Bachelor's Degree in Business Psychology

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Business Psychology (B.Sc.) Bachelor's Degree in Germany

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What is Business Psychology?

Business Psychology is the practice of understanding and improving working life. It combines an understanding of the science of human behaviour with experience of the world of work to gain effective and sustainable performance for both individuals and organisations. What kind of environment do employees need for their optimal development? And how can teams be led effectively? The economy is one of the largest employers of business psychologists. With their specialist knowledge of psychological and economic interrelationships, they play a major role in helping companies to better understand their customers and employees, and in establishing a good working atmosphere. As a bachelor student of "Business Psychology” at the CBS International Business School, you will acquire the basics of business administration and economics, strategic management, and psychology. After graduating in Business Psychology, you can take on higher management positions in marketing, management consulting, or human resources departments.

Learn more about business psychology, and why it is important!

What do you learn in a business psychology course? Sound knowledge of business administration as a professional basis

In our Business Psychology course you will acquire specialist knowledge for your international management career: During the first semesters you will be introduced step by step to the basics of financial accounting, business basics and microeconomics and will deepen this knowledge in relevant fields of application such as “market research” and “strategic and international management”. Other focal points include:

Media and Consumer Psychology
Personality Psychology and Management
Strategic and International Management
Marketing and Human Resource Management
Psychology and the Workplace

Business Psychology at a glance

ECTS 180
Semester 6
Language English
Type of Study Full-time
Degree Bachelor of Science
Campus Cologne
Internship Integrated
Semester Abroad Integrated

Start of Studies Summer Cologne
Study Fee* 5.550 €

*The displayed prices are semester fees. For non-EU students' fees please check the tuition fees information page. Status: January 2024.

Study Course Plan

Some information about the study plan for the study programme Bachelors in Business Psychology:

General business teaching units

Business Operations3 ECTS

Introduction: Basic business, economic, and market principles and key terms
External Business Environment
Global Markets
Competitive Environment
Internal Environment
Management, Leadership & Motivation
Business Function: HR, Operations, Marketing, Finance & Accounting
Entrepreneurship
Business Ethics and CSR
Emerging Business Trends

Business Law3 ECTS

Survey on different legal systems and the harmonizing effect of EU Law
Concluding a contract
Different types of contracts and their typical features
Performance and obligations
Solving problems (e.g. failure to perform, liabilities)
Safeguarding creditors’ rights
Forms of business organizations

Mathematics3 ECTS

Introduction to functions, graphs and interpretations
Understanding Derivatives
Applications of Derivatives
Understanding Differential Equations
Applications of Differential Equations
Understanding Logarithms
Applications of Logarithms

Statistics3 ECTS

Introducing data and statistics
Descriptive statistics and exploratory data analysis
Introduction to probability theory
Discrete and continuous probability distributions
Sampling and sampling distributions
Interval estimations
Hypothesis development and testing
Simple linear regressions

Financial Accounting3 ECTS

The purpose of accounting
Formal rules and assumptions, national law, IFRS, US-GAAP
The system of financial statements and accounts
Accounting for services and merchandising
Inventory valuation
Receivables
Plant, natural and intangible assets
Liabilities
Owner’s equity of corporations
Value-added tax

Applied Financial Accounting3 ECTS

The purpose of accounting
Formal rules and assumptions, national law, IFRS, US-GAAP
The system of financial statements and accounts
Accounting for services and merchandising
Inventory valuation
Receivables
Plant, natural and intangible assets
Liabilities
Owner’s equity of corporations
Value-added tax

Programme specific teaching units

Introduction to Business Psychology3 ECTS

Historical perspectives
Development of different approaches
Biology & sensation
Cognition and states of consciousness
Conditioning and learning
Language and intelligence
Constructed realities

General Psychology & Research Methods3 ECTS

Motivated behaviours
Disorders
Therapy
Research methodology and psychology
Characteristics of the scientific method
Framework and ethical issues

Interdisciplinary competencies

Foreign Language2 ECTS

Depending on the student‘s choice, language courses are offered, for example, in English, Spanish or French. If you choose the English-Only track, the lessons will focus on the intensive development of your English skills.

Academic Business English2 ECTS

This course aims to solidify the students’ existing language competencies as independent users of English and to enable them to apply this to their studies, focusing on educational and business domains. Students will learn the skills and process of critical thinking and analysis and how to express and elaborate their thoughts, opinions, and arguments. Students will have gained an understanding of complex language and writing skills to organize and develop their ideas in a scholarly way.

Personal Skills2 ECTS

In courses such as Rhetoric and Presentation or Business and Society your social and leadership skills are trained. In addition to various compulsory courses, there are optional subjects where you can choose which of your competences should be particularly strengthened.

