MASTER IN ENTREPRENEURSHIP (M.SC.)

Welcome Weeks – Your entry into entrepreneurial life

Start your studies at HHL right away with the Welcome Weeks and immerse yourself in the #hhlspirit. Get to know your international fellow students, make your first contacts with founders and build your personal network from day one. This community will not only accompany you through your studies, but also into your future as an entrepreneur.

Your toolbox for your start-up

Here you will gather the methodological tools and entrepreneurial mindset to steer your ideas in the right direction. You will familiarise yourself with key business basics and sharpen your awareness of economic interrelationships and sustainable action. Reflection, leadership and communication are just as much a part of your timetable as economic basics. The following courses are therefore integrated into the programs:

Your idea becomes a validated business model

In this phase, things get concrete: You will learn how to recognise trends and develop business models from them. You build your first prototypes, test your market presence and find out how to grow your project with a smart strategy and the right financing models. Optionally, you can choose supplementary modules that are precisely tailored to your start-up goal.

Test your ideas in practice

Your learning experience comes to life here: Whether in the incubator, in the start-up or during your semester abroad – you put your entrepreneurial thinking into practice. Work with founders on real challenges and expand your international network. Gain valuable experience for your own start-up.

Options:

• Work in an incubator and learn from experienced founders.
• Support a startup and contribute your ideas.
• Gain international experience at one of our 140+ partner universities.
• Take part in an international study trip.

From business plan to market entry

This is not about business games. In the 12-week HHL Startup Lab, you will work on your real startup project. From the idea to investor readiness, you will develop a viable business model, sharpen your pitch deck and prepare intensively for the next steps. With sparring from experienced founders, VC partners and experts, you will create a resilient plan for your startup – ready for implementation.

Highlights:

• Development of your business plan
• Pitch training and feedback rounds
• Preparation for financing rounds
• Support from HHL startup programs and international network

Master’s thesis or business plan – your final project

At the end of your journey at HHL, you decide: will you write an academic Master’s thesis or develop your business plan to market maturity based on hypotheses? Both paths will help you to deepen your knowledge and sharpen your strategy. You will take the next step towards your future and set up a company both theoretically and practically.

Next Big Thing: Visions for the Future

Megatrends such as generative AI, climate change, and demographic shifts are reshaping economies and societies. This course sharpens the entrepreneurial eye for identifying relevant developments – and the ability to assess their opportunities and risks in a structured way. Using strategic analysis tools, students learn to navigate complex trends, spot emerging opportunities, and translate them into viable entrepreneurial visions.

Key Topics:

• Analysis of global megatrends across economy, society, and ecology
• Strategic assessment tools (e.g. scenario planning, SWOT)
• Critical thinking and navigating complexity
• Identifying entrepreneurial opportunities from emerging trends

Coding & Data Literacy

Programming skills are increasingly essential for leaders navigating a data-driven economy. This course offers a hands-on introduction to the programming language R – from basic syntax and data processing to first applications in machine learning. Students develop the ability to analyze data independently and to confidently operate at the interface of business and technology.

Key Topics:

• Programming fundamentals with R
• Data wrangling, visualization, and exploration
• Introduction to data science and machine learning
• Application to real-world business problems

Disruptive Technologies & Business Models

Technologies such as artificial intelligence, blockchain, and robotics are disrupting entire industries – while simultaneously opening up new entrepreneurial possibilities. This course provides a solid overview of the most significant disruptive technologies and examines the business models emerging from them. Case studies and industry examples illustrate how organizations can strategically navigate and shape technological change.

Key Topics:

• AI, blockchain, and robotics as drivers of change
• New and disruptive business models
• Impact on incumbent organizations
• Strategies for implementing technological innovation

Online Marketing & Customer Analytics

Digital marketing is inherently data-driven – and truly mastering it requires analytical competence. This course combines the fundamentals of online marketing with quantitative methods in customer analytics. From A/B testing and regression models to segmentation approaches, students learn to ground marketing decisions in data and implement analyses independently using R.

Key Topics:

• Fundamentals and tools of digital marketing
• Quantitative customer analytics and statistical methods
• Using R for marketing analytics
• Data strategy and scaling in digital competition

During your studies, you will build up a resilient network: You will meet successful founders, business angels and representatives of leading venture capital funds. This not only creates valuable contacts, but also real partnerships that can take your startup to the next level.

