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Who is the distance learning course in Economics at FernUniversität Hagen suitable for?
The distance learning course is aimed at individuals who wish to obtain a first academic degree in the field of Economics – regardless of their current life stage. It is particularly targeted at working professionals, parents in the family phase, school leavers with university entrance qualifications, but also people without university entrance qualifications who want to improve their career prospects through flexible distance learning. Thanks to the very high flexibility, you can tailor the course of study individually to your life situation; it is suitable for students at home and abroad, elite athletes, people with chronic illnesses or disabilities, as well as for soldiers of the Bundeswehr and refugees.
What formal requirements apply for admission?
To enrol in the Bachelor's degree in Economics at FernUniversität Hagen, you need one of the following university entrance qualifications:
- General higher education entrance qualification (Abitur)
- Subject-specific higher education entrance qualification or entrance qualification for universities of applied sciences (Fachabitur) in a relevant field
- Professionally qualified persons with a completed vocational training of at least two years plus three years of professional experience (possibly additional aptitude test)
- Recognised foreign educational qualifications that are classified as equivalent
In addition to the formal requirements, you should bring personal prerequisites to successfully complete the distance learning course:
- High self-organisation and self-motivation, as learning is predominantly self-directed
- Basic mathematical and analytical skills
- Interest in economic issues and challenging, methodical work
- Discipline and perseverance to consistently work on your studies even during professional or private challenges
- Willingness to communicate digitally and use various online learning media
What content and skills does the Bachelor's degree in Economics convey?
The Bachelor's degree programme in Economics at FernUniversität in Hagen offers you a broad foundation in business administration and economics. You engage with fundamental economic questions, such as how the behaviour of companies and markets develops or how sustainable production can be designed. The programme is divided into a compulsory and an elective compulsory area.
- In the compulsory area you acquire core knowledge in the following subjects:
- Internal and external accounting
- Investment and financing
- Economic and legal fundamentals
- Business informatics
- General business management
- In the elective compulsory area you design your specialisation yourself. You choose modules from a broad range of business administration and economics that match your personal interests and career goals.
Beyond the subject knowledge, you develop:
- Analytical and abstract thinking skills
- Professional methodological competence (e.g. quantitative analyses, controlling, planning)
- Media competence in dealing with digital study materials
- Fundamentals of social and communicative skills
During your studies, you train yourself in responsible independent work through self-study and learn to systematically analyse complex economic relationships.
How is the course structured in the distance learning Economics programme?
The programme is designed as a flexibly plannable distance learning course and can be completed full-time (6 semesters) or part-time (individually longer, about 10 semesters). At the beginning of the semester, you receive the study materials – both digitally and, if desired, in printed form. The curriculum comprises a total of 180 ECTS and is divided into ten compulsory modules, six elective compulsory modules, one seminar and the bachelor's thesis.
- You usually take up to three modules of 10 ECTS each per semester.
- The modules are mainly studied by self-study with the help of study units, online learning platforms (such as Moodle), videos and online lectures.
- Additionally, mentoring sessions (tutorials) are offered that take place online or at regional study centres and promote individual exchange.
- Mandatory attendance appointments are rare; occasional attendance phases, for example for seminars or examinations, are announced early and take place at one of the 13 nationwide campus locations or abroad.
- The assessments depending on the module consist of written exams (online or on-site), term papers, online tests, oral examinations and the final bachelor’s thesis.
- Entry is possible for the summer semester (April) or winter semester (October). The choice of modules and the pace of work can be adapted each semester to your personal circumstances.
- After successful completion of six compulsory modules, you can request an interim certificate confirming the acquired basic economic competencies.
The distance learning programme requires a high degree of self-organisation and responsible time management. This is supported by digital learning materials, regular exchange with teaching staff as well as optional mentoring offers.
What career prospects do you have with a degree in Economics?
With a Bachelor of Science in Economics, you open up a wide range of fields of activity in the private and public sectors. Your concrete opportunities depend on your individual specialisation in the elective compulsory area. Typical fields of work include:
- Procurement, production and logistics
- Controlling, accounting, finance and auditing
- Organisation and human resource management
- Marketing, sales, service management and innovation processes
Your employers may be large and medium-sized companies, banks, insurance companies, tax consultancies, auditing firms, associations, international institutions or public authorities (federal, state, EU).
The degree also enables you to progress directly to a Master’s programme and subsequently to a doctorate. Activities in research and teaching are also generally possible.
What overall costs and financing options should you expect?
The distance learning programme at FernUniversität in Hagen is particularly low-cost. The total costs for a standard full-time Bachelor's degree amount to approximately €2,200. The costs consist of a basic fee of €60 per semester and a registration fee of €11 per ECTS enrolled – with 30 ECTS per semester, this comes to around €390 per half-year. Those studying part-time pay the basic fee for each additional semester accordingly.
- Additional costs may arise from textbooks, technical work equipment, travel to attendance examinations or voluntary seminars.
- There are possibilities for fee reductions, e.g. in cases of financial need or second degree studies.
- The programme can be tax deductible as work-related expenses or special expenses if you are already employed.
- Funding through education loans, scholarships or support from the employer is possible.
Overall, the Bachelor's programme in Economics at FernUniversität in Hagen remains financially manageable even by international standards and is particularly aimed at working professionals and persons with family or other commitments.
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