Master Variants at IU

Do you want to finish as quickly as possible? Start your 60 ECTS credits master. 

General Admission Requirements*: 

• A completed, state-recognised undergraduate degree (at least 180 ECTS credits) relevant to the desired master's programme  

• Preparatory courses (30 ECTS credits) + 1 year of qualified professional experience at the start of the programme OR 2 years of qualified professional experience at the start of the programme 

Do you want to delve deeper into the subject? Start your 120 ECTS credit master. 

General Admission Requirements*: 

• A completed, state-recognised undergraduate degree (at least 180 ECTS credits) relevant to the desired master's programme 

*Please note: Depending on the programme, additional admission criteria may apply, such as English language skills or a bachelor’s degree with a specific focus. For the exact admission requirements, please refer to the page of your desired study programme. 

Do you want to finish as quickly as possible? Start your 60 ECTS credit master’s programme. 

General Admission Requirements*: 

• A completed, state-recognised undergraduate degree (at least 210 ECTS credits) relevant to the desired master's programme  

• Preparatory courses (30 ECTS credits) OR 1 year of qualified professional experience at the start of the programme 

Do you want to take your time? Start your 90 ECTS credit master’s programme. 

General Admission Requirements*: 

• A completed, state-recognised undergraduate degree (at least 210 ECTS credits) relevant to the desired master's programme 

Do you want to delve deeper into the subject? Start your 120 ECTS credit master’s programme. 

General Admission Requirements*: 

• A completed, state-recognised undergraduate degree (at least 180 ECTS credits) relevant to the desired master's programme 

*Please note: Depending on the programme, additional admission criteria may apply, such as English language skills or a bachelor’s degree with a specific focus. For the exact admission requirements, please refer to the page of your desired study programme. 

Do you want to finish as quickly as possible? Start your 60 ECTS credit master’s programme. 

General Admission Requirements*: 

• A completed, state-recognised undergraduate degree (at least 240 ECTS credits) relevant to the desired master's programme 

Do you want to take your time? Start your 90 ECTS credit master’s programme. 

General Admission Requirements*: 

• A completed, state-recognised undergraduate degree (at least 210 ECTS credits) relevant to the desired master's programme 

Do you want to delve deeper into the subject? Start your 120 ECTS credit master’s programme. 

General Admission Requirements*: 

• A completed, state-recognised undergraduate degree (at least 180 ECTS credits) relevant to the desired master's programme 

*Please note: Depending on the programme, additional admission criteria may apply, such as English language skills or a bachelor’s degree with a specific focus. For the exact admission requirements, please refer to the page of your desired study programme. 

Do you want to finish as quickly as possible? Start your 60 ECTS credit master’s programme. 

General Admission Requirements*: 

• A completed, state-recognised undergraduate degree (at least 180 ECTS credits)  

• Preparatory courses (30 ECTS credits) + 1 year of qualified professional experience at the start of the programme OR 2 years of qualified professional experience at the start of the programme 

Do you want to take your time and acquire management skills? Start your 90 ECTS credit MBA (Master of Business Administration). 

General Admission Requirements*: 

• A completed, state-recognised undergraduate degree (at least 180 ECTS credits)  

• 1 year of qualified professional experience at the start of the programme 

Do you want to continue your education in another field? Start a 120-ECTS credits master’s programme. 

General Admission Requirements*: 

• A completed, state-recognised undergraduate degree (at least 180 ECTS credits)  

• 1 year of qualified professional experience at the start of the programme OR start the Early Admission Master Programme 

  
  

Do you want to explore another area of expertise? Start your 120 ECTS credit master’s programme. 

General Admission Requirements*: 

• A completed, state-recognised undergraduate degree (at least 180 ECTS credits)  

• Pass the master's entrance exam in 3 steps: Register online, submit application documents, complete the exam for 2 specified modules within 12 months 

  
  

*Please note: Depending on the programme, additional admission criteria may apply, such as English language skills. For the exact admission requirements, please refer to the page of your desired study programme. 

Do you want to finish as quickly as possible? Start your 60 ECTS credit master’s programme. 

General Admission Requirements*: 

• A completed, state-recognised undergraduate degree (at least 180 ECTS credits)  

• 1 year of qualified professional experience at the start of the programme 

Do you want to take your time and acquire management skills? Start your 90 ECTS credit MBA (Master of Business Administration). 