General business teaching units

Microeconomics3 ECTS

Introduction into microeconomic models
Consumer theory
The theory of the firm
Competitive markets
Market failure
Market power and monopoly
Oligopoly and monopolistic competition
Externalities
Asymmetric information
Introduction to game theory

Applied Microeconomics3 ECTS

Introduction into microeconomic models
Consumer theory
The theory of the firm
Competitive markets
Market failure:
Market power and monopoly
Oligopoly and monopolistic competition
Externalities
Asymmetric information
Introduction to game theory

Marketing3 ECTS

Marketing Definition and Process
Marketing in Context of Corporate Strategies
Internal Analysis and Marketing Environment (Micro)
Marketing Environment (Macro)
Consumer Buying Behaviour
Market Segmentation
Strategic Brand Management
Marketing Instruments (Product, Price Place, Promotion)
Marketing and Sustainability

Human Resource Management3 ECTS

Recruitment and Attraction
HR Planning, Controlling & Instruments
Training and Employee Development
Motivation and Leadership
Compensation and Benefits
Performance Appraisal and Management
Certificate of employment
HR Ethics
Trends in HRM

Market Research3 ECTS

Introduction to Market Research
Defining the marketing research problem and developing an approach
Research design
Secondary Data
Qualitative research
Quantitative research
Scaling and sampling
Fieldwork and Data preparation
Basic data analysis (how to use it)
Report preparation and presentation

Cost Accounting3 ECTS

Rationales of cost accounting
Simplistic methods of overhead allocation
Job costing
Process costing
Activity-based costing
Overcapacity costing
Joint product costing
Overhead analysis sheet
Concepts of relevant cost and revenue
Budgeting

Programme specific teaching units

Personality Psychology3 ECTS

Historical overview of personal psychology
Theories of personality (modern vs. classic)
Humanistic Theories
Psychodynamic Theories
Social-Cognitive Theories
Measurement of Personality

Neuropsychology & Biological Psychology3 ECTS

The aim of this course is to solidify the students’ existing language competencies, as independent users of English, and to enable them to apply this to their studies, focusing on educational and business domains. Since English is the medium of instruction in their respective study programmes, students are expected to reach a proficient user level in English within the first year.

Interdisciplinary competencies

Academic Business English2 ECTS

Foreign Language2 ECTS

Personal Skills2 ECTS

General business teaching units

Macroeconomics3 ECTS

Indicators: Gross Domestic Product and its major components, Inflation
Labour Markets and unemployment
The classical AS-AD model
Keynes’ IS-LM Model
The basic RBC model
Monetary Policy
Fiscal Policy

Applied Macroeconomics3 ECTS

Indicators: Gross Domestic Product and its major components, Inflation
Labour Markets and unemployment
The classical AS-AD model
Keynes’ IS-LM Model
The basic RBC model
Monetary Policy
Fiscal Policy

Strategic Management3 ECTS

External Analysis: understanding opportunities and threats the environment offers
Internal Analysis: uncovering strengths and weaknesses of the organization
Basic corporate-level strategic choices for long-term profitability
Diversification strategy
Mergers, acquisitions and alliances
Strategic entrepreneurship and innovation
Organizational structure and controls
Social Responsibility and Ethics of Strategic Management
Basics of Corporate Governance

International Management3 ECTS

Institutions governing competition
Formal and informal institutions
Organizational designs for multinational companies
Location-based aspects: Competitive advantages of countries
Organization, local adaptation and the need for standardization
New approaches in International Management (Born Global, QRC, …)
Networks and innovation
Managing people in multinational enterprises
Leadership and management behaviour in multinational companies

Programme specific teaching units

Introduction to Social Science3 ECTS

Social sciences and its methods
Individual and society
Human behaviour and organisation
Development of civilisations
Culture and the individual
Decision making and power
Politics and society
Social and political institutions
Economics and society
Global issues

Empirical Social Research3 ECTS

Theory and hypotheses
Qualitative method
Quantitative method
Research designs
Data collection methods
Correlation and Causality
Sampling
Data collection
Coding
Ethics

Social Psychology & the Workplace3 ECTS

Social identity
Social influence
Social perception and resulting causal attribution
Groups
Group norms and behaviour
Conformity and “Groupthink”
Interaction and conflict
Symbols and categorization

Organisational Psychology3 ECTS

History of organisational psychology
Individual decision making
Conflict management
Attitudes, values, job satisfaction and commitment
Motivation theories and organisational applications
Effective teams
Leadership and management style
Power and politics
Organisational change and development

