Information about the specialization area Finance & Accounting
"Finance & Accounting" is one of the three specialization areas of the Master of Science in Management degree program offered since the winter semester 2008/2009. The other specialization areas are "Finance and Information Management" and "Accounting & Information Management".
There are a number of good reasons to decide for a Bachelor in Economics and Business Administration majoring in "Finance & Accounting" at Goethe University. Our University has always been among the most prestigious universities in this field in Germany. The Accounting Department includes five full-time chairs. Thus the Goethe University has one of the largest accounting departments in the German-speaking world. The Department of Finance has ten full-time chairs. Furthermore, both departments have numerous honorary professors and guest lecturers, who complement the curriculum.
In the research both departments enjoy an excellent reputation. The scientists working in the Accounting Department publish books and articles about normative and interpretive problems of accounting, taxation and business valuation, about empirical, capital-market-oriented issues of accounting, as well as formal and conceptual works on internal corporate accounting. The scientists of the Department of Finance deal among other issues with pensions, banking, financial intermediation, credit management and credit markets, private equity, development finance, investment and portfolio management, real estate financing, as well as strategies of financial intermediaries. The articles appear often in the most prestigious national and international journals and the textbooks authored by members of the departments are often among the standard references of the respective area. The expertise of the professors working in the two departments is therefore appreciated at national and international committees and commissions and is often requested.
The close contact of the University to firms from the financial and accounting services industry, which are located in Frankfurt, the banking centre, makes precisely this major field of study so interesting for prospective students. Students can combine theory and practical experience not only in the courses of external professors and lecturers, but also in the context of numerous practical lectures, workshops, fireside evenings and other events. In addition, several companies also offer financial support opportunities for students. In this way the building of an individual network succeeds quickly and effectively.
The specialization area "Finance & Accounting" in the MSM program offers a professional qualification in Finance and Accounting and qualifies students in particular for positions in the following areas:
• Financial field
• Banking sector
• Audit, Tax, Advisory companies
• Consulting companies
• Accounting departments within organizations
• Chambers and trade associations
High flexibility in the choice of classes and the program's opportunity of an individual plan of study provide excellent career opportunities.
The Accounting major course builds on the accounting knowledge acquired in the Bachelor course and provides students with the opportunity to specialize in particular and complex areas of external and internal accounting.
The Accounting major course, provided by one of the largest Accounting departments in the German-speaking world, offers a broad array of courses. The portfolio comprises more than ten regular courses such as international group accounting, auditing and corporate governance, due diligence, international tax law, internal accounting and controlling. In all subjects, teaching is based on theoretical insights. Beyond a critical evaluation, the course focuses on problem solutions including their practical implementation. In doing so, the course maintains close contacts with practical business such as recognized accounting and consulting firms, software houses etc., which allows the students to learn from numerous renowned honorary professors and guest lecturers. This combination of theoretical and conceptual courses on the one hand and practical context on the other hand is effectively unmatched in the German-speaking world.
An Accounting major is thus an excellent preparation for future jobs in auditing, tax consulting, or in the external or internal accounting of a leading industrial concern.
More information about the master's program can be found on the page of the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration.