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I studied economics part-time at a university and at the same time was enrolled in business administration at a distance learning university.
Unfortunately, there are hardly any opportunities to study economics in a distance learning program as a combination of business administration and economics. The only degree programs are offered by the FernUni Hagen.
Nevertheless, there are more opportunities to dive into the field of economics through distance learning, such as through a business administration degree or a degree in political and administrative sciences.
I present all the possibilities here.
All distance learning courses in the field of economics in an overview
We have a total of 25 courses in the field of Economics.
Economics
- University of Hagen
- 6 Semester
- German
With the Wiwi distance learning programme at the state Fernuniversity and largest university in Germany, the FernUni Hagen, you will acquire knowledge in all areas of economics, such as business …
Economics
- University of Hagen
- 4 Semester
- German
The Master's programme in Economics at FernUniversität Hagen offers a broad and solid academic education in various areas of economics. Students have the opportunity to deepen their knowledge in the …
Political science, public administration, sociology
- University of Hagen
- 6 Semester
- German
Participants in this interdisciplinary course gain in-depth knowledge of political, administrative, and sociological topics. It deepens understanding of political processes, state structures, social dynamics, and societal connections. This course provides …
Political Science - Governance and Participation
- University of Hagen
- 4 Semester
- German
The Fern University in Hagen offers a Master's programme in Political Science. This programme is designed to provide advanced knowledge and skills in the field of political science. Students have …
Business Administration
- University of Wismar
- 9 Semester
- German
Diploma in Business Administration through distance learning! The 9-semester distance learning program Diploma in Business Administration (BWL) comprehensively prepares you for assuming responsibility in the middle and senior management of …
Business Administration
- European Distance Learning University Hamburg
- 6 Semester
- Hamburg
- German
The study program trains you to be a business management generalist with comprehensive management skills and in-depth expertise in your chosen area. You not only know how a company operates …
Economics
- University of Hagen
- 4 Semester
- German
The Master's program in Economics at FernUniversität Hagen offers an in-depth academic education in economic theories and methods. Students can expand their knowledge in areas such as microeconomics, macroeconomics, labour …
Sustainable development cooperation
- Rhineland-Palatinate Technical University Kaiserslautern-Landau
- 4 Semester
- Kaiserslautern
- German
- Among others, concepts of sustainable development, intercultural communication and participation, sustainable social security systems, food security a…
Public Management
- IU International University
- 6 Semester
- German
With this distance learning course in political science, you will acquire legal and economic foundations, soft skills, as well as solid management and IT competences for a career in the …
Economics for Engineers and Scientists
- University of Hagen
- 4 Semester
- German
The master's programme "Business Economics for Engineers and Scientists" at the FernUniversität Hagen offers a specialized education in economics for students with a technical or scientific background. This interdisciplinary programme …
Public Administration
- Berlin School of Economics and Law
- 4 Semester
- German
- Public management, competence in communication and leadership, trained decisions in complex action situations, digital administration, administrative …
Business Administration
- University of Technology and Economics Berlin
- 10 Semester
- German
- Foundations of Business Law, Accounting, Introduction to Business Administration, Personnel and Organization, Mathematics, Fundamentals of Business In…
Business Administration
- Private University Goettingen
- 4 Semester
- German
The Business Administration Distance Learning Programme at PFH is a master's programme that prepares professionals for leadership roles in a flexible and location-independent manner. The programme provides in-depth business knowledge …
Business Administration
- Institute for Collaborative Studies
- 8 Semester
- German
- Foundations of Business Administration, External Accounting, Commercial Law, Mathematics for Economists, Market and Competition, Internal Accounting, …
Economics
- European Distance Learning University Hamburg
- 6 Semester
- German
The distance learning programme in Business Administration at the European Distance University of Hamburg provides comprehensive knowledge in various areas. Students acquire basic knowledge in business administration, quantitative methods, and …
Public Management
- IU International University
- 2 Semester
- German
This master's programme prepares you for challenging specialist and leadership positions in public administration in just 2-4 semesters of full-time study or part-time study. You will systematically acquire competencies in …
Business administration
- University of Kaiserslautern
- 8 Semester
- German
- Business Administration 1, Mathematics, Communication and Leadership Techniques, Business Administration 2A, Economics 1, Statistics, Academic Writing…
Business Administration
- University of Applied Sciences Kiel
- 6 Semester
- German
- Introduction to Business Administration, Soft Skills, Accounting I, Economics I, Introduction to Mathematics for Business Economists, Business English…
Business Administration
- Ostfalia University of Applied Sciences
- 6 Semester
- German
- Introduction to Business Administration, Business Mathematics, Financial Accounting I, Macroeconomics I, Academic Writing, Business English, Business …
Political science and management
- European Distance Learning University Hamburg
- 4 Semester
- German
The distance learning course "Political Science and Management" at the European Distance University Hamburg introduces students to areas such as leadership, digital transformation, economic relations, and European politics. With a …
Business Administration
- Jade University
- 6 Semester
- German
- Business English, Introduction to General Business Administration, Introduction to Mathematics for Economics, Accounting, Economics, Academic Writing,…
Business engineer
- University of Applied Sciences for SMEs
- 5 Semester
- German
- Mechanics/Electrical Engineering, Fluid Mechanics, Thermodynamics, Chemistry/Materials Science, Mathematics for Technical and Economic Applications, D…
Intelligent Enterprise Management
- Centre for Distance Learning in the University Consortium
- 4 Semester
- Augsburg, Nürburgring, Zweibrücken
- German
- Management Framework, Communication & Soft Skills for Executives, Marketing Policy and Strategies, Success and Financial-oriented Corporate Management…
Sustainability management
- German University of Applied Sciences
- 6 Semester
- Potsdam
- German
- Foundations of Scientific Work, Communication, Presentation & Moderation, Foundations of Organization & Management, Foundations of Business Administra…
Economics at FernUni Hagen: Contents, Costs, Procedure
The University of Hagen is the only state distance university and at the same time the largest distance learning university in Germany. In the WS 2019/2020, over 70,000 students were enrolled in one of the degree programs. Approximately 30% of the students are enrolled in the Faculty of Economics and study economics, economics, or business informatics.
