Shaping the Digital Transformation

Digitalization is rapidly taking hold in all areas and sectors of business. To be able to take full advantage of the economic and social opportunities offered by the digital transformation, profound understanding is needed – not only of the new conditions and business models brought about by digitalization but also of the technological possibilities and developments.

This is where WU’s new Master’s Program on the Digital Economy comes in. Taking an interdisciplinary approach, the program combines IT expertise with a solid management education. Students also have the opportunity to specialize in a number of different areas, such as ‘Information Systems,’ ‘Digital Strategy, Marketing, and Transformation,’ or ‘Digital Law and Economics.’ The program also focuses on the practical application of the skills and knowledge learned. The second year of the program includes the Industry Lab course, allowing students to apply science-based methodology to specific practical questions in cooperation with partners from the business community, the public sector, and civil society.

The master’s program is aimed at graduates with a bachelor’s degree in business and economics or a technical field. The first application period for the program opened in the fall of 2020.

Professional Business Communication

Communication is the key to success, in business and elsewhere. A new specialization in International Business Communication was launched in the 2020/21 winter semester. The specialization provides bachelor’s students with expertise in internal, external, and intercultural corporate communication.

Business Education for Teens

The WU4Juniors program is aimed at teens between the ages of 16 and 19 with an interest in business and economics. Online modules on finance, business, economics, and business law teach young people how economies work. The WU4Juniors Summer School then gives them the opportunity to experience these areas first-hand.

Building up a knowledge base online

A total of 44 online modules on 12 business- and economics-related topics are available free of charge on our LearnPublic learning platform. Instructional videos, preparatory and review assignments, and quizzes to test users’ knowledge help kids understand how business and economics work. Users can collect badges awarded for each successfully completed module and earn a certificate.

Since the program’s launch in 2019 through the end of 2020, 9,279 users have registered on the LearnPublic platform, 8,785 modules have been completed, and 2,600 badges awarded.

Attending Summer School to learn more

Teens who successfully complete the basic module and and at least one additional topic online can apply for the WU4Juniors Summer School. 49 applications were submitted for the July 13–17, 2020, Summer School session. 36 teens from eight different countries were accepted into the program.

As we wanted to show participants what it is like to study at WU, the kick-off event was held live on Campus WU. For those who were unable to come to campus in person, we provided a livestream of the opening event and a virtual campus tour.

During the week-long Summer School session, over 30 lecturers talked to participants about their everyday lives as entrepreneurs, researchers, and students. Working together in small project groups, the teens then scripted and filmed creative videos to explain a business- and economics-related topic to an eight-to-ten-year-old target group.

After completing the session, the students earned a certificate worth one free elective in their future studies at WU. Feedback from the participants who attended the first WU4Juniors Summer School was excellent, and they indicated that they would recommend the program to their friends.