M.Sc. in Digital LeadershipSteinbeis School of International Business and Entrepreneurship (SIBE)

The SIBE-Digitalization-Master – M.Sc. in Digital Leadership program is designed for individuals seeking direct job entry while studying, or for companies looking for motivated junior staff. The program aims to bridge the gap between companies and talents by placing young candidates in partner companies and finding suitable high potentials for businesses.

In this Master's program, students actively design digitalization projects for companies, gaining qualifications for future business requirements. The program encourages interdisciplinary collaboration, bringing together students from IT, engineering, and all other disciplines. The focus is on preparing students for the digital future by equipping them with relevant tools.

The program's format emphasizes a combination of digitalization and leadership topics. Through the self-organized implementation of real digitalization projects within a company, students promote their personal development. The curriculum includes various modules that provide impulses for this process.

The program offers 100% practical relevance, directly linking practice and theory through real projects. The course content continuously incorporates the development of company projects, and recurring SIBE block seminars can be easily integrated into daily work. Specialization primarily occurs through the Master's project. The proportion of face-to-face or live online seminars can be adjusted based on availability, preferences, and partner company needs.

The format is designed to be integrated and customized, with a strong focus on collaborative learning and working in seminars, peer mentoring, and other activities. This approach facilitates systematic network expansion.

The study involves several examination papers, including transfer papers, project study papers, presentations, and a Master's Thesis. These can be written in either German or English. Examinations conducted by international lecturers must be in English.

An online MBA option is available through cooperation with partner universities. Depending on performance, students can receive an MBA certificate from a Brazilian partner university in addition to the Master of Science (M.Sc.) degree from Steinbeis University. This is subject to bilateral agreements and may change due to legal or political conditions, with no legal claim to the award of titles or certificates.

Admission requirements include a completed first degree with at least 180 credit points according to ECTS or equivalent, English language skills of at least B2 level, broad experience through internships, international experience, volunteer work, or work experience, and successful completion of a multi-stage selection process at SIBE. A partner company is also required to support the studies and provide a digitalization project.

Application documents include an optional cover letter, curriculum vitae, certificate of higher education entrance qualification, certificate of studies, study record or current grade overview, work and internship certificates, proof of English proficiency (min. B2 level, no older than 3 years), and for applicants from China, Vietnam, and India, a certificate from the Academic Evaluation Center (APS).

The selection process involves an online application, document review, a personal interview via MS Teams (in German or English), and a follow-up questionnaire. Upon successful completion, students can either start the program with their existing company or be admitted to a talent pool to search for a suitable company with SIBE's support.

Funding is typically provided by the partner company, which usually supports students with a monthly salary and covers the majority of program and tuition fees. The company's contribution includes a monthly student salary, payment of program fees (€1,160 per month plus VAT), possible reimbursement of travel expenses for in-person seminars and optional study abroad, and leave of absence for seminars. The student's contribution covers tuition fees of €350 per month (excluding VAT).

Optional study trips abroad are offered to provide insights into selected foreign markets, benefiting from the international network of the School of International Business and Entrepreneurship. These trips include visits to national and international companies, chambers, or associations, exchange with company or university representatives, and cultural offers. These are optional and incur additional costs not included in tuition and program fees.