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LEARNING AND TEACHING
- Core focus on individual personality
- Application-oriented teaching
- Modern learning methods
“High-quality, challenging and practice-oriented teaching has always been the focus at Munich Business School; it forms the basis for sustainable academic progress and a successful start to professional life. Every day, we aspire and strive to create close links between teaching and learning and continuously improve our offerings.”
Prof. Dr. Stefan Baldi, Dean of Munich Business School
Learning and Teaching As A Joint Expedition:
MBS Learning and Teaching Philosophy
For us, learning is a collaborative process, not just between faculty and students but encompassing the entire MBS community. We see our lecturers as pathfinders, companions and supporters of the learning process. Traditional one-sided lectures are not part of our process at MBS. Instead, each lecture incorporates discussion to facilitate collaborative knowledge building and new perspectives for all involved.
Where we learn is an important aspect of a rich learning experience. With this in mind, the learning process at MBS deliberately integrate activities within and beyond the university, in both physical and virtual spaces. Different locations allow learners to engage with content from different perspectives – whether online or on campus, on a field trip, in a company while completing an internship or at one of our partner universities abroad.
At MBS, we enable learners to apply, implement and reflect on learning content in practical situations. This involves contextualizing use cases with theoretical fundamentals. This way, we encourage learners to connect their experiences, knowledge and problem-solving skills by completing up-to-date challenges, examples and case studies. This ensures that every learning day is linked to practice and reality as a matter of course.
Our teaching methods facilitate learning by building on students’ strengths. The methods we apply are suitably diverse and innovative, so that each learner can achieve optimal, individual learning success. We integrate group projects, reflections, case study discussions, simulations, practical projects, innovation workshops and experiential learning elements into our collaborative learning across all courses – using classroom-based and virtual sessions where appropriate.
The learning climate has a significant impact on the learning process and the learning success of all learners. Members of the MBS community show appreciation when they interact with others, which contributes to a positive learning atmosphere. Tolerance and collegiality create a learning environment in which people treat each other with friendliness and respect. A people-centered approach is therefore at the heart of all MBS activities.
MBS pursues an evidence-based approach to teaching and only draws on current, scientifically validated theories, approaches and methods. Personal and practical experiences (clearly indicated as such and not as generally valid knowledge) provides additional learning context.
While traditional business studies focus primarily on the organization itself, here at MBS we convey the ability to understand, anticipate impacts, adapt to change and act responsibly. We reflect on macroeconomic aspects and the impact on society as a whole. These considerations include international and intercultural aspects as well as ethical and sustainability issues. This is based on our firm belief that the challenges of the 21st century can only be solved with a holistic approach rather than a silo mentality.
MBS lecturers foster curiosity, inspire our students and build their confidence to acquire knowledge and gain experience. They encourage independent thinking and challenge students’ ideas. We embolden students to think outside the box. As a team of explorers, we approach the learning process together, placing a particular focus on dialogue and feedback. Everyone takes responsibility for themselves and for others. Although we measure learning success with grades, our primary concern is the successful personal development of each individual student.
“I’ve gained a lot of valuable theoretical knowledge and tactical strategies during my study at MBS, which have guided me through my daily work until now.”
Xinxin Zhou, Master International Marketing and Brand Management
We apply an array of teaching and learning formats as appropriate in our study programs. These formats place a particular emphasis on lived experience, projects and skills. It is our firm belief that this is the only way for learning to yield lasting results – moving away from teacher-centered methods towards modern learning formats firmly rooted in the real world.
Interested in some examples? Here’s a selection of the formats we use.
Business projects with partner companies are an integral part of all study programs. They give students the opportunity to work on a real project for a large corporation, a medium-sized enterprise, a start-up or a non-profit organization. Students work in teams on these practical projects over several months. This allows them to familiarize themselves with the company’s internal processes and structures while also successfully applying their newly acquired expertise in practice.
Students on bachelor’s programs at MBS complete a social project in cooperation with a social institution or non-profit organization at the very beginning of their studies. In addition to project management skills, the students immerse themselves in other realities of life and see things from different perspectives.
Our study programs see students get hands-on with specific tasks in workshop settings. In digitalization workshops, for example, students actively apply digital technologies, program their own project websites and implement online marketing measures. Other workshops focus on agile working methods and creative techniques.
In the Start-up Week specially designed for the MBA General Management, students apply Design Thinking and Lean Start-up concepts, develop their own ideas in a design sprint and share them with founders from the MBS community. Students on the Innovation and Entrepreneurship master’s program also follow a similar path, completing a start-up project that includes creating various applications on digital prototypes.
The MBS Career Center also holds regular workshops that see students work on real tasks and benefit from supervision from our many corporate partners. This is how to put knowledge into practice!
Learning at MBS takes place in many locations – from internships in Germany and abroad to semesters at partner universities, class excursions and cultural activities. This is because we believe new knowledge and insights are generated by more than just classroom-based teaching. Lecturers might invite students to immerse themselves in Asian culture in Munich’s Westpark or discuss case studies at the relevant company’s offices. The same applies to a wide range of lectures on practical issues. Experts from various companies regularly visit MBS to give guest lectures, while students visit companies and organizations to learn directly on site.