The Bachelor of Economics lasts a total of 6 semesters in full-time studies. However, the majority of students are likely to study part-time and thus need about 8-9 semesters for the entire program.
The study plan includes a total of 10 compulsory modules and 6 elective modules. Particularly interesting: In the elective area, students can either specialize intensively in business administration or alternatively in economics. The elective modules are then selected from one of the two focus areas.
In part-time studies, students can structure their study plan as follows:
- 1st Semester: Introduction to economics, fundamentals of business mathematics and statistics
- 2nd Semester: Introduction to business informatics, external accounting
- 3rd Semester: Investment and financing, basics of private and commercial law
- 4th Semester: Microeconomics, internal accounting and functional control
- 5th Semester: Macroeconomics, business management
- 6th to 9th Semester: Elective modules (business modules and economic as well as quantitative modules), seminar and bachelor thesis
You can see that the study plan at FernUni is more math-intensive than, for example, a business administration degree; even business informatics is part of the distance learning program.
At FernUni, students mainly study with the help of study scripts. Online lectures and tutorials are only offered sporadically, online exams are currently not possible in economics. However, the scripts are of very high quality and students can prepare very well for the many Wiwi exams using them.
Throughout the Wiwi program, students only have to participate in one compulsory face-to-face event, which can also be completed online. In addition, regular face-to-face events are offered in various modules of the course at the various regional centers of FernUni.
The entire course costs around 2000,- Euros.
Economics in Distance Learning: These Opportunities Exist
Economics provides the macroeconomic perspective on the economy and deals with economic systems, markets, international relations, and more.
In distance learning, there are currently only these two possibilities to study economics:
Possibility 1 is the Bachelor's programme in Economics at FernUni Hagen. The programme consists of 10 compulsory modules and 6 elective modules. In the elective area, students have the opportunity to choose 5 of the elective modules from a pool of economic and quantitative modules. This means that during the Wiwi distance learning program, students can specialize in the field of economics.
The following modules in the field of economics are currently offered: Market and State, Market Failure, Economics of Environmental Policy, Modeling of Information Systems, Information Management, Problems of Economic Policy: Unemployment, Health Policy, and Old-age Provision, Industrial Economics, Problem-solving in Graphical Structures, Planning with Mathematical Models, Multivariate Methods, Knowledge Management, Globalization and International Economic Relations, European Economic Policy, Public Expenditure, Basics of International Economic Relations, Digital Transformation.
Possibility 2 is the Master's programme in Economics at FernUni Hagen. The programme lasts a total of 4 semesters in full-time studies.
For admission, a completed degree in economics or in economics/volkswirtschaftslehre is required. For example, those who have studied business informatics can be admitted if the economic components including auxiliary sciences (mathematics, statistics, business informatics, law) amount to at least 90 ECTS credits.
The course contents are taught in a total of 3 compulsory modules and 5 elective modules:
- Compulsory modules: Applied Econometrics, Advanced Business Mathematics and Statistics, Construction and Analysis of Economic Models
- Elective modules: modules are selected from 1) business modules, 2) economic modules, legal modules, and 4) quantitative modules.
The course costs a total of around 1000,- Euros.
Administrative Sciences & Politics in Distance Learning
Political and administrative sciences border very closely on economics. Those who study administrative sciences systematically prepare for a career in public administration. There are now a whole range of distance learning programmes in this field.
In the Bachelor's distance learning programme Political Science, Administrative Science, Sociology, students choose one of the 3 study focuses, for example, Administrative Science.
