We train young people who want to make a difference – and that’s today, not tomorrow!
With the trinational Master's programme "Master of Science in Sustainable Business Development", we help develop people who are committed to creating a sustainable future by applying their knowledge and their determination to make a change. You will learn to develop and implement sustainable business models that are economically successful and make a positive contribution to the environment and society. In trinational student teams, you will integrate knowledge from the fields of sustainability, business and digitalisation applying your newly won understanding directly in practice to drive sustainable change. Learning coaches will support, motivate and individually supervise you in your projects.
Unique benefits
You study trinationally in German, French and English, learning to work in international teams and taking responsibility.
You study with a practical focus, putting your acquired knowledge directly into practice and developing solutions for complex problems in the areas of sustainable business management and circular business models.
You study in an interdisciplinary context, combining knowledge and skills from the fields of sustainability, management, digitalisation and technology. This enables you to look at complex problems from different perspectives and develop holistic, innovative and future-oriented solutions.
You study with an expert network and cooperate with specialists and executives from business, politics and society throughout the whole duration of your studies, laying the foundation for a successful career.
The Master's programme enables you to become a changemaker ready to take on responsible roles to drive sustainable development. The field offers diverse and international career prospects in industries and fields including management consultancy, corporate management, NGOs and the public sector. You will also be equipped to launch your own start-up and realise your own sustainable business idea.
Call us to learn more
Book an online info call with the programme director Prof. Dr. Jörg Wombacher. In a personal call, you can ask all your questions and get a detailed picture of the degree programme.
With students from Germany, France and Switzerland, you will study at the FHNW School of Business (Switzerland), theOffenburg University of Applied Sciences (Germany) and the EM Strasbourg Business School, Université de Strasbourg (France), and benefit from a first-class education at three established universities with excellent reputations. You will receive three Master's degrees, one from each university.
Interdisciplinary study.
The study programme integrates economic, ecological and social aspects in order to develop business models that are sustainable in the long term. The focus is on the following questions:
How can people be persuaded to consume sustainably?
How can business models, production processes and supply chains be designed to minimise the environmental footprint and promote social responsibility?
How can the opportunities offered by digitalisation and new technologies be used to drive sustainable development?
How can individuals, businesses and governments work together to promote a sustainable economy?
To answer these and other questions, knowledge and skills from a range of areas are combined and taught:
Circular Economy Systems
Resource Efficiency
Sustainable Business Strategies
Corporate Governance and Ethics
Renewable Energies
Data Science and Artificial Intelligence
Globalisation, Geopolitics and Sustainability
Corporate Culture and Change Management
Practical Focus.
More than half of your studies are spent working on real sustainability projects from companies, NGOs and public organisations. In trinational teams - accompanied by learning coaches - you put your acquired knowledge and skills into practice and develop solutions for complex problems in the field of sustainability. You will gain valuable practical experience and know-how and learn how companies can use sustainability as an opportunity.
Expert Network.
You benefit from extensive contacts of the three partner universities with international actors from science, business, politics and civil society. During your studies, you will build up a comprehensive network and thus lay the foundation for a successful international career. In addition to practical projects in companies, the three universities offer you a variety of platforms and activities such as visits to the European Parliament, international NGOs, government organisations and associations.
Future-orientation.
Graduating from this degree programme at the three renowned universities will open up a wide range of career opportunities for you, including the following areas:
Sustainability Management
Managing Sustainability in NGOs and the Public Sector
Product and Life Cycle Management
Supply Chain Management
Sustainable Transformation Management
Sustainability Consulting
Founding your own company
Sustainability is not a trend, but a fundamental necessity that will have a significant impact on every process in companies and other organisations in the future!
Secure your place now!
Register now for the trinational MSc in Sustainable Business Development and help drive the necessary sustainable change. Start date: September 2025
The degree programme lasts four semesters of 30 ECTS and is structured as follows:
Each semester includes a core element ("Fundamentals", 15 ECTS) and a practical element ("Impact Projects", 15 ECTS). The core modules introduce a wide range of knowledge from research and practice in the fields of business, technology and sustainability. The impact projects enable the direct application of the acquired knowledge in and with companies and organisations within the framework of scientifically gounded project work.
An overview of the individual modules and the associated courses can be found in the module overview (PDF follows).
Half of your study time will be spent working on practical projects ("Impact Projects"). They allow you to apply the knowledge and skills acquired during your studies to specific cases: In one of the projects, you learn to develop and realise your own real business idea as a "Sustainable Entrepreneur". In another, you will support companies as "Sustainability Consultants" making existing business models more sustainable. Finally, as "Intrapreneurs" you will work individually in a company and support it in implementing its sustainability strategy or circular business models.
You "work with impact" by contributing your individual knowledge and skills to trinational teams of students working together to find specific solutions to real-life problems - the results can be seen immediately and you can recognise that your actions promote meaningful change and make a difference.
The master's thesis (15 ECTS) is written in semester 4. The thesis must relate to a problem from the areas of sustainability or circular business models and can be written within the framework of an intrapreneurship, entrepreneurship or consulting project, or as accompanying research to an ongoing R&D project at one of the three universities. The students are supervised by one or more representatives from the three universities and also receive refresher courses in research methods and scientific work. The work is defended in front of a jury of university and sustainability experts from Germany, France and Switzerland.
