Lectures, courses & seminars

Excited to learn about start-ups, entrepreneurship and business management? The University of Cologne and the Gateway Excellence Start-up Center are the right place for you!

In addition to interdisciplinary courses, we offer students from all faculties a variety of courses on the topics of entrepreneurship and management.

You'll get excellent input for your degree program's specific requirements. You can also obtain credit points for the corresponding courses for your studies. Check KLIPS 2.0 for details on how to get the credit points.

Courses for all students at the University of Cologne in English

Strategic Business Toolkit - Management Tool for non-business students

More information here!

Strategic Business Toolkit - Management Tools für Nicht-Wirtschaftswissenschaftler*innen (DEU)

Format: Online

Organisation: Gateway ESC

Für: alle Fakultäten (exkl. WiSo)

KLIPS 2.0 Veranstaltungsnummer: 142.538.003

Hier geht's direkt zum Kurs in Klips

Die Vorlesung im Onlineformat gibt einen Überblick über Management-Werkzeuge und ist für Studierende aus unterschiedlichsten Studiengängen (außer Wiso) konzipiert.

Es werden in 5 Modulen Management-Werkzeuge zur
1. Geschäftsidee und Geschäftsmodell,
2. Unternehmensstrategie,
3. Marketing,
4. Finanzierung und Operationalisierung,
5. und Vorstellung
eines Unternehmens vermittelt.

Dabei steht neben der theoretischen Erklärung die praxisorientierte Anwendung der Management-Werkzeuge im Fokus. Die praxisorientierte Anwendung wird von einer Beispiel-Studierenden in Form einer Animations-Figur anhand ihrer eigenen Geschäftsidee demonstriert. Zusätzlich werden Materialien, E-Books und Tests angeboten.

Businessplan Live! Ein interaktives Planspiel in interdisziplinären Teams

Businessplan Live! Ein interaktives Planspiel in interdisziplinären Teams (LV-Nr.: 14253.8006): Von der Gründung eines eigenen Unternehmens bis zum praktischen Management- und Steuerungsinstrument in diversen anderen Institutionen – die Einsatzbereiche eines Businessplans sind vielfältig.

Nutze die Gelegenheit und lerne dieses für deine zukünftige Karriere wichtige Werkzeug interaktiv und spielerisch kennen. Mit einem spannenden Unternehmensplanspiel wird Ihnen ein fundierter Einblick in das Thema Businessplan gegeben. Mit einer Vielzahl strategischer Entscheidungen zur Auswahl, kannst du realistisch die langfristige Ausrichtung eines Unternehmens beeinflussen. Teste dein Können und sei Gründer*in und Manager*in auf Probe!

Von der Idee bis zum Geschäftsmodell: Design Thinking im interdisziplinären Team

Von der Idee bis zum Geschäftsmodell: Design Thinking im interdisziplinären Team (LV-Nr.: 14253.8000 / 14253.8001 / 14253.8002)

Du möchtest neue Lösungen für aktuelle Probleme finden? Eine eigene (soziale) Geschäftsidee identifizieren und ausgestalten? Oder ein innovatives Geschäftsmodell in einer bestehenden Institution verändern und weiterentwickeln? Dann ist unsere interaktive Veranstaltung im Workshopformat genau das richtige für dich!

Hier geht's direkt zum Kurs in Klips

Im Rahmen der Veranstaltung lernst du durch die Design Thinking Methode, wie man methodenbasiert eine innovative Idee für ein (soziales) Problem entwickeln kann und dabei die späteren Nutzer*innen stets im Fokus behält. An dem zweiten Veranstaltungstag lernst du durch die Lean Canvas Methode, deine Idee systematisch zu durchleuchten und deren Tragfähigkeit zu testen.

Faculty of Management, Economics and Social Sciences

International Strategic Management (ENG)

Format: Lecture

Organisation: WiSo

for: Students of the Faculty of Management, Economics and Social Sciences

See course in Klips
(142531103)

Brief Content

1. Foundations

1.1. Globalizing Business

1.2. Formal Institutions: Economic, Political and Legal Systems

1.3. Informal Institutions: Culture, Religion and Languages

1.4. Firm Resources: Competitiveness and Growth

2. Business across Borders

2.1. Trading Internationally

2.2. Investing Abroad Directly

2.3. Exchange Rates

3. Globalization

3.1. European Integration

3.2. Global Integration and Multilateral Organizations

3.3. Corporate Social Responsibility

4. The Firm on the Global Stage

4.1. Starting International Business

4.2. Foreign Entry Strategies

4.3. Competitive Dynamics

4.4. Building Global Strategies

Entrepreneurship (ENG)

Format: Lecture

Organisation: WiSo

for: Wiso students

See course in Klips
(142531104)

This advanced entrepreneurship lecture covers four major topics:

Fundamentals of Entrepreneurship
Independent Entrepreneurship
Corporate Entrepreneurship
International Entrepreneurship
The goal of the lecture is twofold:

First, the lecture offers an overview of four “hot topics” in entrepreneurship research and practice. Second, students will learn how to systematically analyze and understand research papers. To gain in depth insights into current empirical research in the entrepreneurship field, several empirical studies will be discussed in detail. Specifically, the aim is to learn how empirical research papers are structured, to understand different empirical research approaches and methods, and to learn how to interpret and critically discuss research results.

