Master in Entrepreneurship

Enhance your bachelor’s degree with strategic entrepreneurial management skills

At a glance

Program Facts

  • Start: September
  • Duration: 21- 24 months
  • Degree: M.Sc. | 120 ECTS
  • Location: Leipzig
  • Language: English
  • Eligibility: open to all disciplines (non-consecutive)

Application Deadlines & Fees

  • Early Bird 1: November 30 | EUR 33,000
  • Early Bird 2: January 31 | EUR 34,500
  • Early Bird 3: March 31 | EUR 36,000
  • Final Deadline non-EU candidates: May 31 | EUR 37,500
  • Final Deadline EU candidates: June 30 | EUR 37,500

Building ready-to-implement business skills

Gather entrepreneurial experience by developing your skills and building your network to create your venture. We take you beyond standard incubation and acceleration programs. By enriching your entrepreneurial mindset with profound management skills we push your abilities to evaluate, implement and transform business ideas. HHL is the home base for the next generation of responsible and innovative minds creating lasting and enduring impact.

Get exclusive HHL content directly to your inbox

Save your free LinkedIn guide “6 tips to make your LinkedIn profile stand out”, packed with exclusive tips from our career experts, after successfully subscribing to our newsletter.

Here is what you get:

  • Event details: Receive regular reminders about our virtual and on-site events, tailored to your interests.
  • HHL content: We regularly produce content on our study programs and career tips.
  • Application information: We share exclusive content about the application process and what you should know about studying at HHL.

Simply fill out the form for free!

Full-time Master in Management
Part-time Master in Management
Full-time Master in Entrepreneurship
Full-time Master in Management | Finance
Part-time Master in Management | Finance
Full-time MBA
Full-time MBA | Finance
Part-time MBA
Ms.
Mr.
Mx.

Your data will be exclusively used for the handling of your inquiry and will not be transferred to third parties. For more information about the processing of your data, please refer to the privacy statement.

Entrepreneurship numbers we are proud of

#1
Entrepreneurial University in Germany

Stifterverband Startup Radar 2022

#2
Number of startups in relation to student numbers

TU Munich Impact Study 2023

4
Unicorns among HHL alumni companies

HHL Entrepreneurship Report 2024

>530
Startups founded by HHL alumni

HHL Entrepreneurship Report 2024

>30k
Jobs created by HHL alumni

HHL Entrepreneurship Report 2024

Five reasons why you should choose HHL’s Master in Entrepreneurship

  • Practical Entrepreneurial Experience: Gain practical experiences during your studies and develop an entrepreneurial mindset
  • Unique Entrepreneurship Faculty: Learn from a high quality faculty with strong ties to practice and on of the biggest research groups on entrepreneurship
  • HHL’s Entrepreneurial Network: Become a part of the HHL Community and contribute to the most tight-knit alumni network including founders, VCs and investors
  • Inspirational Entrepreneurial Ecosystem: Benefit from a unique entrepreneurial ecosystem covering incubation, acceleration and venture phase
  • Focus on Your Idea: work on your own start-up idea during your studies
YouTube

By loading the video, you agree to YouTube's privacy policy.
Learn more

Load video

Chat with our students

Our student ambassadors are here to share their experiences of HHL and to answer any questions you may have about their HHL journey, their student life and their advice on how to make the most of your studies. Simply browse our list of ambassadors, choose the student of the program you are interested in and start the conversation.

N.B. Please contact your program consultant, for questions about the application process and fees and financing.

HHL Entrepreneurship Report 2024

Get an overview about our entrepreneurial ecosystem – activities, success stories, experiences

Entrepreneurial Success Stories

We provide stories of successful founders from HHL willing to share their greatest advice on starting a business to inspire your entrepreneurial journey.

Meet our female founder Irene

Irene Klemm, HHL alumna and successful co-founder of ed-tech startup Edurino, shares her very own personal path as a successful female entrepreneur in a challenging time.

About Edurino
Edurino’s vision is to teach children 21st-century skills with the power of games. We re-think how children play and learn and develop a hybrid play learning system that combines hard- and software.

Meet our female founder Laura

Laura Hepper, HHL alumna and successful founder of tech startup lavelio, shares her personal story as a female entrepreneur and how her journey went from being a Master’s student at HHL to starting her own company during her studies.

About lavelio
lavelio identifies success parameters for Instagram posts by using Artificial Intelligence.

Our Class Profile

55 – 65

Students in the M.Sc. class

~25

Students in each Deep dive

Icon that shows the earth.

