Admission and Application
Application Requirements:
To be admitted to the Master Corporate Communication Management, you need
- a university degree (Bachelor's degree or Diploma) in a business administration or communication science degree program (or similar) with a final grade of 2.2 or better (German grading system);
- generally consisting of 210 ECTS credits, but at least 180 ECTS credits*;
- English language skills sufficient for active participation in English-language courses - proven by language level B2 in relation to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages;
- successful completion of the two-stage aptitude test.
Below you will find the most important information about the application process for the Master's in Corporate Communication Management. In addition, we have compiled frequently asked questions, answers on admission requirements and information about the selection and application process, which we often receive as part of our student advisory service and which may be helpful to you.
In the MCCM, you can expect an education which is practice-oriented - which is what German universities of applied sciences stand for. An education that is equally based on an analytically sound theoretical education oriented towards the latest research findings - as was traditionally the case at universities.
Who we are looking for
We are looking for applicants who are passionate about corporate communication and would like to gain an advanced qualification in the areas of internal and external communication, strategy and management.
Would you like to acquire more knowledge and expertise in three semesters? Are you motivated, committed and willing to play an active role in the courses and at Pforzheim University? Do you have the ability to be analytical, to critically examine issues and to think outside the box? Are you equally interested in both hands-on projects and scientific research? And perhaps you would also like to explore the possibility of a PhD?
Then we recommend you apply for the MCCM!
How the selection procedure works
The university's own aptitude test consists of a two-stage selection procedure:
As part of a pre-selection process, the written application documents are assessed on the basis of three criteria:
- Grade of the university undergraduate degree,
- Quality of the letter of motivation and
- subject-specific professional or study experience.
If we receive more applications than there are seats available, the highest-ranking applicants will be invited to a selection interview. The interview is held as an individual interview in which we would like to get to know you and your motivation for pursuing the MCCM. The following will be assessed in the interview:
- Study motivation,
- Social, professional and methodological competencies,
- Analytical skills,
- Presentation skills, and
- relevant subject knowledge and language skills.
The interviews are conducted individually and last approx. 20 minutes per person. The selection interviews take place in July, sometimes from the beginning of June on a rolling basis.
How to apply
The MCCM Master’s program begins in the winter semester. The application deadline is June 15 of each year, with a start in the winter semester (usually end of September / early October).
For your online application submitted via the Master's application portal of Pforzheim University, please have the following documents ready:
- Curriculum vitae (CV)
- Proof of university entrance qualification (e.g. high school degree)
- Proof of undergraduate degree (Bachelor's/Diploma certificate and diploma)
- Letter of motivation in English (maximum two pages)
- Proof of full-time professional experience (if applicable)
- Proof of English language skills (language level B2 according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages)*
Please apply online via the Master's application portal of Pforzheim University. First, please register on the platform to receive access. Second, please fill in your personal data and upload all required PDF documents.
During the application process, you will be asked to upload your application documents in PDF format. Please note that the application can only be continued once the relevant document has been uploaded. We therefore recommend that you only complete the application once you have all the relevant documents.
The full PDF upload of your documents is sufficient for the application phase. In the event of an offer of admission, you will then receive more information in the applicant portal as to which documents must be submitted in certified form with the enrollment.
*Further information on proof of language proficiency can be found in the FAQs below the questions Which language certificates are accepted? und How can I find out whether my language test corresponds to B2 level?
* Please note that conditions may be necessary to ensure that the subject requirements are met (e.g. attendance of additional courses and/or restrictions on elective options). If you have earned only 180 ECTS credits in your first degree program, you will need to complete an additional 30 ECTS credits during your Master's studies, so that you will have earned a total of 300 credits by the time you graduate. Credits can be obtained on the basis of an individual "compulsory study agreement" (verbindliche Studienvereinbarung, Master's vSV) from additional electives, from courses of other Master's programs and from certain courses of the Bachelor's programs. It is also possible to earn additional credits as part of a semester abroad or an integrated internship if the previous degree program did not include an integrated internship. Under certain conditions, it is also possible to transfer a maximum of 30 credits for skills acquired outside the higher education sector. Applicants with fewer than 180 ECTS cannot be admitted to the Master's degree program.
Your Letter of Motivation of no more than two pages should clearly demonstrate why you want to study the MCCM program. We would like to get to know you as a person and learn what drives you on your career path.
Please be aware that AI-written Letters of Motivation are all very similar and easy to detect.
We very much appreciate creative and unique Letters of Motivation that show who you are and where you want to go.
The University Entrance Qualification is a diploma or school leaving certificate that proves your eligibility to start undergraduate/Bachelor's studies at a university (such as a high school diploma, attestat, baccalaureat, bachillerato, or general certificate of education, etc.).
For the online application, applicants who obtained their University Entrance Qualification from an institution outside Germany can upload a PDF document of the certificate translated to English or German.
In case of admission, a notarized translation of the document to German or English has to be submitted in paper form together with the original document for enrollment.
Degree Certificate
Please upload the degree certificate of your Bachelor's/undergraduate studies.
If your degree certificate is not yet available at the time of application, you may submit it at a later date. In case of admission, the exact submission deadline will be specified in your official letter of admission.
For the online application, applicants who obtained their degree from an institution outside Germany can upload a PDF document with the certificate translated to English or German.
In case of admission, a notarized translation of the document to German or English has to be submitted in paper form together with the original document for enrollment.
Please note: applicants with a university degree from China, Vietnam, India and Mongolia must obtain a certificate from the Academic Evaluation Center (APS) at the German Embassy in their respective home countries. Applicants with a degree from Pakistan must obtain an attestion stamp from the Higher Education Commission Pakistan (HEC).
