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A degree in business studies and a language is the ideal preparation for a career in international management and banking. The TCD Business Studies and German degree programme has been running since 1992 and is designed to provide you with the linguistic, cultural and business skills which you will need to operate successfully in an international commercial environment. If you are negotiating, working in multi-cultural teams, dealing with clients and customers in different countries, managing a multi-ethnic workforce, knowing one language is not sufficient. Contrary to what you might think, English is simply not enough! Fluency in a second language such as German provides you with major competitive and communicative advantages. Graduates of the programme are employed in a range of professions both in Ireland and worldwide. Some examples include investment banking, management consulting, human resource management, accounting and international marketing.
It is a four-year degree course, which involves a year abroad studying Business and German at one of our partner universities in Germany and Austria. There is also a three-month work placement built into the programme. The focus throughout the course is on interdisciplinarity, which means that we try to integrate the two subject areas, i.e., Business Studies and German, as much as possible.
In first year (Junior Freshman) we help you to develop your written and oral language skills and also introduce you to the German business environment through a specially designed course, which takes a thematic and practical approach to different aspects of business and the economy in German speaking countries. This provides you with your first exposure to specialist business vocabulary. You will also attend a series of lectures on political institutions, society and current affairs in German-speaking countries.
In second year (Senior Freshman), we increase your exposure to Business German. You continue to develop your general language skills, but also attend a specialist language course in Business German, along with programmes in writing Business German and in understanding the German business environment. You will be working on individual and group projects, case-studies and video presentations. Where possible a comparative approach is adopted and you are encouraged to compare and contrast business practice in German-speaking countries and in Ireland. There will be a strong focus on preparing you for your third year abroad, including a course on the university system in German-speaking countries.
In third year (Junior Sophister) you will be studying abroad and also completing a work placement. We have partnerships with nine universities in Germany and Austria, including Mannheim (considered to have done of the top business schools in Germany), Regensburg and Innsbruck. Previous students have done internships in Citibank (Frankfurt), Daimler Benz (Stuttgart), KPMG Consulting (Munich), Enterprise Ireland (Düsseldorf), Lufthansa (Frankfurt) and in many other organisations.
The final year (Senior Sophister) builds on the knowledge you have acquired in the first part of the business language programme and on the experiences of the year abroad and work placement. It provides you with theoretical insights and practical skills in the areas of intercultural communication and management, including negotiation and working in cross-cultural teams. The programme also hones your skills in written and oral persuasion and includes components in business translation and minute taking. You will write your final year dissertation in German on a business topic, which you select yourself. In researching and writing your dissertation you have the opportunity to bring together all the skills that you have learned over the four years.
When you have your degree…
The range of career opportunities is huge. During the four years as an undergraduate we try to encourage you to think about your future career. We have a Gradlink programme which matches you with a graduate of the Department of Germanic Studies, who can give useful advice on preparing for and entering the workplace. We also organise a number of career focused activities including the Careers Fair, sessions on interview and team-building skills, and a personal development record.
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