Business Informatics B.Sc.

What characterizes the Bachelor in Business Informatics?

You don’t just like to hear about artificial intelligence or technical topics like Big Data or Industry 4.0 in the news, but you want to help develop, shape, and use them? You want to lead a company through the challenges of the digital world and contribute to solutions? – Then you’re on the exact right path to acquiring the necessary skills with the Bachelor’s degree in Business Informatics at the University of Mannheim.

With us, you will not only learn important basic knowledge in the areas of business information systems, computer science, and mathematics, but at the same time, you will gain great insights into application areas of business at one of the leading universities for business administration in Europe. Your broad spectrum of knowledge and various acquired soft skills are in high demand on the national and international job market and you will gain an excellent basis for a successful career entry in various areas of the corporate world at the interface between computer science and business.
In addition, it is possible to expand your skills, for example, through a Master’s degree in Business Informatics or the Mannheim Master in Data Science (MMDS).

Course of studies

General

The Bachelor’s program in Business Information Systems at the University of Mannheim usually takes six semesters. You can decide for yourself when you would like to study which subject. The subjects of business administration for example can be chosen completely free from a pool. The basic subjects of computer science and mathematics, however, are predetermined and in some cases build on each other. Therefore, it is recommended to follow our sample study plan at least in the first four semesters.
After the end of the fourth semester, you will have a good feeling about which subjects in computer science, business administration, and economics interest you the most and you can decide between different specialization subjects from the individual fields of study. The student council will be happy to help you in that matter at any time.

Module catalog

In the module catalog, you will find an overview of all subjects offered in the Bachelor of Information Systems at the University of Mannheim. Here you can also look up which subjects are compulsory and which subjects can be taken additionally.

Orientation exam

You pass the orientation exam during your studies, i.e. without taking any further exams, by achieving a total of at least 30 ECTS points by the end of the third semester. As a guideline, however, you should have already achieved the number of ECTS after the second semester.

Accompanying examinations

For a module to be credited, an examination takes place at the end of the module, which can take various forms. In addition to the classic written exams, which usually last 90 or 180 minutes, there are also practical performance assessments, oral exams, and presentations.
In the exams, you receive grades between 1.0 and 5.0 which are weighted with ECTS points and registered in your grade report. ECTS points roughly reflect the amount of time you spend on the subject in question during a semester. An exam is considered to have been passed if a grade of 4.0 or better has been achieved.
For some lectures on the basic subjects, you have to work on weekly exercise sheets during the semester. This is considered a certain preliminary work and serves as preparation for the exam.
If you fail an exam, you will automatically be registered for the next exam. Throughout your studies, you also have two “jokers” with which you can take a third examination attempt.

Soft skills

During your bachelor’s studies, you have to pass four soft skills with a total of nine ECTS. These are designed to complement your knowledge beyond the theoretical subjects. These are time management, presentation skills, rhetoric, and change and project management. In addition, another key qualification must be selected from a pool. You can read more about this in the module catalog.

Study abroad

As a student of Business Informatics at the University of Mannheim, you have the opportunity to spend one or two semesters at one of our many partner universities. A stay abroad is not obligatory but recommended by the university. The work you do abroad can usually be credited so that your standard study period is not affected. Most of our students complete either their fifth or sixth semester abroad. The application deadlines are usually in the second or third semester. If you are interested in a semester abroad, please contact our International Department for advice. You can also find further information and contact details at the International Office.

Seminar paper

As a Bachelor’s student of Business Informatics, you have to take a seminar towards the end of your studies. You will usually take this seminar with a professor of your choice in an area in which you would like to write your Bachelor’s thesis later on. Your professor will assign you a topic, which you have to work out and present in front of a small group of seminar participants or write a paper about it. You will also receive a grade for this, which will count towards your final grade with 5 ECTS points.

Bachelor’s thesis

In your Bachelor’s thesis, you will work on a topic from one of the departments of Computer Science or Information Systems over three months and write a thesis about it. You’ll discuss the topic with your chosen professor beforehand. During the three months, your chosen professor will act as your supervisor and support you with any questions you may have.
Some professors prefer that you also take the seminar with them or listen to particular subjects as preparation for the Bachelor’s thesis.
Therefore, you should contact your potential supervisor early – from the fourth semester on. You can also find an overview of the Computer Science professors and their topics here. An overview of the Information Systems professors and their topics you can find here.

Examination phase

Every semester there are two exam periods. The first exams take place during the two weeks after the lecture period has ended and the second exams in the last week before the start of the new semester.
You are free to choose on which of the dates you would like to take your exams. If you do not pass an exam on the first date, you can retake it on the second date.

Examination regulations

The examination regulations contain everything concerning examinations. Among other things, they provide information on the various forms of examinations and the calculation of grades. The current examination regulations can be found here.

Exam registration

There is a period each semester in which you can register for exams. You will always receive a reminder to your university mail address in time. During this period and until three days before the first date of the exam you can easily register for your exams via Portal².
If you did not pass an exam or have deregistered, you will automatically be registered for the next possible exam date.

Deregistration or withdrawal from an exam

You can deregister from an exam up to three days before the exam date via Portal².
After this deadline or in the case of compulsory registration, a withdrawal from an exam is only possible with a valid reason. You can find more information here. There you can also download a corresponding application and submit it to the Express Service or by mail to your study office.

Retaking an exam

In principle, you can retake a failed exam once. Within your studies, however, you have two “jokers” that grant you a third attempt at an exam. This is not possible within the orientation phase or for your Bachelor’s thesis. The retaking of an already passed exam is not allowed.

Contact persons

If you have further questions that could not be answered on our homepage or the website of our faculty, please feel free to contact us or one of the following contact persons:

• The student council:
• Study programme manager: Lisa Wessa
• Contact person in the study office: David Steiner
• Subject advisory service for content related to the degree programme