14

Nationalities

620

Average GMAT score

24

Average age

1.5 years

Average work experience

Study Program – The ecosystem supporting you in your (ad)ventures

The Master in Entrepreneurship is a program designed to foster innovative ideas and creative thinking while conveying important business essentials to translate your vision into reality. Benefit from an inspiring entrepreneurial ecosystem covering incubation, acceleration and venturing phase at HHL DIGITIAL SPACE – the digital transformation platform and SpinLab – the HHL Accelerator. One of the biggest research groups on entrepreneurship and a priceless network of founders, VCs and investors is at hand to kick-start your own business.

Program Structure

The Master in Entrepreneurship program consists of several elements designed to educate and train entrepreneurial thinking, innovative and creative future founders and business leaders.

  • Welcome Week
  • Essentials
  • Practical Experience
  • Entrepreneurship Deep Dives
  • Master Thesis or Business Plan

1. Welcome Weeks

Kicking off a new life chapter at HHL

The “Welcome Weeks” offers a dive into the #hhlspirit. Our students get to know classmates from all of our programs and from all corners of the world, both virtually and on-site. This community event lays the foundation for a powerful network that will support them not only through their studies but far beyond.

    2. Essentials

    Essentials: Learn what counts

    This is where you start your HHL journey and take a deep breath of our school’s DNA. We do not only onboard your diverse class in what is essential in terms of hard skills but also develop your entrepreneurial spirit as well as your sense for teamwork and community. Moreover, we want to help you in becoming the best version of yourself by learning meaningful self leadership frameworks and gaining awareness for the cross-functional abilities needed to excel in the modern business world.​

    Essentials (10 ECTS)
    Business Fundamentals I (6 ECTS)Business Fundamentals II (6 ECTS)
    Problem Solving & Communication (5 ECTS)Negotiation (5 ECTS)
    Ethics & Sustainability (5 ECTS)Economics (5 ECTS)
    Leading Yourself & Self-Reflection (3 ECTS)

      3. Practical Experience

      Get inspired! – Prepare for your endeavors

      Gain relevant experiences during an internship or working in an incubator to benefit from other founders and their projects. The practical options foster your international outlook and connect you to a bold network of entre- and intrapreneurs:

      • Flexible option for working in an incubator – take the opportunity to gain insights into building successful ventures systematically, within an incubator or accelerator, where you will learn the methods and mechanisms required for growing a successful business.​
      • Flexible option for internship in a start-up – work hand in hand with experienced founders to develop the next big thing or gather experience within a corporation or consultancy in solvingcomplex problem for future predepardness
      • Flexible option for term abroad – international competencies are essential for successful managers, consultants, entrepreneurs and executives in an increasingly globalized world. This is why HHL prioritizes and maintains global partnerships. Whether it’s New York, Paris, Moscow, Stockholm, Singapore, Hong Kong or Sydney; a term abroad at one of our 140 partner universities will give you an exciting change of perspective. The HHL team will guide you before, during and after your term abroad. Take advantage of this unique opportunity to explore new countries, new cultures and expand your own international network.​
      • Option for international study trip – ​deepen your international perspectives and experiences through an international study trip to a European startup hot spot

        4. Entrepreneurship Deep Dives

        How to take your idea from vision to reality

        Our Deep Dives are devided into three blocks – from opportunity identification and  realisation to building companies. Choose at least two full modules (40 ECTS) and complete your picture by choosing additional modules (max. 10 ECTS)

        Opportunity Identification:

        Let´s start from the beginning: an understanding of major trend implications on economy, society and ecology as well as a differentiated view on business models will strengthen your critical thinking. Get creative and kick-start your venture with a broad entrepreneurial mindset.

        Opportunity Realisation

        Get started: This deep dive will take your business from ideation to implementation! Work on how to set up marketing & sales processes, create organizational structures and learn what counts, when it comes to ethical and sustainable decision making.

        Building Companies

        Grow your business: learn how to grow your start-up into a high growth company and what it takes to lead mature organizational structures. Find out how to create value from innovation or change management.

