Two male students and one female student are sitting together at a table, studying

Studying Business Psychology: Trends, Insights, and Career Paths

March 14, 2025

Psychology Meets Business: How Do People Influence Markets and Companies? Both the FERNFH bachelor’s and master’s programs in Business Administration & Business Psychology impart precisely this knowledge—in a practical and scientifically sound manner. Master’s Program Director Dr.ⁱⁿ Julia Schöllbauer, BSc, MSc, and the Bachelor’s program director, Ing. Günther Wenzel, BA, MA, provide fascinating insights into the curriculum, specializations, and future prospects.

What motivates people in organizations? How do psychological factors influence business decisions? This is precisely where the two distance learning programs offered by the Institute of Economics & Psychology come in. With its bachelor’s and master’s programs in “Business Administration & Business Psychology,” FERNFH offers a modern education that combines in-depth specialized knowledge with application-oriented content.

Julia Schöllbauer, director of the master’s program, emphasizes not only the modern curriculum in business psychology and management but, above all, the opportunity for a deeper immersion in the subject matter made possible by the class sizes at FERNFH:“In addition to high-quality course content and a hybrid format, the smaller class sizes ensure more intensive support.”

A More Personalized Education—Thanks to Specializations

The bachelor’s program focuses on the fundamentals of business psychology and in-depth business expertise.“We put people at the center and analyze business behavior from individual, group, and organizational perspectives,” explainsGünther Wenzel, director of the bachelor’s program. In addition to the core courses, students can choose from three exciting specializations:Marketing Management,Human Resource Management, orChange Management.

The master's program also offers additional specialization options, such asHuman Resource Management,Marketing Management,Management,Digital Transformation, andDigital Health and Environmental Management and Sustainability.

Studying Alongside and for Your Career

A particular advantage of the degree programs at FERNFH is their practical and flexible structure. The programs are designed to be pursued while working. Students can advance their careers alongside their academic studies and thus apply the knowledge they gain directly to their daily work.

The bachelor’s program also includes an internship. This can be fulfilled either through the student’s own professional experience in a relevant field or through an external internship with a subject-specific focus. Students must document 300 hours of work and gain valuable insights into their desired career field while applying their newly acquired skills in a practical setting. The master’s program also emphasizes practical skills. “Our graduates should not only know the theories but also be able to apply them—whether in HR departments, in marketing, or in management positions,” says program director Schöllbauer. In particular, current course content, such as digital transformation and sustainability, prepares students for key future challenges in the business world that they will encounter in their careers.

A Wide Range of Career Opportunities Thanks to Modern Business Knowledge

Career opportunities for graduates of both degree programs are diverse. Business psychologists are in particularly high demand in the fields of HR management, marketing, market research, and management consulting. Managers with a background in business psychology are sought after in companies across all industries. A master’s degree in particular opens up even more career paths, as Julia Schöllbauer explains: “A master’s degree opens up even more career opportunities, including academic careers or positions at universities of applied sciences.”

Many students benefit from their expanded knowledge even while they are still in school, and this enables them to advance their careers. Günther Wenzel,the director of the bachelor’s program,emphasizes this as well: “Our students often experience a career boost even while they are still in school because they can apply their knowledge directly to their jobs.”The program is thus not only an investment in knowledge but also in personal career development.

Too Much "Girl Power" in Business Psychology?

Currently, about 75% of the students in the master’s program are women. According to the program directors, this is due in part to the fact that many of them are already working in HR or related fields. Schöllbauer would nevertheless like to see even greater diversity among the students: “We’d also like to attract more people from marketing or other areas of management, as well as executives, to the program.”

Helping to Shape the Economy of Tomorrow

A degree in business psychology offers far more than just specialized knowledge—it specifically prepares students for the challenges of the modern workplace. Topics such as artificial intelligence, digital business models, and sustainable corporate management are playing an increasingly important role. Thanks to the modern, well-rounded curricula grounded in both business psychology and business administration, graduates of FERNFH’s two business psychology degree programs are well-equipped to actively shape companies and develop innovative solutions.