Meet the professors

Prof. Dr. Christian Schwens

Prof. Dr. Christian Schwens is Professor of Entrepreneurship and Management at the University of Cologne. After studying business administration at the University of Paderborn and the University of Stockholm, he worked as a doctoral candidate and post-doctoral lecturer at the Justus Liebig University in Giessen and as deputy chair at the University of Trier. From 2012-2018, he was chair of Business Administration, in particular Management at Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf. His research focuses on the Internationalization of Technology Companies, International Entrepreneurship, Market Entry Strategies, International Strategic Alliances and the Internationalization of Medium-Sized Enterprises.

Prof. Dr. Mona Mensmann

Since the beginning of July 2021, Prof. Dr. Mona Mensmann holds the position of Associate Professor for Innovation Management and Entrepreneurship at the Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences at the University of Cologne. She will support the research area "Entrepreneur & Strategy", in which her main research areas Entrepreneurial Mindset, Entrepreneurship Training, Entrepreneurship in Low and Middle Income Countries fit thematically. She has also worked as a consultant for Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA), an international non-profit research and policy organization focused on control group experiments for poverty reduction. In 2018-2021, she was Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Warwick Business School, UK.

Prof. Dr. Markus Weinmann

Since the beginning of July 2021, the Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences at the University of Cologne is supported by Prof. Dr. Markus Weinmann in the field of "Business Analytics". The main research areas of his work are business analytics, in particular digital business and platform economy. Prof. Dr. Weinmann's research has focused on the analysis of behavioral data in the context of the Digital Economy. He received his PhD from the TU Braunschweig and his professorial habilitation from the University of Liechtenstein. After working at the renowned Rotterdam School of Management (Erasmus University) from September 2019 until June 2021, he has accepted the invitation of the University of Cologne to join the WiSo faculty.

Prof. Dr. Tom Zimmermann

Prof. Dr. Tom Zimmermann joined the Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences in September 2021 as Professor of Data Analytics in Economics and Finance. His research focuses on data science, finance, and empirical macroeconomics. After receiving his PhD in Economics from Harvard University, he worked as an economic researcher at the Federal Reserve Board in Washington. Furthermore, he works for the Excellence Cluster of ECONtribute as well as scientific consultant at the Center for Financial Research Cologne.

Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Katarzyna Bozek

Univ. Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Katarzyna Bozek is the new Professor of Data Analytics in Bioinformatics at the Faculty of Medicine since August 1, 2022. The professorship is located at the Institute of Biomedical Informatics. The computer scientist's research focus is on the development and application of machine learning, which includes deep learning as well as statistical and algorithmic methods. Her primary interest is in extracting information from large and complex datasets and finding solutions to the computational challenges involved- for example, in cancer and aging research. Born in Poland in 1982, Prof. Bozek studied computer science after graduating from high school in 2005, first at the University of Warsaw/Poland. In 2006, she moved to the Institute of Theoretical Biology at Humboldt University in Berlin for her studies and from there to the Max Planck Institute for Computer Science in Saarbrücken as a PhD student in 2007, where she received her PhD in 2011.

Prof. Dr. Sebastian Becker-Genschow

Prof. Dr. Sebastian Becker-Genschow is a former teacher of physics and mathematics and has been Professor of Digital Education at the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences at the University of Cologne since January 2022. His research focuses on learning processes in the natural sciences and learning processes using eye tracking. He has a specifically equipped laboratory on the premises of the University of Cologne for his research.

Prof. Dr. Gereon Frahling

Prof. Dr. Gereon Frahling will be a Professor of Artificial Intelligence at the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences at the University of Cologne from the summer semester of 2022. After receiving his PhD in theoretical computer science from the University of Paderborn in 2006, he was a Postdoctoral Research Scientist at Google Inc. in New York City. Following his work as founder and managing director at Linguee GmbH until 2017, he became head of research at DeepL GmbH until March 2020, focusing on research and development of the world's best automatic translation systems.

Prof. Dr. Tim Engartner Professor

Since January 2022, Prof. Dr. Tim Engartner has been Professor of Social Sciences with a focus on economic education at the Faculty of Human Sciences at the University of Cologne. Social entrepreneurship is another focus of his research. He studied Social Sciences and Economics as well as English for teaching at secondary level I/II in Bonn, Oxford and Cologne before taking his 2nd state examination (2005) and receiving his doctorate from the University of Cologne (2008). He then worked at the Institute for Comparative Educational Research and Social Sciences there. In 2009, he moved to the University of Duisburg-Essen, where he most recently held a junior professorship for economic education, before being appointed professor of economics and didactics at the PH Schwäbisch Gmünd.

Your contact person

Daniela Hellfritsch

Program Manager Qualification Entrepreneurship

d.hellfritsch@gateway-unikoeln.de +49-151-117-262-42