Main Content

Core Area "Accounting & Finance"

Short Profile of the Specialisation

Companies and financial service providers today are confronted with mounting competition in product and financial markets, as well as increasing regulatory challenges. Under these circumstances, the position of the business manager or chief financial officer is becoming increasingly important, as demonstrated by the many cases in which former CFOs have been appointed to the position of chief executive officer (CEO). Examples include Joe Kaeser (CEO of Siemens AG) and Werner Baumann (CEO of Bayer AG).

The subject matter which students explore in the accounting and finance specialisation is characterised by coordinated courses focusing on business valuation. The following topics and questions are relevant in light of this specialisation:

• Accounting/taxes: how to evaluate tax advantages within the context of business valuations? Which valuation questions are implied by accounting standards such as IFRS 9 with regard to the measurement of loans?
• Handling risk: how to measure and manage risk? Is risk perceived in the same way by all decision-makers? What is a risk-adequate return? Why are some decision-makers deceived by high equities yields?
• Strategic management of corporate groups and subsidiaries: how much capital should be made available to the individual corporate divisions? What is the optimal way of allocating capital? What results are to be expected from the individual units? How should performance to be measured and which benchmarks should be selected?

Learning Goals

Students concentrating on "Accounting and Finance" learn about companies in a comprehensive way from the perspectives of finance and accounting. They acquire tools and techniques for interpreting and shaping the financial impact of business decisions. They also acquire knowledge about the various areas of the financial market, its participants and its products, as well as how to evaluate and use them in a corporate context.

The programme’s combination of academic and practical perspectives is rounded by regular case studies with companies and presentations by experts from large German corporations and financial service providers (such as Commerzbank, Bausparkasse Schwäbisch Hall, Lufthansa and Volkswagen), international companies (such as Google and CSL Behring), service providers (such as McKinsey, Boston Consulting, KPMG, E&Y and PWC), as well as innovative small and medium-sized enterprises (such as Roth Industries, Viessmann, Invia Travel and Stihl). 

Career Perspectives

As a graduate with a concentration in "Accounting and Finance", you will be prepared to take on commercial functions in companies or work as a consultant. The specific fields of work that graduates with this focus have entered include corporate (financial) controlling, finance/banking and accounting, as well as auditing, tax advice and (strategic) management consulting.