Interdisciplinary competencies

Foreign Language4 ECTS

Personal Skills2 ECTS

General business teaching units

Experimental Psychology3 ECTS

Philosophical aspects of empirical scientific work (neo-positivism, critical rationalism, constructivism)
Causality hypothesis testing in experiments
Laboratory, field, quasi-experiment, ex-post facto design
Meta-analysis
Experiments in behavioural economics
Game Theory
Theoretical derivation, planning, data acquisition and evaluation of experiments
Ethics of experimental work

Psychological Testing & Assesment3 ECTS

Test quality criteria (objectivity, reliability, validity, content validity, Cronbach's alpha, social validity, etc.)
Constructs (uni-bipolar etc.) and construct validity
Calibration (standardization) and calibration sample
Norm tables
Test Theory (Classical Test Theory and Item-Response Theory)
Adaptive testing
Classification of psychological tests (performance tests, aptitude tests, personality tests, projective tests, etc.)
Test publishers’ offers vs. open-access test procedures
Assessment centres
Interpretation of test results
Psycho-diagnostic applications, e.g. vocational aptitude testing
Criteria for selecting commercial tests
Economical aspects of testing
Test fairness and ethics of psychological diagnostics

Media Psychology3 ECTS

Election and utilization of media
Forms of communication
Media & society
Historical overview and economic issues
Different genres of media and their underlying psychology
Psychological implications for politics
Stereotypes and prejudices caused by media
Media socialisation and media competency
Utilization of media by and effect on children
Usability: optimization of user interfaces

Consumer Psychology3 ECTS

Advertisement and buying behaviour
Initiation of buying behaviour
Automatic information processing
Associations and context effects
Consistency and reactance
Evaluation and satisfaction
Attitudes and lasting change of attitudes
Advertisement Design
Measurement and Limitations of market research
Opportunities and challenges of consumer psychology

Elective area

Business Elective 13 ECTS

These courses aim to enable the students to develop and/or strengthen relevant skills that are of particular interest to them. Electives allow students to expand their knowledge. The following are examples of the types of courses on offer. Typically you have the choice between two or three different electives.

International Marketing
International Human Resource Management
Organisational Behaviour
Global Supply Chain Management
Entrepreneurship
Diversity in Business
Corporate Social Responsibility
International Accounting
Advanced Statistics
Design Thinking
Quantitative Social Media Research
SAP as Enterprise Resource Planning Software
Snack Content
Harvesting and analyzing social media data for business purposes
Industry 4.0

Business Elective 23 ECTS

International Marketing
International Human Resource Management
Organisational Behaviour
Global Supply Chain Management
Entrepreneurship
Diversity in Business
Corporate Social Responsibility
International Accounting
Advanced Statistics
Design Thinking
Quantitative Social Media Research
SAP as Enterprise Resource Planning Software
Snack Content
Harvesting and analyzing social media data for business purposes
Industry 4.0

Business Project6 ECTS

The overall objective of this course is to provide students with possibility of applying their business knowledge on concrete business situation (real or scenario-based), related to the field of their specialization. By the end of the module students should be able to:

Define project goals for the “client”.
Work under the set timeframe and agreed project scope.
Cooperate in the international project teams.
Plan and conduct secondary and primary research to gather necessary information: understand which information is needed and where to look for it.
Conduct analysis of the “client business”: be able to understand the researched information in a wider context.
Evaluate markets/ industries/ competitive landscapes.
Develop possible strategic directions for the “client” business.
Formulate recommendations

Interdisciplinary competencies

Foreign Language4 ECTS

Personal Skills2 ECTS

Semester Abroad

Semester Abroad25 ECTS

You will spend the fifth semester at one of our numerous partner universities abroad. Our International Office supports you in the selection & application process and coordinates the courses to be taken abroad with you in advance.

General business teaching units

Psychology in Digital Business3 ECTS

Psychology of digitalisation
Digitalisation and decision making process
Digitalisation and emotions
Leadership in virtual teams
Artificial intelligence
Augmented reality
Digitalisation and communication
Digitalisation and health care management
Digital Recruiting and E Coaching/Learning
Online Marketing and social media
Psychology in digital HR M anagement
Digital customer service
Digital learning in a business context
Business models in dig ital business
Digital Retail Management
Big Data Management
Cyberpsychology

Applied Business Psychology3 ECTS

Due to the workshop nature of this course, plus the fact that it deals with current trends, the contents of the course might change, in relation to the new trends and developments in business psychology.

Specific current problem areas where psychology is applied:
Job Involvement and Burnout
Gender study: psychological well-being of working men and working women
Work-Life-Balance
Aptitude Testing and selection process
Appraisal and reward
Training and measurement of training
Intercultural Management

Bachelor Thesis12 ECTS

During your 6th semester you are working on your Bachelor thesis. You have 12 weeks to complete your thesis and the subject is freely selectible. A supervisor from CBS will support you and you can write the thesis in collaboration with a company as well.

