Logistics/Business Studies

Many of our graduates find roles in businesses in the field of logistics services, taking on specialist or management positions directly after graduating and advancing to senior positions in logistics within a few years. The broad-based technical and business competencies our students acquire mean they are also excellently suited to roles in other areas of business, across sectors.

Along with delivering first-class training in all things logistical, the course provides a grounding in general business studies, economics (encompassing an environmental emphasis), business IT, law, quantitative methods, social sciences, management and accounting. Classes in technological aspects of the subject explore the impact of technical issues on decision-making in logistics.

In your fifth semester, you’ll do an internship in Germany or abroad, and you conclude your course with your Bachelor thesis in semester 7.

You’ll need an interest in how business interacts with technology and society. Sound fundamental maths skills, good general knowledge, joined-up thinking and strong interpersonal competencies are required, along with written and spoken articulacy, a high performance mindset and an ability to work well in small groups.

Interested – but not quite sure yet whether this is the right course for you? Our self-assessment test can help you make up your mind. Take it here: HAW Navigator.

Higher education entrance qualification 

You can apply directly for this course if you hold one of the following qualifications:

• Fachhochschulreife
• Allgemeine Hochschulreife  
• Fachgebundene Hochschulreife (subject-specific HE entrance qualification)
• Meister*in (vocational qualification – master tradesperson)
• Fachwirt*in (certified specialist)

Applicants who do not hold a higher education entrance qualification but have completed vocational training (Berufsausbildung) and at least three years of subsequent work experience can apply under Section 38 of the Hamburg Higher Education Act, which sets out special provisions for these applicants (Besonderer Hochschulzugang für Berufstätige).

Find out more at Admission requirements for a Bachelor's degree.

You will also need to demonstrate proficiency in English at the B2 level under the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) in order to be accepted on the course. You can do this in one of the following ways:

1. If you have a German Fachhochschulreife or allgemeine Hochschulreife (Abitur), your final English grade needs to be at least ‘gut’ (min. 11 points). If your certificate of qualification (Zeugnis) does not contain a final grade for English, the average of the partial English grades listed in points in your Zeugnis for the last two years of school will be used.
    
2. Alternatively, you can present proof of having passed one of the following recognised language tests:
   • A valid TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language), ITP or iBT
   • IELTS (International English Language Testing System – Academic Training)
   • Cambridge Certificate:
     – CAE (Certificate in Advanced English) or
     – CPE (Certificate of Proficiency in English) or
     – FCE (Cambridge First Certificate) or
     – BEC (Higher Business English Certificate)
3. A third alternative is to present proof of achievements attained abroad which demonstrate the required proficiency level. This must be one of the following:
   • A higher education entrance qualification attained at a school in an English-speaking country (as defined by the Federal Agency for Civic Education) or at an English-language school
   • An official letter or certificate of admission for a degree course in an English-speaking country (as defined by the Federal Agency for Civic Education)
   • Proof (in the form of an official transcript or a letter/certificate of confirmation from the university) of having spent at least one year studying successfully in a English-language degree course or at a higher education institution in an English-speaking country (as defined by the Federal Agency for Civic Education)
   • Suitable proof of at least six months of professional experience in an English-language company following graduation or completion of an internship semester in an English-language company
   • Suitable proof of at least six months of professional experience or completion of an internship semester in an English-speaking country (as defined by the Federal Agency for Civic Education)
4. A certificate for an achievement attained in English in an English-speaking country (as defined by the Federal Agency for Civic Education) that is equivalent to those listed above

Self-testing procedure
As part of the application process you will need to demonstrate that you have used the self-testing tool.

Pre-course experience

We do not require you to have completed pre-course experience for this course.

International applicants

If you completed your schooling outside Germany and want to study here for a Bachelor’s degree, you need to hold an academic school-leaving qualification which entitles you to admission to higher education; that is, it needs to be comparable to a German Abitur or Fachhochschulreife. The organisation uni assist will check your certificates from school and any degree-level studies to establish comparability. You are also required to have proof of German at level C1 – for example, in the form of a TestDaF certificate. You can find more information about HAW Hamburg’s application criteria at International applicants.