If you want to study more varied and flexible than at FernUni Hagen, you should consider the Bachelor's distance learning programme Public Management at IU International University. The programme lasts 6 semesters in full-time studies, but most students opt for one of the part-time variants, so the typical duration of study is about 8 semesters.
In full-time studies, students can structure their study plan as follows:
- 1st Semester: Introduction to scientific work, Public Law I (Constitutional Law - Basic Law, State Organization), Economics and Markets, Basics of Civil Law I, Business Management, Public and Nonprofit Management
- 2nd Semester: Public Law II (Constitutional Law - Administrative Law and European Law), Public Financial Management, Political and Administrative Sciences, Project Management, Basics of Civil Law II, Economic Policy
- 3rd Semester: Administrative Procedure Law, Cost Accounting and Budget, Intercultural and Ethical Action Skills, Special Law of Obligations I, Controlling, Introduction to Data Protection and IT Security
- 4th Semester: Human Resources in the Public Sector, Procurement and Award, Collaborative Work, Special Law of Obligations II, Consulting in the Public Sector, E-Government
- 5th Semester: Grants in the Public Sector, Sustainability and Quality Management, Municipal Law, Seminar: New Public Management, Elective Subject A
- 6th Semester: Elective Subject B, Elective Subject C, Bachelor Thesis
During the distance learning programme, students choose one of these scientific specializations: Performance Administration, Intervention Administration, Foreign Affairs. In addition, students choose 2 functional and industry specializations from this pool of modules: International Business Law, National and International Tax Law, Digital HR and Change Management, Negotiation and Conflict Management, Sociology and Social Psychology, World of Work 4.0, Dispute Resolution in Public Law, Performance Administration, Intervention Administration, Foreign Affairs, IT and Media Law, Public Diplomacy and PR, Public Affairs and PR, Online and Social Media Marketing, Communication and PR, Foreign Languages, Collective Labour Law, Advanced Leadership, Human Resources, Project Management, Health Care Management, Event Management, Labour Law.
The following table lists all opportunities for a distance learning programme in Political Science and Administrative Sciences at a glance:
| Course | University | Duration | Course contents | Fees | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Political Science - Governance and Participation, Master of Arts Distance learning program | University of Hagen | 4 Semester | Governance and Participation - Thematic Introduction, Research Methods in the Social Sciences, Comparative Democracy Research, State Activity and Participation in Policy Areas, International Governanc… | from 1431 € total | |
| Political science and management, Master of Arts Distance learning program | European Distance Learning University Hamburg | 4 Semester | Leadership and organizational development, digital transformation, globalization and governance, economic relations in the context of international politics, economic interests and European politics, … | from 12704 € total from 397 € monthly | |
| Political science, public administration, sociology, Bachelor of Arts Distance learning program | University of Hagen | 6 Semester | Introduction to the study program, Basic structures of politics, Basic structures of administration, Basic structures of society, Modules using the example of political science: (Quantitative methods … | from 2229 € total | |
| Public Administration, Master of Public Administration Distance learning program | Berlin School of Economics and Law | 4 Semester | Public management, competence in communication and leadership, trained decisions in complex action situations, digital administration, administrative innovation, management in administration, bureaucr… | from 9800 € total | |
| Public Management, Bachelor of Arts Distance learning program | IU International University | 6 Semester | Introduction to Scientific Work, Public Law I (Constitutional Law – Fundamental Rights, State Organization), Economics and Market, Basics of Civil Law I, Business Administration, Public and Nonprofit … | from 15063 € total from 259 € monthly | |
| Public Management, Master of Arts Distance learning program | IU International University | 2 Semester | Leadership, Project Management Methods, New Work, Research Methodology, Public Law and Public Administration, Information Security and Data Protection, Economics and Society II, Change Management and … | from 10099 € total from 475 € monthly |
Economics vs Business Administration: What is Suitable for Whom?
Economics in on-site and distance learning covers the major disciplines of business administration and economics. An economics study is thus more comprehensive and more theoretical. Currently, only FernUni Hagen offers a distance learning programme in economics. The university also offers the corresponding consecutive Master's programme in economics. A distance learning programme in economics is particularly suitable for theorists and thinkers who aspire to a scientific career, a career in politics and administration, or a career as publicists after their studies.
Business Administration or Business Economics as a sub-discipline of economics is more practical than a distance learning programme in economics. Business administrators describe, analyze, and explain decision-making processes in companies. After their studies, business economists work in management positions in companies, as self-employed merchants, or as entrepreneurs. Therefore, a distance learning programme in business administration is suitable for practitioners who are drawn to the free market after their studies, who want to work in management, or who want to start their own business.
Here are some of the most popular business administration distance learning programmes at a glance. More of them: Business Administration Distance Learning: 20 Top Programmes Overview.
About the Author Christian Wolf
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