European Business
HSZG and the Technical University of Liberec Are Working Toward a New Joint Degree Programme
On March 15, 2023, a meeting took place between representatives of Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences and the Technical University of Liberec.
Prof. Kroschel and Prof. Zips met with a delegation from the Technical University of Liberec. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss a joint Bachelor degree programme offered by both universities titled “European Business .”
This degree programme is designed to offer students the opportunity to study in both Germany and the Czech Republic and to acquire intercultural skills.
How did the idea for the new "European Business" degree programme come about?
The university already offers several English-language master’s degree programmes, but so far there has been no Bachelor degree programme taught entirely in English. We want to fill this gap. We are convinced that further internationalization of our university is necessary to attract and retain students and workers in the region. The degree programme is intended to be an attractive option for students not only from Upper Lusatia but also from other regions of Germany and abroad, particularly from the Czech Republic and Poland.
Internationalization is a top priority at HSZG. How did the collaboration with TU Liberec come about?
We have been collaborating with TU Liberec for many years in connection with the cooperative degree programme in international management, in which TU Liberec participates alongside HSZG and the IHI Zittau. Professors at HSZG serve as advisors for Master's theses written by students from Liberec, and our colleague Prof. Zips is a member of the examination committee that administers the Czech state examination at TU Liberec. Currently, two doctoral students from the Technical University of Liberec are at the HSZG’s Faculty of Business Administration and Engineering Management as part of an ERASMUS exchange program. In addition, our International Office supports us in strengthening our ties with our colleagues in Liberec.
Launching a new degree programme requires a great deal of preparation. What do you find most appealing about developing a new degree programme?
It’s very rewarding to be directly involved in the university’s development and to contribute my own ideas to the design of a new degree programme. I also really enjoy the contact and collaboration with my colleagues from Liberec.
What can future students who enroll in “European Business” expect, and when might the new degree programme launch?
The degree programme is expected to launch in the 2024–25 winter semester. Classes / courses will be held in both Zittau and Liberec—for example, on Mondays and Tuesdays in Zittau and on Wednesdays and Thursdays in Liberec. It takes just under half an hour by train to get from one city to the other. In addition, a semester abroad at another partner university is planned. It will be a very practice-oriented degree programme that, in addition to fundamentals in the field of business, will also include several language modules. So there’s quite a bit of international focus in the degree programme.
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