little Chinese. So I thought: I’ll use that to my advantage.”
Mike: “I actually wanted to study business administration, but then I discovered the East Asia Institute on the internet and found the possibility of doing a year abroad during my studies very interesting. That’s what ultimately tipped the scales in my favour to apply here.”
Johannes: “I came across the East Asia Institute through a colleague who was already studying here. I was already at a business high school and it became clear to me that I wanted to study something in this direction. I found the combination option with an Asian language very advantageous.”
Alex: “Through my sport, Aikido, I have built up an affinity with Japanese culture and since I already come from the Ludwigshafen metropolitan region anyway, I decided to apply to the East Asia Institute.”
Lea: “Since I find Japan and business administration interesting, I came across the East Asia Institute on the internet. After doing a taster day here, it was clear to me that I wanted to apply to the East Asia Institute. The atmosphere was great and the classes suited me too.”
Felix: “I took a Japanese course at the Adult Education Centre, which sparked my interest in Japan. But I definitely didn’t want to study only Japanese and that’s how I became aware of the East Asia Institute.”
Andrea: “I decided to study Japanese because I had actually found the language and the country interesting since I was a small child. I came to the East Asia Institute because the degree programme is almost only available here; there is also one in Bremen, but I found it more congenial here in terms of the atmosphere and the people.”
Dorian: “I looked around for a good place to combine business studies with Japan because I’m very interested in business studies and because I worked as an interpreter for a Japanese restaurant for some time. The OAI was therefore my first choice. I tried to study Japanese before, but I gave it up because it wasn’t very effective. And I came to Japanese through Kendo and because I’m very interested in theatre.”
Laura: “I came to the East Asia Institute here because I found out about the OAI at the career information day at my school and that’s where I found out that the degree programme was available here. I chose Japan because I’ve been interested in Japan since I was a kid, especially because of the high tech.”
Philipp: “I’m doing Japanese and actually came here through a work colleague. She studied here, too. My job was to look after IT subsidiaries, including Japanese ones. I’ve already been to the subsidiary in Japan twice, looked at the country and said to myself: Yes, this is the best. And because Japanese studies alone don’t make much sense if you want to get ahead, I decided on business studies because it’s easier to get back into industry.”
Therese: “I actually started getting interested in anime and manga in about eighth grade, and then I got more and more interested in the culture of Japan. At some point I decided to study Japanese studies. My parents, however, were of the opinion that I should study something better, which would also give me better job prospects. That’s why I did some research on the internet and at some point my sister found the OAI website and showed it to me. Then I looked at the website and at some point I decided that I should just give it a try and registered for the aptitude test.”
Janina: “I come from Mannheim. I heard about the East Asia Institute at the JobsForFuture fair and I really wanted to do something with Korea. I got some information at the stand and then I thought to myself:
Why don’t you try the aptitude test? And it worked out!”
Lukas: “I come from near Frankfurt and decided to study International Business Management with a focus on Korea here in Ludwigshafen because I had already lived in Korea for two years after graduating from high school and learned to love the people and the culture there. I liked that so much that I want to learn more about the country and maybe work there later.”
Stephanie: “I chose the East Asia Institute because I have really liked Asia since I was little. I also connect with it from my background, because I’m Vietnamese. And I like Korea so much because the traditional and the modern economy have such a great interplay. And I also think Korea is so diverse, you never finish learning.”
Violetta: “I’m Violetta, I chose Korean because I like the music, the movies and the language in general how it’s structured. I’ve always wanted to learn more languages from Asia and since I’ve already learned Chinese, I thought I could learn Korean here too.”