Business PF

BWL / Personalmanagement

Studiengang Personalmanagement

Business is people! Personnel work in business today is an important and future oriented management function. Our students acquire a sound business education and outstanding qualifications for a career in the Human Resources field. The practice-related program familiarizes you with customer-oriented support of employees, goal-based structuring of working processes and professional further training and staff promotion. 

At a glance

Duration of study
7 semesters (210 credits)

Internship
5th semester (100 days) 

Degree Classification
Bachelor of Science 
(Business Administration)

Admission
Twice a year

Program language
German (at least 24 credits in English)

Prerequisites 
The entry requirement is a higher education entrance qualification. Good English language skills are essential. Non-native speakers must prove sufficient knowledge of German

Contact 
If you have further questions regarding our study program or the application procedure, please do not hesitate to contact us: personalmanagement(at)hs-pforzheim(dot)de, Tel.: 0049 7231 28-6374

Program

Fundamental technical and methodical knowledge and skills in the field of Human Resources Management are just as important in the program as the promotion and development of personal and social competences such as presentation skills, chairing of group meetings, project management etc. We prepare you thoroughly for any career challenges you may face in the future.

Our graduates have the opportunity to gain further academic and professional qualifications by taking our Master study program “Human Resources Management (M.Sc.)”. 

As the majority of the courses is taught in German language, excellent German language skills are required.

Benefits

  • a sound academic education
  • work-related profund knowledge in the field of Human Resources Management
  • a University with an exceptional reputation
  • a wide range of internship contacts
  • the opportunity to study abroad at an accredited partner university
  • practice-oriented aching methods in the form of seminars, training and case studies
  • the opportunity to take part in Human Resources forums, a series of lectures for company representatives and students
  • integrated final paper with work orientation
  • internationally recognized degree
  • very good employment opportunities for our graduates
  • professors with excellent connections to reputable companies

Graduates require excellent consultancy skills in order to be successful in practice. In the study program we focus on the development of social competence for our students. We offer regular training seminars on the topics of presentations, how to interact in a group, project management, chairing group meetings, negotiations or applications. Another special feature is the Human Resources forum whose members include 250 company representatives.  The lectures held in the personnel forum are course-related so that by the end of their studies students will have gained information about the latest developments in practice.

International orientation is an important focus and we encourage students to take part in a study semester abroad.

You are interested in people and their work, you are communicative and open-minded, goal-oriented and business-minded – then the Human Resources Management study program is the one for you.

Human Resources management is changing away from the traditional role focused on staff administration to being an active enabler for transformation processes. Due to this change the right people in HR are those who are flexible, solution-orientated and taking over accountability.

As well as participating in fundamentals of Human Resources Management and employment law, students will be able to take specific seminars which are partly optional. Assessment will be in the form of assignments and presentations. Usually, the Bachelor thesis will be written as an internship project in cooperation with a company.  The University has an excellent network of contacts with companies so students will have no difficulty in finding a suitable internship and project topic for their Bachelor thesis.

The degree program consists of general studies and course specific modules. 
Your general studies will cover the following modules:

  • General Business Administration
  • Company Taxation
  • Business Information Systems
  • Mathematics, Statistics and Operations Research
  • Economics
  • Law
  • Intercultural Compentence
  • Ethics and Corporate and Social Responsibility

You will spend approximately 50% of your degree on these general courses.

The rest of the time will be taken up with your course specific modules.

The following courses will be offered alongside the general studies program:

  • Foundations of Human Resources Management (Human Resources Management: Framework and Structures, HR Policy and HR Marketing)
  • Operative Management of Personnel (Selection of Personnel, Planning, Remuneration, Layoffs)
  • Foundations of Labor Law
  • Human Resources Development / Organizational Behavior (Human Resources Development / Vocational Training, Organizational Behavior)
  • Human Resources Management: Methods and Tools (IT-Solutions for Human Resources Management, Trainings in HR)
  • Research Methods in Human Resources Management
  • Human Resources Management: Electives (Leadership, Collective Labor Law, Methods of Project Management, International Human Resources Management), note: the offer of elective courses can vary
  • Company Project
  • Strategic Human Resources Management
  • Change Management / Organizational Development

Many of our students, who start working directly after graduation, start their career as a Personnel Officer. Another option is to work as a Junior Business Partner in the personnel area and support the work of an HR Business Partner. In the medium term graduates themselves can undertake this task. As experts in personnel management they shape and work on defined task areas of personnel support such as personnel marketing, recruiting, selection, employment and the continuous support of the employees until separation or retirement. All this includes topics concerning business administration, labour-law and personnel psychology as well as the personnel strategical consultation of executives and the cooperation with the workers’ council, which is important regarding the corporate policy. In the personnel development you are responsible for the training of employees and executives as well as for the competence management. The monitoring of change processes and other forms of organization developments can be your tasks. As training manager you take care of all the topics evolving around the in-company training. As HR Business Partner your work is closely coordinated with the management and executives, especially when it comes to strategic topics. As a perspective the position as Head of HR or a leading function in the area of personnel and organization development can be a career goal. Working at a consulting company can be taken into consideration as well as working in the international human resource management.

Program goals describe the competencies, which every student should have obtained at the end of their studies at Pforzheim Business School. Each one of these goals is outlined by learning outcomes, through which the competency goals are operationalized and become tangible.

You can find the program goals and learning outcomes of the various study programs in the navigation bar. 

Goal at degree program level

Students have broad knowledge of theories and their practical application in order to understand business functions and processes. Expert Knowledge

Learning Objective/Outcome

1.1 Students demonstrate their distinguished and sound competencies in General Business Administration.

1.2 Students demonstrate their distinguished and sound competencies in Economics.

1.3 Students have command of legal methodology for case solutions on basis of claims.

1.4 Students are able to solve business problems based on profound data research skills and by applying quantitative methods.

1.5 Students have profound expert knowledge in their field of specialization.

Goal at degree program level

Students are able to use information technology successfully. Digital Skills

Learning Objective/Outcome

2.1 Students know and understand relevant IT software tools used in business and their features and have a solid understanding of digital technologies.

2.2 Students are able to effectively use and apply information systems to develop solutions in business settings.

2.3 Students are able to effectively use digital technologies to interact, to collaborate and to communicate.

2.4 Students handle the professional use of digital technologies in a responsible manner.

Goal at degree program level

Students demonstrate profound analytical and critical thinking skills. Critical Thinking and Analytical Competence

Learning Objective/Outcome

3.1 Students are able to implement adequate methods in a competent manner and to apply them to complex problems.

3.2 Students are able to critically reflect and interpret findings and to develop comprehensive solutions for complex problems.

Goal at degree program level

Students recognize issues and conflicts in the areas of ethics, sustainable development and social responsibility which can arise from economic and business activities and account for them accordingly. Ethical awareness

Learning Objective/Outcome

4 Students are able to develop sound strategies in the area of ethics, sustainable development and social responsibility and are able to apply them to typical economic decision-making problems.

Goal at degree program level

Students are able to express ideas and arguments clearly and convincingly in oral and written communication. Communication and Collaboration Skills

Learning Objective/Outcome

5.1 Students are able to express complex issues effectively in writing.

5.2 Students demonstrate their oral communication skills in presentations.

5.3 Students show that they are able to work succesfully in a team by performing practical tasks.

Goal at degree program level

Students are well-prepared to act successfully in a global business environment. Internationalization

Goal at degree program level

6.1 Students are able to understand and explain busienss challenges in an international context.

6.2 Students demonstrate that they can articulate themselves in a professional manner in international business.

6.3 Students successfully demonstrate awareness of cross-cultural differences.