Intercultural Human Resource Development and Communication Management

The master programme adresses students who are curious about different cultures and languages and who have a deep interest in intercultural and global interaction processes. Our interdisciplinary approach requires openness to different disciplines and methods in order to be able to reflect on international experiences or intercultural backgrounds in your studies and in organisational processes.

We value diversity and inclusion. Our programme provides an ideal framework for the development of students from different cultural backgrounds, those with a migration background or those who have grown up with different intercultural experiences, e.g. as Third Culture Kids. We value the unique perspectives that all students bring and encourage an open dialogue based on mutual respect and understanding.

Our programme aims to provide you with sound scientific and methodological skills to understand, describe and actively shape the challenges of the globalised world in organisations, companies and social processes.

The programme aims to

• provide a theoretically and empirically based understanding of intercultural human resource and organisational development;
• acquire theoretical and practical knowledge in the field of intercultural communication management;
• communicate, reflect upon and apply knowledge of cultural studies research in relation to individuals, groups and organisations;
• and its transfer and application to other cultural areas;
• develop the ability to carry out independent research;
• develop the ability to design and implement intercultural personnel development and communication measures in organisations.

The content focuses on competencies in organisations and their functional areas, e.g. global talent management, expatriation and migration, personnel development, diversity management, corporate communication and PR, as well as the associated theoretical and methodological requirements.

Overarching questions of the Master's programme are e.g:

• How can structures and processes in companies be designed so that people with heterogeneous backgrounds can work together?
• How can this be researched?
• How can the tension between theory and practice be resolved in a productive way?
• Which didactic methods are available for communicating in multilingual, intercultural contexts?
• What are the processes, the communication and the attitudes that are needed to deal with the heterogeneity of people?

In terms of content and structure, the programme is designed in such a way that in the beginning, you will attend courses on theoretical and methodological foundations and then you will deepen these in an application-oriented and practical way.

In the first year, you will take courses on the theoretical and methodological foundations of intercultural business communication as well as human resource and organisational development. This systematic part is complemented and interlinked with studies on the business-related cultural history of a cultural area of your choice (e.g. North America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, East Asia, Latin America).

In the second year, you will deepen and test application-related aspects, e.g. the design of change processes in companies and the conceptualisation of personnel development measures. Project seminars and practical projects prepare you for relevant areas of work, such as the design and delivery of intercultural training, team building, coaching and consulting, or communication management in international organisations, also taking into account your chosen cultural specialisation. The cultural component of the degree is also supported by appropriate foreign language courses and consolidated by an internship with an international focus and, where appropriate, excursions. This enables you to locate your own perspective in cultural terms and to develop sensitivity to other perspectives.

You complete the programme with a Master's thesis, which allows you to explore a specific topic in greater depth.

The Master IPK also offers the possibility of an international double degree in cooperation with one of our partner universities in Lyon or Urbino. In this case, you will spend the 3rd and 4th semesters at the respective partner university; the Master's thesis will be supervised by lecturers from both partner universities. The programme is completed with the corresponding international and German
Master's degrees. Motivated students can thus acquire excellent linguistic and intercultural skills in relation to the respective partner country.

The Department of Intercultural Business Communication at Friedrich Schiller University was founded in 1992 and is the largest institution of its kind in Germany. It is characterised by its interdisciplinary approach to intercultural, global issues and application-oriented research. Cultural, behavioural and social science perspectives are integrated into teaching, contributing to a holistic understanding of intercultural interactions. This is unique in the German-speaking world.

In 2006, the department was awarded the German Employers' Prize for Education for the best concept for sustainable intercultural competence development, and in 2011 it received the Innovation Prize of the German Donors' Association and the Joachim Herz Foundation in the Excellence in Teaching programme. In cooperation with universities in France and Italy, it is possible to obtain a double Master's degree.

Our teaching methods encourage collaborative learning and integrate the expertise of your previous academic and professional experience.

As a graduate of our Master's programme, you will be ideally prepared for a wide range of career opportunities in global organisations, international companies, government agencies and associations, non-governmental organisations, cultural institutions and intercultural consultancies. Upon completion of the programme, you will have access to a wide range of professional fields.
Specific work areas are:

• Diversity management in companies and organisations
• Corporate culture development and cultural transfer
• Human resource development (intercultural training/coaching/mediation)
• Corporate communication

Successful completion of the programme also qualifies you for further academic study (e.g. dissertation).

You will also become part of a global network of alumni, providing valuable support and opportunities for personal and professional development.

Apply now for the Master's in Intercultural Human Resource Development and Communication Management and enrich your knowledge, skills and intercultural understanding.