Bachelor Thesis Tutorial1 ECTS

During the Bachelor Thesis Tutorial you will learn the fundamentals for your Bachelor thesis: Defining the topic as well as structuring the thesis and you will learn the theoretical knowledge for scientific working.

Business Simulation Game4 ECTS

In a business simulation game participants have to manage their own virtual company which operates in the same market as other participant-operated competitors. This involves making typical management decisions in realistic environments. Beside the deepening and active examination of subject-specific knowledge the simulation games also include the team environment, where interaction, communication and prioritization are of paramount importance. Participants learn how to manage risk and uncertainty while time is limited and information constrained. Group-reflections help to take over different perspectives and to discuss pros and cons of content- as well as behaviour-related actions.

Interdisciplinary competencies

Personal Skills2 ECTS

An internship (10 ECTS) in Germany or abroad is integral part of your degree. Our Career Service is happy to support you in finding the perfect company.

Focus on international careers

With our English-language bachelor programme, you can already set the course for your career in an international context: from the first semester onwards, you can learn a second foreign language or improve your Business-English skills. With our optional subject areas and courses, such as “International Human Resource Management” and “Global Supply Chain Management”, you also have the opportunity to specialise at an early stage so meeting the requirements of your prospective employer of choice. The 5th semester is reserved for your semester abroad at one of over 120 CBS partner universities worldwide, where you can further optimise your intercultural skills.

Practical experience & soft skills trainings prepare you for the job market

Several practical phases are integrated into the curriculum so that you can optimally prepare yourself for the job market and get to know various aspects of different industries during your studies. For example, you will complete an seven-week internship during your lecture-free period and work on complex issues in a joint business project with corporate partners. Our Business Simulation Game also offers you the chance to apply your knowledge in practice. Our Career Service supports you in finding an exciting internship in Germany or abroad with a renowned company!

In addition, our soft skills courses teach you how to lead teams and communicate effectively with your fellow students at all levels of the hierarchy. Whether in a job interview or at an important final presentation - a confident appearance is the sum of your experience and targeted training in which you can improve your skills. with convincing charisma and rhetoric, you will always be successful in your working life. At CBS, we offer the following business skills training courses:

Scientific Working and Study Skills
Rhetoric and Presentation Skills
Business and Society

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What are the career opportunities with Business Psychology Degree?

The demand for academically trained business psychologists has risen sharply nowadays. Since they are the first point of contact concerning people’s behaviour in an economic context in companies, your skills and knowledge will be needed in all sectors, for example in the HR departments of companies, personnel service providers, personnel consultancies, marketing and advertising agencies, management consultancies, media companies, market-, opinion-, and trend-research companies, and the market research departments of companies.

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Mirjam Zimmermann

Study advisory: Campus Mainz
Got any questions? We are happy to help!

Phone:	+49 (0) 6131 88055 31
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E-Mail:	study@cbs.de

Giulia Balzan

Study advisory
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This is What Our Students Say

Philip Kollmann

Project Manager
Wayne´s Coffee

"Especially the soft skill courses have been of great help for my performance in job interviews. Through my work in the Finance and Business Club I have built up a broad network and acquired project management skills that have enabled me to score points with companies."

Katrin Rieger

Bereichsdirektorin Reisevertrieb Deutschland / Vice President Sales
HanseMerkur Krankenversicherung

"The practical learning in small groups prepared me optimally for today's project and team work. The CBS provided me with the decisive soft skills and current knowledge from the world of business."

Christopher Rosenbaum

Manager
Ernst & Young GmbH
Wirschaftsprüfungsgesellschaft

"The Management Studies programme prepares you thoroughly for the tasks of a consultant. In particular, the development of presentation techniques as well as analytical thinking is of enormous importance in the everyday life of a consultant."

Oliver Kiderle

EMEA Regional Product Expert
Google Inc.

"The focus on internationality and practical skills have had a very positive influence on my development at Google. Especially the structured and very versatile project work, which is often found at a private school, was extremely helpful."

Kalle Kenkel

Commercial Excellence Manager
GE Healthcare

"My studies at CBS prepared me for a career in today's dynamic, global work environment. As one's origin and physical location become less and less decisive, it has become increasingly important to have a multinational network and adapt quickly to various cultures and environments."

Neil Jordaan

Global Digital Content Manager
Elanco

"Many professors shared their professional business experience with us in class and were able to illustrate dry theory with practical examples. I also enjoyed the international atmosphere on campus."

Patrick Stein

Head of Human Resources
Boston Consulting Group

"The strongly practice-oriented studies and the international orientation of the CBS, as well as the lectures held in English, were an absolutely necessary basis for starting a career with a renowned, international company."