Transcript of Records (ToR)
With your Transcript of Records (ToR), you demonstrate that the knowledge and academic performance you achieved during your Bachelor's/undergraduate studies meet the requirements for the MCCM program.
Your ToR should indicate
- all courses you have taken during your Bachelor's/undergraduate studies with individual credits and grade per course, and
- your final average grade.
If you haven't finished your Bachelor's/undergraduate studies yet at the time of application, please upload the current version of your ToR, including
- all courses you have finished so far with individual credits and grade per course, and
- your current average grade.
Applicants who obtained their Bachelor's/undergraduate degree from an institution outside Germany are required to submit a Transcript of Records in the original language of the issuing institution, together with a German or English translation. If the grading system differs from the German system, applicants additionally must provide official documentation of the grading scale, specifying the lowest passing grade and the highest achievable grade.
This only applies to applicants who wrote a Bachelor's Thesis as part of their Bachelor's/undergraduate studies and have written their thesis on a topic that is relevant to the MCCM.
The thesis can be taken into account as soon as it has been officially registered. Please upload a confirmation of registration from the examination office or a short, informal confirmation (e.g. email correspondence) from your first assessor stating the topic to our online application platform.
To be eligible for the MCCM program, an English level of B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages is required. It can be proven e.g. by TOEFL, Cambridge Certificate, IELTS (paper-based or online), LCCI, TELC or TOEIC certificates.
Proof of a degree from an English-speaking university is also accepted as equivalent to B2 (a semester abroad is not sufficient).
Alternatively, explicit confirmation of level B2 from a state-recognized German university will also be accepted as part of the application.
Proof of B2 level in the University Entrance Certificate as well as other proofs than those mentioned are not recognized. Especially the Duolingo English Test cannot be recognized as proof of your English proficiency. The Oxford Placement Test can only be recognized if it was verifiably taken within 60 minutes and under supervision.
Important note for TOEFL tests (or equivalent): A successfully completed TOEFL test will be accepted as part of your application process even if its two-year formal validity has already expired. This means that if you have already taken a TOEFL test, you do not need to retake it. It is still valid as part of your application for the MCCM.
This only applies to applicants who have any full-time professional experience in a field relevant to the MCCM.
By full-time professional experience, we understand internships or full-time jobs. Internships can be recognized regardless of whether they were completed as part of a study program or carried out independently/on a voluntary basis.
Working student positions usually cannot be considered.
For the assessment of your practical experience, we require internship or work certificates or references that clearly state from when to when you worked and in which area your tasks were located. Only if it is clear from the certificate or reference that it was a relevant activity we can take it into account. The references do not have to be notarized.
Please upload your internship or work certificates or references to our online application portal.
Degree Certificate
For Master's degree certificates, the same requirements as for Bachelor's/undergraduate degree certificates apply (see Bachelor's/Undergraduate Degree Certificate and Transcript of Records (ToR)).
Please note that depending on the country of origin, a Bachelor’s degree alone may not correspond to a German Bachelor’s degree. In some education systems, both a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree are required for equivalence.
Certificate Recognition for International Applicants
International applicants with foreign educational qualifications must undergo a certificate recognition process for applying to public universities in Germany. This requirement applies to all Bachelor’s and Master’s degree programs in the federal state of Baden-Wuerttemberg.
We strongly recommend that international applicants initiate the process of having their certificates, academic transcripts, and final grade conversion evaluated well in advance of applying for the Master’s program in Corporate Communication Management. This ensures the recognition of their degree in Baden-Wuerttemberg and confirms that their converted GPA meets the program’s requirements within the German grading system.
There are two options to get your GPA recognized:
(1) You can get your GPA recognized from Pforzheim University. If you want to do that before our online application platform opens, please send your certificates and academic transcripts including your final grade to mccm(at)hs-pforzheim(dot)de.
After our application platform has opened, you can submit your application online and we will directly validate your GPA.
This grade conversion is only valid for applications to Pforzheim University, no certificates will be issued. This is the only available option for EU citizens as well as non-EU citizens who obtained their GPA within the EU.
(2) Non-EU applicants may also obtain a standardized evaluation of international credentials from “Center for International Students at Konstanz” which serves as a central authority for evaluating and recognizing foreign certificates for all state universities in Baden-Wuerttemberg. The process involves several key steps:
- Submission of an application for certificate recognition
- Assessment of qualifications for equivalence with German degrees
- Conversion of grades to the German grading system
- Issuance of a recognition certificate upon successful evaluation
Once in possession of the recognition certificate from Center for International Students at Konstanz, international applicants can proceed with their applications to Pforzheim University (as well as to other universities in Baden-Wuerttemberg). This certificate serves as a crucial document in the admission process.
Please note:
The certificate recognition process can take 4-5 weeks to complete, so please apply for recognition well in advance to ensure you have the recognition certificate before the application deadline.
Pforzheim University as well as Center for International Students at Konstanz adhere to the same criteria, utilize identical conversion scales, and reference the same databases when assessing applications.
The early submission and assessment at Center for International Students at Konstanz provides non-EU applicants with reliable information whether they are eligible to apply for a Master’s program in Baden-Wuerttemberg and their ability to specifically meet the grade threshold for the Corporate Communication Management program.
Additional Requirements for Specific Countries
Applicants with a university degree from China, Vietnam, India and Mongolia must obtain a certificate from the Academic Evaluation Center (APS) at the German Embassy in their respective home countries. Applicants with a degree from Pakistan must obtain an attestion stamp from the Higher Education Commission Pakistan (HEC).