A special learning experience awaits MBA General Management students during the Business Simulation Week. After a two-day bootcamp in accounting and finance, students take on specific key roles in a struggling company over four days with the task of leading it back to profitability and growth. It’s a challenging endeavor in which students immediately experience the impact of their own actions.
We also use simulations in our other degree programs to provide direct applications and feedback, such as in culture-specific courses, to simulate behaviors and general dynamics (networks, cultural factors, etc.) and place them in a realistic context.
Our students also have opportunities to participate in various competitions as part of their learning journey to get feedback from within MBS and beyond. Examples include open innovation challenges, business plan competitions and the IUM Mark Challenge on luxury business. Students prepare all necessary documents and meet requirements in class to ensure their success.
"Teaching at MBS is hands-on with practical real-world learning techniques. For example, during the MBA Simulation Week, we had the chance to assume the roles of high-ranking executives leading an international business all while solving a wide range of complex managerial problems on the fly. It is this kind of applied learning that makes studying at MBS very enriching."
Immaculata Baradyana, MBA General Management
"Studying at MBS allowed me to gain innumerable and valuable theoretical knowledge in all the important business areas, which I apply in my work life to all of the tasks that come my way. With the help of a collaborative studying process, students are inspired to apply the gained knowledge to real-life business problem-solving and stay curious to learn more."
Marija Radulovic, Bachelor International Business
QUALITY ASSURANCE
Thanks to our modern syllabi and innovative approaches to teaching, our shared learning journey is the perfect preparation for future professional challenges and the next steps in your career. It is particularly important to MBS as a university that you, as a student, can forge your own path and develop as an individual.
Our institutional learning goals reflect MBS’ mission and values, have been refined for each study program and are at the heart of everything we do. They represent the skills you will acquire, develop, consolidate and hone during your studies.
Our Assurance of Learning process monitors your attainment of competency goals during your studies. This special form of quality assurance enables us to continuously develop our syllabi, teaching and learning formats – and thereby ensure your personal learning success.
...are globally minded with a cultural awareness that enables them to act consciously in an international environment.
...have a holistic overview of relevant theories and practices of international business and management.
...act responsively by incorporating ethical and sustainability considerations into their decisions.
... collaborate effectively with others in leadership positions and in other roles.
...have an entrepreneurial mindset and the ability to develop innovative, creative solutions.
...are critical thinkers who can make decisions based on sound, analytical reasoning.
...are committed to continuous personal development and lifelong learning.
At the end of each semester, you will have the opportunity to anonymously evaluate your courses and the lecturers. The focus is on the quality of the teaching content and your lecturers’ teaching and communication skills. We use the survey results to systematically improve the courses we offer. In turn, lecturers have the opportunity to build on their strengths and provide you with the best possible learning experience. In addition to formal teaching evaluations, you can also provide feedback directly to the academic director, faculty, or program coordinator at any time.
As part of our efforts to continuously improve our teaching quality, Munich Business School also supports its lecturers’ personal and professional development. Initiatives to improve teaching and student learning include:
Annual MBS Teaching Day with extensive workshops and BarCamps
The MBS Teaching Award
We have awarded the MBS Teaching Award since 2020 in recognition of outstanding teaching. The award criteria include the use of innovative teaching concepts, a strong commitment to teaching and a focus on learning success, as well as excellent student supervision and support. The award comes with prize money of EUR 2,500.
" To be able to inspire young people from all over the world and future leaders every year is a privilege. If students write in the teaching evaluation not about the lecturer, but about themselves and the individual, personal development they have made in the course, I have achieved my teaching goal."
Professor Dr. Christian Schmidkonz, MBS Teaching Award 2020
„It is my ambition to provide my students with a well-founded education that will enable them to understand, to analyze and to evaluate complex issues. To achieve this, I believe it is essential to be open with students, to create a positive learning environment, and to have fun and dedication in the classroom!“
Professor Dr. Florian Bartholomae, MBS Teaching Award 2021
"I consider myself a Management Professor with head, heart & hand. I think this slogan represents nicely what I stand for in teaching. Of course, university courses are first and foremost about content Next is the heart, the passion: I burn for the courses and the content I teach. Finally comes the hand, the doing and trying out. Experimentation plays an important role, especially in digital contexts. "
Professor Dr. David Wagner, MBS Teaching Award 2022
"I am very delighted to have received this award. The award inspires me to continue to share the enthusiasm I have for my subjects with my students with full commitment. "
Dr. Hildegard Heindl, MBS Teaching Award 2023
"When designing my course, I followed the approach of British author Tom Chatfield, who, in his book How to Think, emphasizes that critical thinking shouldn’t focus on providing answers, but rather serve as a guide to something more practical and precious: questions that students can make their own. Since then, I’ve been continually amazed by how creative our students are and how much teaching has, for me, become a way to keep learning."
Giulia Parola, MBS Teaching Award 2024