Mission of the School of Business and Economics at RWTH Aachen University

  Mission of the School Marcus Gerards

A key player within an integrated university of technology, the School of Business and Economics at RWTH Aachen University is a competitive and internationally recognized institution of teaching and research in the field of Business and Economics.

We are guided in our work by the following four principal objectives:

  • The conducting of high quality research into topics of societal relevance. This research is a balanced blend of applied, third-party-funded research that addresses specific problems of firms and non-profit organizations, and basic research that is definitive for the development of knowledge within our academic discipline.  International exposure is achieved through conference participation, publications in highly ranked peer-reviewed journals, and projects with international co-authors.
  • Aspiring to opinion leadership within the business and industry sectors as well as the community at large in those fields stemming from our four key Research Areas at the interface of business and industry, society, the natural sciences, and technology.
  • Teaching at high international quality standards (gauged by means of external accreditation and evaluation) that finds its particular expression in the pursuance of increased diversity and internationality in our teaching activities.
  • The recognition of the high societal relevance of business and economic issues and consequently the respecting of a code of conduct and ethical standards in our teaching and research activities.

In the pursuance and fulfillment of these objectives, we aim to make full use of the advantages of the interdisciplinary structures that one of Germany’s leading universities of technology can offer to our academic discipline.

Our Core Values and Principles

Consistent with the goals and principles of RWTH Aachen University, the School of Business and Economics is guided by the following core values and principles:

  • We believe that teaching and research excellence should be achieved while maintaining the unity of the academic discipline of Business and Economics and integrating theoretical and empirical approaches.
  • We regard basic and applied research (i.e. the development of innovative solutions for real-world problems) to be of equal ranking.
  • We expect and foster the highest standards of excellence for the expertise of our academic staff in their teaching and research.
  • We believe in actively harnessing the scientific innovation potential of interdisciplinarity and internationality.
  • We believe that a university education may serve as an excellent vehicle for fostering and developing key personal and professional competencies in students.
  • We aim to educate those students who have an aptitude for science and engineering and who are particularly capable in mathematics and foreign languages.
  • We respect general guidelines for ethical conduct that categorically rule out any form of scientific misconduct in research, that encourage students to critically engage with learning content, and that foster an awareness for the societal consequences of business and management decisions.

Our Areas of Commitment

  1. Undertaking active research in the sub-disciplines covered by the School is an integral part of the calling of our academic staff. Acutely aware of the innovative potential of interdisciplinary research, they align their research with international quality standards and publish their findings in high ranking, national and international peer-reviewed journals, and in monographs, and also present these findings at pertinent conferences and seminars, whereby they carefully adhere to the principles of good scientific practice that are integral to RWTH Aachen University. The transferal of research findings into practice is implemented in various ways, such as via the provision of continued education courses or participation in company start-ups that promote promising business ideas.
  2. The School of Business and Economics fully respects the freedom of its academic staff to select their own research topics, while encouraging them to meet the needs of business and society.
  3. With regard to teaching, the School of Business and Economics is committed to empowering students within their selected programs of study to take on the challenges of leadership in companies and institutions as well as in research and education. At the same time, we encourage our students to develop an awareness for the societal responsibility that they will shoulder in their roles as future decision-makers.

    The School’s key focus areas are its Bachelor’s and Master’s degree programs in Business Administration, and its Master’s degree program in Management, Business and Economics. The School also plays a central role in the various Business and Engineering degree programs by delivering the business component.
  4. The School of Business and Economics educates on-going secondary level II teachers, who are specializing in Business and Economics. Further, within the framework of the commercial Executive MBA program, the School is actively involved in the continued education and professional development of future top executives. This program aims to attract in particular practitioners from an engineering or natural science academic background.

The range of services offered within RWTH Aachen University reflects the growing need for interdisciplinary interplay between research and teaching. Within the framework of its resources, and bearing in mind the goals and key academic focus areas of  the University, the School of Business and Economics plays its part in this process by providing services for the programs of study offered by fellow Faculties and Schools.

Our Strategies for Goal Achievement

  1. The School of Business and Economics wishes to be known among the scientific community for its principled and sophisticated teaching and research performance in specially defined key areas of societal relevance. To this aim, the School is structured into so-called Research Areas, each of them addressing issues on energy, mobility, and the environment, on the design and structure of organizations and markets, on operations research and operations management as well as on technology and innovation management, marketing, and entrepreneurship. This specialized structure empowers the School to bundle the strengths of the engineering and natural science faculties and schools with its own core competencies in the area of business and economics, thus consolidating its unique position in the German-speaking countries. The School of Business and Economics does not tolerate any form of plagiarism or manipulation of research findings; either will result in disciplinary action being taken. We aim to provide an attractive environment for learning and research to young scholars who undertake a doctoral degree with us. Such degrees are also closely linked to our Research Areas. Our staff appointment policy strives to attract and to retain the brightest minds.
  2. The School fosters a customer-oriented relationship with its students, actively seeking constructive dialog with them in order to identify strengths and any possible weak areas in its curricula. In keeping with its high standards, the School designs its teaching and examination activities in such a manner that students may move through their studies at a brisk, but thorough, pace. Guided by the principle of “A good theory is the best practice”, the content of the School’s teaching activities is firmly anchored in theory and carefully balanced off with empirical research findings. Our academic staff steer their students towards a reflective and methodical approach for tackling their future professional tasks.
  3. Where appropriate, a mathematically analytical approach is adhered to in the school’s teaching practices. This quantitative orientation attracts particularly those students who are suitably talented and motivated. The public relations activities reflect the School’s orientation and requirements, and we carefully select our new students accordingly.

    The educational goals of the School are that its students will acquire knowledge and methodical and problem-solving competencies whilst developing their personal and social skills and values. They will thus learn how to identify and tackle complex problems, whilst at the same time enhancing their personal self-confidence and exploring new paths, and developing their ability to critically approach both “proven” and new material. Students are motivated to develop their capacity for lifelong learning, to enhance their self-sufficiency and to shoulder responsibility whilst communicating and collaborating with others and, last but not least, to develop a sensitivity to other cultural beliefs and values. To facilitate this last goal, the School encourages its students to spend part of their studies abroad. As our teaching contents are oriented towards our Research Areas, this facilitates a good symbiosis between research and teaching and enables a smooth transition from a Master’s degree program to a Doctoral degree program.
  4. For business and industry, the School of Business and Economics at RWTH Aachen University aspires to be an attractive partner when it comes to the direct recruitment of highly qualified graduates or to the creation of scientifically backed solutions to complex problems. Through its collaborative activities with firms – such as within the framework of project modules and application-oriented degree theses – the School strives to facilitate the career transition of its graduates.