Global Economics and Management

The first year of study in the Global Economics and Management (GEM) program is designed to provide students with a broad foundation in the relevant disciplines. In this year, students will have the opportunity to select introductory modules totaling 45 credit points (CP) from a variety of study programs. Of these, 30 CP must be from the student's intended major.

Students can still change their major at the beginning of the second year of studies if they have taken the corresponding modules of their desired major in the first year.

GEM students take the following discipline-specific CHOICE Modules in their first year of study:

• CHOICE Module: Microeconomics (7.5 CP)
• CHOICE Module: Macroeconomics (7.5 CP)
• CHOICE Module: Introduction to International Business (7.5 CP)
• CHOICE Module: Introduction to Finance and Accounting (7.5 CP)

These lecture-tutorial combinations give the students a general overview of the basic concepts and theories in economics and business. The associated tutorials allow students to reinforce the material covered in the lectures through discussions, case studies, and exercises.

During the second year of study, students will have the opportunity to further deepen their understanding of their chosen major through 45 credit points (CP) of discipline-specific CORE modules. These modules will build upon the foundational knowledge gained in the first year and aim to provide students with a more in-depth and current understanding of key theories, principles, and methods in their major.

The GEM program requires students to take 30 CP of the following CORE modules:

• CORE: Development Economics (7.5 CP)
• CORE: Environmental and Resource Economics (7.5 CP)
• CORE: Comparing Economic Systems (7.5 CP)
• CORE: International Economics (7.5 CP)
• CORE: Marketing (7.5 CP)
• CORE: Organization and Human Resource Management (7.5 CP)

These modules will be delivered through a combination of seminars and tutorials, allowing students to learn through lecture inputs, paper discussions, and interactive group work. As students progress through the program, exams will become increasingly focused on essays and presentations.

In addition to the required 30 CP, students can choose an additional 15 CP in CORE modules, allowing them to pursue their interests or even a minor in another field of study.

During their third year, students focus on preparing for their post-graduation career by exploring their options and gaining professional experience through a mandatory summer internship.

The fifth semester offers a unique opportunity for students to study abroad and broaden their cultural and academic horizons. In the final semester, students hone their research skills by working on an extended Bachelor's thesis project.

In addition, GEM students take 15 CP worth of major-specific and related specialization modules to deepen their knowledge in areas of their choice. These modules allow students to consolidate their knowledge and stay up-to-date with the latest research in their field.

GEM students choose 15 CP of the following Specialization Modules:

• Specialization: Advanced Econometrics (5 CP)
• Specialization: Managing Public and Nonprofit Organizations (5 CP)
• Specialization: Information Economics (5 CP)
• Specialization: Lean Management (5 CP)
• Specialization: Managerial Accounting (5 CP)
• Specialization: Contemporary Topics in Marketing (5 CP)

At Constructor University, students are given a unique opportunity to boost their employability through a mandatory two-month internship worth 15 credits. This opportunity usually takes place during the summer between the second and third year of study, providing students with the chance to gain practical experience in a professional setting. Through this internship, students can apply the knowledge and understanding they have gained from their major to real-world contexts, evaluate the significance of their major in the employment sector and society, reflect on their role in employment and society, and make informed career decisions. For students interested in starting their own company, an alternative to the full-time internship is offered as a start-up option, which allows them to focus on developing their business plan.

The CONSTRUCTOR Track is another important feature of Constructor University’s educational model. The Constructor Track runs orthogonal to the disciplinary CHOICE, CORE, and CAREER modules across all study years and is an integral part of all undergraduate study programs. It provides an intellectual tool kit for lifelong learning and encourages the use of diverse methodologies to approach cross-disciplinary problems. The CONSTRUCTOR track contains Methods, New Skills and German Language and Humanities modules.

Methods
Methods and skills such as mathematics, statistics, programming, data handling, presentation skills, academic writing, and scientific and experimental skills are offered to all students as part of the Methods area in their curriculum. The modules that are specifically assigned to each study programs equip students with transferable academic skills. They convey and practice specific methods that are indispensable for each students’ chosen study program. Students are required to take 20 CP in the Methods area. The size of all Methods modules is 5 CP.

To pursue GEM as a major, the following Methods modules (20 CP) need to be taken as mandatory modules:

• Methods Module: Applied Calculus (m, 5 CP)
• Methods Module: Applied Statistics with R (m, 5 CP)
• Methods Module: Qualitative Research Methods (m, 5 CP)
• Methods Module: Econometrics (m, 5 CP)

New Skills Modules
This part of the curriculum constitutes an intellectual and conceptual tool kit that cultivates the capacity for a particular set of intellectual dispositions including curiosity, imagination, critical thought, and transferability. It nurtures a range of individual and societal capacities, such as self-reflection, argumentation and communication. Finally, it introduces students to the normative aspects of inquiry and research, including the norms governing sourcing, sharing, withholding materials and research results as well as others governing the responsibilities of expertise as well as the professional point of view. Students in this study program are required to take the following modules in their second and third year:

• New Skills Module: Logic (m, 2.5 CP)
• New Skills Module: Causation and Correlation (m, 2.5 CP)
• New Skills Module: Argumentation, Data Visualization and Communication (m, 5 CP)

Furthermore, they must choose either

• New Skills Module: Linear Model/Matrices (me, 5 CP) or
• New Skills Module: Complex Problem Solving (me, 5 CP)

as well one of the following modules:

• New Skills Module: Agency, Leadership and Accountability (me, 5 CP) or
• New Skills Module: Community Impact Project (me, 5 CP).

German Language and Humanities Modules
German language abilities foster students’ intercultural awareness and enhance their employability in their host country. They are also beneficial for securing mandatory internships (between the 2nd and 3rd year) in German companies and academic institutions. Constructor University supports its students in acquiring basic as well as advanced German skills in the first year of the Constructor Track. Non-native speakers of German are encouraged to take 2 German modules (2.5 CP each), but are not obliged to do so. Native speakers and other students not taking advantage of this offering take alternative modules in Humanities in each of the first two semesters.

The curriculum of the study program is outlined in the schematic study plan:

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