        Opportunity IdentificationOpportuniity RealizationBuilding CompaniesCustomize from regular M.Sc./MBA program
        Next Big Thing: Visions for the future (5 ECTS)Prototyping & Product Management (5 ECTS)Innovation Management & Corporate Entrepreneurship (5 ECTS)Choose one or two course(s) from regular MSc/MBA Program (full- or part-time) or not selected Deep Dive (max. 10 ECTS)
        Disruptive Technologies & Business Models (5 ECTS)Entrepreneurial Marketing & Sales (5 ECTS)Growing & Scaling Companies (5 ECTS)Open Module * (e.g. Coding & Data Literacy) (max 5 ECTS)
        Business Plan Seminar - Starting up your venture (10 ECTS)Entrepreneurial Finance (5 ECTS)Restructuring Organizations (5 ECTS)International Study Trip (5 ECTS)
        Culture & Leadership (5 ECTS)Value Chain Management (5 ECTS)Entrepreneurial Term Abroad or International Incubator (10 ECTS)

          5. Master Thesis or Business Plan: Finish your project

          The master thesis (15 ECTS) can be started flexibly beginning in term 6 and has to be completed within 10 weeks.

            What our alumni say

            Tanja Bogumil
            Serial Entrepreneur

            HHL had a significant influence on my future path as a founder. Not only did I benefit from my in-depth and practical business know-how, but also from the priceless network of like-minded alumni and entrepreneurs.

            Marc Merl
            Founders Associate | Jacasa

            HHL offers a lot of opportunities to network with alumni and the startup community, e.g. the Startup Career Fair, company visits on campus, extracurricular lectures, or – last but not last – student consulting projects. These are usually door openers to career opportunities in management, finance, or entrepreneurship. That’s how I first came into contact with HHL alumnus Björn Kolbmüller during a project for his company Zenloop. Building something from the very beginning interested me since a long time and through this involvement I had my foot in the door when Björn was about to start a new journey with Jacasa. It did not took long until I joined him as Founders Associate immediately after submitting my Master’s thesis.

            Annemarie Heyl
            Founder | Kale&Me GmbH

            At HHL, I learned how to form a strong team by bringing together different people with different backgrounds and skill sets. HHL’s diverse MBA community was pivotal in teaching me the value of multiple perspectives.

            Bernhard Franik
            Co-Founder | lavelio

            The business plan seminar within the Master’s program enabled me to work on our idea for lavelio for over 3 months and to create a first MVP (Minimum Viable Product). We were able to test this MVP with customers after the end of the course, which already enabled us to generate our first revenues.

            Laura Hepper
            Co-Founder | lavelio

            The HHL Digital Space provided us with the expertise and resources we needed to take the next steps on our entrepreneurial journey. The incubator program guided us through the challenges of early-stage startups with a structured approach and allowed us to validate the problem-solution fit.

            How to start your own business

            Get to know seven HHL founders and their entrepreneurial journeys.
            These are the questions our alumni answerd in the interviews, fully packed with tips and tricks:

            • Why did you decide to study at HHL?
            • What inspired you to become an entrepreneur?
            • How did you recognize your first business opportunity?
            • What are the most valuable lessons you have learned?
            • Did you ever have to adapt change or pivot in your business?

            Watch the videos

            Career

            Becoming an entrepreneur is not about the salary, but you may read through our employment report and find that our Master in Management pays off. However, becoming an entrepreneur is about lasting impact! Shape your company, earn a lifetime.

            It’s an easy climb up of your career ladder with our HHL Career Service

            In a recent Financial Times Master in Management Ranking, our Career Development Team was ranked 5th worldwide! This is no coincidence, as our experienced psychologists and career experts have long perfected the mix of 1-to-1 coaching, personality tests, workshops and other tools. They help you discover what unique skills and strengths set you apart. Together, you will tailor a personal career plan to significantly increase your prospects and reach your career goals successfully and rapidly.

            We will be at your side throughout your job search. Our Career Development Team will:

            • check your CV
            • prepare you for interviews, recruiting processes and salary negotiations
            • put you in touch with alumni in the business sector you aspire to enter
            • strengthen your capacities
            • share effective methods to make the job market work for you
            • provide access to job postings and exclusive recruiting events on campus with leading companies.

            With passion and commitment, and our famous personal touch, we pave the way for your success and help you land that dream job!

            The HHL Network

            The Master in Entrepreneurship will connect you and your business idea to a highly relevant group of people, who will not only guide you during specific sessions, but could also become part of your whole startup journey. Experienced Entrepreneurs will not only mentor you personally, but open up networking opportunities relevant to your needs. Regular coaching sessions will keep you grounded, help you plan next steps and be part of your individual development.

