The German-language double master's programme in Intercultural Management (IM) combines cultural/social studies with business and economics.
Interdisciplinary teaching and research is becoming increasingly important in academia and science. In our modern world, many questions and challenges are extremely complex and can hardly be adequately answered by a single discipline. Important new findings are increasingly being made on an interdisciplinary basis and in fields of research that defy traditional classification. Interdisciplinary skills are crucial in the international cooperation between companies and politics, in international communication and intercultural dialogue.
The master's degree programme 'Intercultural Management' was introduced at the Turkish-German University (TDU) Istanbul as one of the first programmes in 2013. It is modelled after the degree programme 'International Cultural and Business Studies' that has been offered with great success at the partner university in Passau since 1989. The IM double master's degree at the Turkish-German University (TDU) complements this offer and focuses on the Turkish-German perspective.
The double master's programme is research-oriented and provides professional qualifications. The programme focuses on intercultural communication, communication sciences, spatial cultural research/cultural geography and history while also covering business and economics disciplines, including business administration and macroeconomics.
The courses are taught by German and Turkish lecturers from the TDU and the University of Passau, in a “flying faculty” arrangement.
The double master's programme provides for a one-semester stay at the partner university in Passau during the third semester for all IM students. The stay abroad is supported by a bilateral scholarship programme (DAAD/YÖK), in which 20% of the students can receive financial support. Beyond the obligatory programme, the stay serves to deepen language skills, provides first-hand insight into German/Bavarian culture and creates an opportunity to establish contacts with academics, companies and institutions. The university infrastructure is to be used intensively for research on the students' own master's thesis. The master's students are supervised by the IM programme’s own office at the University of Passau.
During their studies at the TDU, master's students should also be introduced to current research questions and learn about challenges in the field. Lectures, workshops and conferences/symposia are held on important 'Intercultural Management' topics with international speakers. These events are prepared and supervised by the students. This experience allows them to make a wide range of contacts with researchers and specialists from businesses and other institutions.
Graduates of the IM double master's programme are intercultural, German-Turkish experts. Moreover, they can easily familiarise themselves with other international tasks thanks to the academic competences developed through the programme. The increasing globalisation of economics, science and culture as well as the intensified cooperation across these fields at a supranational level drives demand for specialists with intercultural, interdisciplinary and multilingual skills. The Turkish-German double master's programme provides skills for employment on the international labour markets in executive positions in many different professional fields: e.g. in commercial and industrial companies and other business organisations such as chambers of commerce etc., in the financial sector, tourism industry, governmental and political organisations, the mass media, in education institutions, national and international organisations, cultural institutes, in the public sector and, of course, in academia.
The degree programme is divided into four modules:
The core module focuses on intercultural communication and intercultural management, supplemented by key competencies for graduate students.
In this module, the subject areas of communication sciences, cultural research/cultural geography and history are initially deepened. The main seminars build on these and cover aspects of German, Turkish and German-Turkish culture within an international context.
In this module, the economic sciences are in focus, with a particular emphasis on the sub-disciplines of business administration (including management and marketing) and macroeconomics. Here, too, culture-specific and international issues are taken into account.
In Module D, research-relevant events with practical relevance stand in the foreground. Of central importance is the two-month research project under the supervision of academic advisors and our partner intercultural consulting firm. The project is realised in well-known companies in Istanbul. A one-week scientific excursion deals with regional development issues, which are explored and analysed on site. In the master's colloquium, the master's theses are discussed among the students and with the supervisors.
Your studies are completed with the master's thesis and its defence at the TDU.
For further information, please refer to the detailed infosheet.
Two-month research project in companies/institutions
Current, interdisciplinary research issues from the business world are dealt with in our partner companies in Istanbul. The topics involved cover a broad range, including intercultural communication, corporate culture, marketing, image building and innovation as well as social and societal challenges. The student teams conduct research in close cooperation with experts from the management of these companies. You will be academically supervised by lecturers from TDU Istanbul and the University of Passau, including our practice partner ICUnet Group (an international and intercultural consulting firm). The research results are presented to the management of each company at the end of the project.
Here are some reports and photos of previous research projects:
Presentation of various projects, ICU.net, BOSCH, Mercedes, Siemens, TIRSAN
Research seminar: week-long research excursion
Broad regional knowledge plays an important role in many issues of research and practice: This is true in both politics, regarding tasks of regional development, economic promotion and tourism, and companies which have to find locations or markets for their products. The excursion provides an illustrative example of the importance of regions, the natural environment, places and regional institutions for cultural and economic development. Students visit and analyse cultural sites, such as museums, places of remembrance or commemoration and other important buildings in addition to agricultural and industrial areas, as well as economic centres. The complex interplay of regional and cultural aspects can therefore be recognized first-hand – directly on site.
Examples:
Excursion: Çanakkale Gallipoli and Troy 2024
Excursion: Central Anatolia: Konya – Aksaray 2022
Master's colloquium and the master's thesis
In the master’s colloquium, which is held at the TDU Istanbul and the University of Passau, the students present their projects for the master’s thesis. These are discussed in detail with the supervisors and the students, thereby providing a variety of suggestions for the completion of the master's thesis. Photo gallery
The topics of the master's theses can vary greatly in an interdisciplinary course of studies such as this one. They can be written for any of the subject areas involved in the master's programme and can also deal with interdisciplinary topics.
Topics of selected master's theses
The exchange of knowledge in research, teaching and practice is of particular importance for the master's students as well as for lecturers and researchers. This takes place within and beyond the borders of the TDU and the University of Passau. The personal contacts made and the access to academic and practice-oriented networks are of particular importance for the students’ professional future.
Conferences and workshops deal with current, interdisciplinary topics. The German, Turkish and international speakers come from the academic community as well as from business enterprises and other institutions. The events are prepared and carried out together with the master’s students.
International Conference 2022 Towards Constructive Intercultural Management
Students enrolled in Passau's International Cultural and Business Studies programme can simultaneously apply as degree-seeking students at TDU.
Information on applying and application documents (German)
In Turkey, the academic year lasts two semesters – from September to the end of May, with a short break at the end of January/beginning of February.
E-mail: IKM@uni-passau.de or IKM@tau.edu.tr