General Admission Requirements*: 

• A completed, state-recognised undergraduate degree (at least 180 ECTS credits)  

• 1 year of qualified professional experience at the start of the programme 

Do you want to continue your education in another field? Start a 120-ECTS credits master’s programme. 

General Admission Requirements*: 

• A completed, state-recognised undergraduate degree (at least 180 ECTS credits)  

• 1 year of qualified professional experience at the start of the programme OR start the Early Admission Master Programme 

Do you want to explore another area of expertise? Start your 120 ECTS credit master’s programme. 

General Admission Requirements*: 

• A completed, state-recognised undergraduate degree (at least 180 ECTS credits)  

• Pass the master's entrance exam in 3 steps: Register online, submit application documents, complete the exam for 2 specified modules within 12 months 

*Please note: Depending on the programme, additional admission criteria may apply, such as English language skills. For the exact admission requirements, please refer to the page of your desired study programme. 

https://www.iu.de/en/master/distance-learning/?ects=60

Do you want to finish as quickly as possible? Start your 60 ECTS credit master’s programme. 

General Admission Requirements*: 

• A completed, state-recognised undergraduate degree (at least 180 ECTS credits)  

• 1 year of qualified professional experience at the start of the programme 

Do you want to take your time and acquire management skills? Start your 90 ECTS credit MBA (Master of Business Administration). 

General Admission Requirements*: 

• A completed, state-recognised undergraduate degree (at least 180 ECTS credits)  

• 1 year of qualified professional experience at the start of the programme 

Do you want to continue your education in another area of expertise? Start a 120 ECTS credit master’s programme. 

General Admission Requirements*: 

• A completed, state-recognised undergraduate degree (at least 180 ECTS credits)  

• 1 year of qualified professional experience at the start of the programme OR start the Early Admission Master Programme 

Do you want to explore another area of expertise? Start a 120 ECTS credit master’s programme. 

General Admission Requirements*: 

• A completed, state-recognised undergraduate degree (at least 180 ECTS credits)  

• Pass the master's entrance exam in 3 steps: Register online, submit application documents, complete the exam for 2 specified modules within 12 months 

*Please note: Depending on the programme, additional admission criteria may apply, such as English language skills. For the exact admission requirements, please refer to the page of your desired study programme. 

A master's degree can open many doors and create new career paths. It prepares you with advanced specialist knowledge to take on more responsibility in expert and leadership roles. Also, your salary expectations increase as you invest two to four more semesters in your skills, allowing you to fully develop your strengths in your specific area or explore new academic horizons. 

The term “consecutive” comes from Latin and means “following” or “subsequent.” Thus, a consecutive master's is a subsequent study programme that builds on your undergraduate degree (usually your bachelor's). It allows you to dive deeper into the subject and gain new expert knowledge. This means the subject in which you completed your undergraduate degree dictates which master's you can pursue.

Here’s an example: You have a bachelor's degree in computer science. Since a consecutive master’s deepens the basic knowledge from the bachelor’s, you can now study a master’s in computer science. However, there are also master’s programmes that you cannot study at the bachelor's level. Therefore, graduates of related fields are also admitted.

A continuing education master’s degree requires qualifying professional experience in addition to your completed undergraduate degree (usually one year). This means your master’s builds on your professional experience. It deepens and broadens your knowledge in specific practical areas. This distinguishes a continuing education master’s from a consecutive master’s, which you can pursue directly after completing your bachelor's degree. 

If you wish to enter a consecutive master's programme for which you do not have the necessary background from your bachelor’s degree, you can gain admission to certain programmes by passing a master's entrance exam. Learn which programmes are available with a successfully completed master's entrance exam and how it works on our information page regarding application at IU International University of Applied Sciences (IU). 

Preparatory courses are designed to bring all new master's students to a common level of knowledge. You must complete them if you do not meet the admission criteria directly for your desired study programme. 

Preparatory courses at IU comprise 30 ECTS credits with three module exams of 10 ECTS credits each. You will take modules from our B.A. Business Administration and/or M.A. General Management programmes which you complete within a year. 

Yes. You can enrol in a master's degree if you have a first professional degree such as a bachelor's, diploma, or magister. 

Yes. If you are an experienced manager or expert and fulfil the necessary requirements, you can pursue a master's degree without a bachelor’s degree. Several master's and MBA programmes across seven areas are available to you, such as Health & Social Affairs, IT & Technology, or Business & Management. Learn more about your options and admission on our information page about our master’s without a bachelor’s.