            As an Entrepreneur in Residence you can have the opportunity to work with founders upon their business and learn from the best practical approach possible.​

            Learn more about HHL alumni

            Enhance your entrepreneurial skills within the HHL network

            Campus

            Our Campus has it all! Located in „Hypzig“ – one of the fastest growing cities in Germany – the vivid HHL Campus provides you with every possibility for creative working sessions: Design Thinking and Ideation Sprints or Hackathons and Innovation challenges. Leipzig’s expanding economy, housing world-famous brands such as Porsche, BMW, DHL, Amazon and RB Leipzig, as well as a vast variety of cultural networks, offer a wealth of opportunities to connect with inspiring people both professionally and socially. As an emerging startup hub Leipzig also benefits from Berlin – the German capital with highly entrepreneurial impact – being just around the corner.

            Check out our Leipzig page

            YouTube

            By loading the video, you agree to YouTube's privacy policy.
            Learn more

            Load video

            The Campus

            The campus: In the heart of Leipzig!

            The HHL campus is centrally located and, at the same time, surrounded by idyllic parks and rivers. You will experience an inspiring multicultural atmosphere and real campus flair. You also get to take advantage of the adjacent sports department of the University of Leipzig: As an HHL student, you are eligible to use all of their sports facilities and to sign up for sports courses offered by the Leipzig University. And to accommodate a flexible study schedule, we grant our students access to HHL’s premises 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You can use the library, the study areas and meeting rooms, the lounge and the Student Club any time you want! Intrigued? Please contact us – we would be delighted to show you around our campus in person! We look forward to meeting you!

              Living Expenses in Leipzig

              In contrast to many other student cities in Germany, Leipzig offers a very high quality of life for affordable prices. The approximate living costs per month including accommodation in Leipzig are around EUR 800-1000.

                Moving to Germany

                Find out everything you need to know before and after arriving in Germany, from visa requirements, health insurance, and housing to residence permits.

                  Start your entrepreneurial journey now!

                  Take the first application step without the GMAT

                  Our Master in Entrepreneurship student community is a carefully selected collegial network of motivated peers who will help you reach your full potential. For this reason, handpicking our students is very important to us. We not only take hard facts into consideration, such as bachelor grades or GMAT/ HHL Entry Test but also your personality, your motivation and your ambition.

                  Are you unsure if your profile fits with our admission criteria? Please contact us and we will help you to find out with our free pre-application service.

                  Free Profile Check

                  We look forward to receiving your application.

                  Further application information

                   

                  Master in Entrepreneurship: Education that pays off!

                  The investment in a Master degree at HHL is definitely worth it. With an average starting salary of EUR 81,500 and a salary of about EUR 126,500 three years after graduation, HHL graduates rank among the best-paid Master’s graduates!*

                  *Source: Financial Times Masters in Management Ranking 2024

                  Tuition Fees

                  The tuition fees for the complete program amount to EUR 37,500. We offer a tuition fee reduction if you submit your complete application by the following Early Bird deadlines*:

                  • Early Bird 1: November 30 – Discount: EUR 4,500 
                  • Early Bird 2: January 31 – Discount: EUR 3,000
                  • Early Bird 3: March 31 – Discount: EUR 1,500

                  This covers all tuition and examination costs and includes the tuition fees for the term abroad at one of our partner universities. And, of course, the fees do not have to be paid in one lump sum. You will pay your tuition fees in four instalments – spread out over two years. For further information, see our payment terms. One more important note: Your tuition fees are tax-deductible as an anticipated income-related expense. Check out our brochure (in German) on this for tips. Please contact your tax consultant for more information.

                  *In order to receive the early bird discount, you must have submitted your application by the above deadlines, as well as submit all missing documents and tests (including GMAT/GRE or HHL Entry Test) and successfully pass the HHL admissions interview until January 31 (Early Bird 1), March 31 (Early Bird 2) or June 30 (Early Bird 3).

                    Scholarships and Financing Options

                    Additionally, we support you in financing your Master studies. Aside from our range of financing options, we award scholarships to outstanding and particularly driven applicants.

                    How can you secure a scholarship? Convince us of your excellent record and your exceptional personality. Contact us to learn more, we will be happy to advise you!

                    Scholarship Overview

                      Payment Policy

                      Pay your tuition fees in installments!

                      After having been admitted to HHL, you are required to pay a down payment of EUR 3,000. The remaining fees will be paid as follows: The first and second installments are payable on October 1 and March 1 of the first study year. The third and fourth installments are payable on September 1 and March 1 of the second study year.

                        Any further questions? Please feel free to contact us at any time!

                        Are you curious about experiencing HHL for yourself? You are welcome to visit us on campus. Do not miss the opportunity to talk to our students or experience our professors in a lecture. Please feel free to contact us at any time, we look forward to hearing from you!

                        Jana Vogel
                        Director Program Marketing