The languages of instruction are German and French and, in some selected subjects, English. To ease the start your trinational studies, we offer voluntary language courses in the first year of study.
The trinational Master (MSc) in Sustainable Business Development is developed in partnership with and offered by the following three universities:
University of Applied Sciences FHNW (Basel, Switzerland) The FHNW is one of the leading universities of applied sciences in Switzerland. Its focus on the application of knowledge to industry and society, its innovative research and its global networking make the FHNW an attractive and diverse educational institution.
In 2021, the AACSB (Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business) accredited the FHNW School of Business. This accreditation is one of the most prestigious business school accreditations worldwide and only about five percent of business schools are accredited by AACSB. The quality of its teaching activities in degree programmes and executive education as well as the research and consulting services of the FHNW School of Business have been certified at the highest international level.
Offenburg University of Applied Sciences (Offenburg, Germany) Offenburg University of Applied Sciences - HSO is a practical and application-oriented university. It is a bridge-builder between science, business and society and offers degree programmes in Applied Artificial Intelligence, Sustainable Energy Systems, Industry 4.0, Data Engineering or Renewable Energy, among others. In the comprehensive ranking of the Centre for Higher Education Development (CHE), Offenburg University of Applied Sciences occupies a top position.
Thanks to the two research clusters "Climate Responsbility in and of Organisations" and "Observatories of the Future”, the EMS also has researchers who investigate the background and consequences of the climate crisis at various levels (micro, meso and macro). Their findings flow directly into the teaching.
You will receive 3 Master's degrees and thus 3 diplomas:
Master of Science FHNW in Sustainable Business Development (University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland, Switzerland)
Master of Science in Sustainable Business Development (Offenburg University of Applied Sciences, Germany)
Master European Digital and Sustainable Business (University of Strasbourg, France)
Graduates of the MSc in Sustainable Business Development will be able to:
explore radical new concepts of living, working and doing business and evaluate their likelihood of success in the real world (knowledge and understanding).
understand and apply digitalisation as a central process for shaping sustainable change (application of knowledge and understanding).
identify the potential of innovative, sustainable ideas and turn them into successful products, services or projects, consistently incorporating ethical aspects (application of knowledge and understanding).
recognise the risks of digitalisation, identify action points in time, practice resilience to impacts and design mitigation measures based on incomplete information (application of knowledge and understanding).
develop creative solutions to interdisciplinary problems in international teams, implement them and communicate them appropriately (communication skills).
integrate sustainability into all areas of the business as leaders (communication skills).
reflect on their own attitudes and actions, including ethical and social aspects, take ethical responsibility and consider the impact of their actions on the environment and society (self-learning skills).
Thanks to the teaching of appropriate research and methodological skills during the Master's programme and its two-year duration (120 ECTS), it is possible to take up subsequent doctoral studies in the field of sustainability without any problems.
Organisational Information
Bachelor's degree in the fields of business, technology, natural sciences or computer science
Bachelor's degree from other disciplines upon proof of corresponding aptitude and inclination (e.g. in the form of corresponding work experience, further education, certificates or company internships).
Language level: at least B1 (intermediate) in the three teaching languages German, French and English. Self-assessment grid
In the first year of study, you can take language courses in English, French or German to improve your language level. If you have any questions about the admission requirements, please contact us. We will be happy to help you.
Are you highly motivated and want to join the trinational Master's programme? Then register online now.
Required documents:
Bachelor's diploma incl. certificate of grades*.
Letter of motivation (approx. 1 A4 page, optionally in German, French or English)
Curriculum vitae
*We also accept applications from students in the final semester of their Bachelor's degree. In this case, a confirmation of study and the last available transript must be submitted instead of the Bachelor's diploma. The Bachelor's diploma must be submitted by the start of the programme.
The application deadline is 31 May for the following September.
We will check your application documents within three days. If the decision is positive, we will invite you to an online interview with representatives of the three partner universities. The interviews take place on a monthly basis. One week after the interview at the latest, we will inform you whether you are definitely be accepted into the programme.
12 study places are available per university.
Fees for students of the Swiss contingent:
Semester fees
FHNW
per semester
CHF 700*
Additional fees
Registration fee
unique
CHF 200
Material and software licenses
per semester
CHF 100
Diploma fee
unique
CHF 300
Additional fees**
one-time (HSO) one-time (EMS)
EUR 240 EUR 100
*For students with civil law residence in Switzerland. For students with civil law residence in the EU/EFTA at the start of their programme, the personal course fee is CHF 1’000 per semester. For students who are not domiciled in Switzerland or in an EU/EFTA country at the start of their studies, the personal course fee is CHF 7’500 per semester.
**In addition to the regular tuition fees, other mandatory fees apply, including administrative fees, SWFR, the student body contribution and the service contribution for the Graduate School for the semester at the HSO; the CVEC (Contribution Vie Étudiante et de Campus) for the semester at the EMS.
