Sustainable Business and Law (B.A.)

Living, learning and working in a special place. The Environmental Campus Birkenfeld, a campus of the Trier University of Applied Sciences, is a role model for sustainability. Students come from all over the world to Germany’s most sustainability-oriented university - due to the groundbreaking and future-oriented education. For many years, the Environmental Campus has consistently been recognized for its special profile in sustainability. 

All people on campus are united by a special "we-feeling" that inspires teaching, learning and working. 

All information for the Current Semester you can find here.

Here you will find all information you need in a compact as a compact summary at a glance.

The bachelor’s degree programme is based on three pillars and teaches economic and legal specialist skills as well as key communication skills in order to understand the current challenges and requirements of our society and economy and to develop autonomous answers to the central questions of our time. Against this background, an application-oriented learning environment enables students to apply their problem-solving skills (both professionally and socially) in their future careers.

In a deliberate departure from traditional legal training content, the course focuses on a clearly defined legal field with a distinct ESG profile. Within the framework of this legal subject matter, in which fundamental and key skills are acquired, students are also sensitized to problem areas of practical relevance.

Fundamental and key skills are also taught in the business administration content, particularly in the areas of accounting, sustainable corporate management and value creation. Students receive a broad education in this respect. In addition, emphasis is placed on areas such as digitalization, finance and sustainability reporting.

The third main pillar of the degree programme is based on linguistic and intercultural aspects, which for international students also include a sound education in German as a foreign language. This meets one of the main reasons for establishing the course: To make a contribution to overcoming the omnipresent shortage of skilled workers in combination with the successful integration of international young professionals in Germany.

In addition to this subject-related content, emphasis is placed on process management, intercultural communication and social skills, and close practical links are established in order to optimally prepare students for the challenges of professional life in the areas of problem identification and problem solving. Working in small groups is particularly useful for this.

Another special feature of the degree programme is the broad range of elective options from the fourth semester onwards, which are manifested in the interdisciplinary project work (10 ECTS), the compulsory elective subjects (15 ECTS) and finally the final thesis (15 ECTS) and which offer students flexibility and the opportunity to specialize according to their individual interests and learning goals.

The bachelor's degree qualifies students for direct employment in the relevant professional fields in small, medium-sized and large companies in Germany or abroad. They can work at the interface between business and law in all economic sectors, in particular in auditing firms, management consultancy, sustainability and compliance departments of companies as well as in the areas of finance and treasury management. They are able to assess the impact of government or corporate action in the areas of law, economics and ecology on society and thus promote sustainable action.

This is due to the skills acquired as part of the degree programme, examples of which are listed below: Students can research, interpret, and scrutinize scientific specialist texts as well as other sources of information and, building on this, independently formulate a scientific or practical task and develop resilient results. They can present the corresponding work results in a structured manner and defend them in front of a specialist audience.

Graduates can apply the knowledge they have acquired methodically and practically in their profession and to independently identify, analyse and solve problems using scientific procedures. They can organize themselves and demonstrate teamwork skills in interdisciplinary cooperation. They can take on tasks independently and complete them successfully. The interdisciplinary interface between law and economics anchored in the degree programme results in a practical and problem-solving approach with a focus on the essentials.

In addition, students acquire extensive intercultural skills through the relevant modules and contact with national and international fellow students. Students acquire the ability to interact in German (or German students in another foreign language) at the level they have acquired. Knowledge of the German language also makes a significant contribution to graduates' ability to integrate in Germany and Europe.

Graduates have recognized the need for lifelong learning and have acquired the necessary skills. In addition, if the admission requirements are met, the successful degree qualifies students for admission to master's degree courses at universities in Germany and abroad.

For many years, the Environmental Campus has consistently been recognized for its special profile in sustainability. The German government, UNESCO, and many other organizations have already honored us with important prizes and awards. We are very proud of this.

Here are some examples of recent awards.

The leisure time and cultural programme of the Environmental Campus Birkenfeld offers a multi-faceted balance to studying. Moreover, the campus’ offer of activities and events is also open to employees and their guests. Get involved in art and culture on campus and meet like-minded people.Thus everyone at this campus truly feels at home.

Click here to get a glimpse, what is awaiting you at Germanys greenest Campus!

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