Individual founder coaching sessions and personal mentoring give you the sparring you need to sharpen your business model. Our experts support you in recognizing market potential, optimally preparing you for meetings with investors and mastering the next financing rounds.

HHL Start up Lab (12 weeks) | From the idea to the real start-up
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Your entrepreneurial journey begins in the HHL DIGITAL SPACE. In four agile sprints, you will develop your idea into a validated business model and found a real company together with your team. You will conduct user interviews, test your assumptions and receive targeted feedback from experienced founders, coaches and professors. Two central milestones, the Market Day at the halfway point and the Launch Day at the end, give you the stage to pitch your idea to investors and experts.​
Your result: a real startup, a viable business model and the entrepreneurial mindset to move forward.​

Traction Lab (10 weeks) | Your idea meets the market

This format is also anchored in the HHL DIGITAL SPACE. The aim now is to generate initial market reactions. In the Traction Lab, you will work on realizing your concept, further develop your MVP and launch your first marketing and sales activities. You will receive targeted coaching and learn what really matters in the early startup phase.
Your result: first users, customers or partners and confirmation that your concept is working.

SpinLab – The HHL Accelerator (6 months) | Your springboard to scale

Your startup is ready for the next level! Now it is time to make it really big. In the SpinLab, you will receive six months of intensive support in developing, financing and scaling your startup on the market. You will work with experienced mentors, meet investors and partners from the industry and become part of one of the most successful startup ecosystems in Germany. EUR 535 million in capital has been invested in SpinLab to date. 86 per cent of the start-ups are still active after three years. Participation is free of charge and focused on realising your goals.
Your result: a funded and strong company with a resilient network that will carry you forward after the program.

The tuition fees for the entire program amount to EUR 38,500. We offer a tuition fee discount 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 semester abroad at one of our partner universities. Of course, you do not have to pay the fees all at once. You pay your tuition fees in four instalments – spread over two years. For further information, see our payment terms.

Note: Your tuition fees are tax-deductible as anticipated income-related expenses. 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 will need to submit your application by the above deadlines, as well as submit all missing documents and successfully pass the HHL admissions interview until January 31 (Early Bird 1), March 31 (Early Bird 2) or June 30 (Early Bird 3).

We are happy to support you in financing your studies. There are various financing options available to you. We also offer scholarships for particularly committed and outstanding applicants. How do you get a scholarship? Impress us not only with your excellent academic achievements, but also with your personality.

Scholarship Overview

Pay your tuition fees in installments!

After admission, you pay a deposit of EUR 3,000 . The remaining amounts are divided into four installments and are due on October 1 and March 1 of each academic year.

The Full-time Master in Entrepreneurship at HHL is a 21–24 month, English-language program based in Leipzig, awarding an M.Sc. with 120 ECTS. It is open to graduates from all academic disciplines and is designed for future founders, innovators, investors, and next-generation business leaders. A new cohort starts every September.

No. The Master in Entrepreneurship is specifically designed for students from diverse academic backgrounds. A business degree is not required.

No. A GMAT or GRE score is not required for admission to the Master in Entrepreneurship.

Yes. Applicants must have at least 3 months of relevant practical experience, such as internships, working student positions, or full-time employment. Supporting documents can be submitted after the initial application.

The program welcomes graduates from all academic disciplines, so a business background is not required. Beyond academic results, HHL places particular weight on entrepreneurial mindset, motivation, and drive. All shortlisted candidates participate in a selection interview. If you are unsure whether your background qualifies, you can request a free profile check before applying.

The tuition for the Full-time Master in Entrepreneurship is EUR 38,500, paid in four installments over two years, covering all tuition, exams, and the optional term abroad. Early bird discounts apply for applications submitted by November 30 (EUR 4,500 off), January 31 (EUR 3,000 off), or March 31 (EUR 1,500 off). The fees are tax-deductible as an anticipated income-related expense in Germany.

Students gain access to a three-stage venture-building pathway: the HHL Startup Lab (12 weeks, from idea to validated business model), the Traction Lab (10 weeks, first users and market validation), and SpinLab, The HHL Accelerator (6 months, scaling with mentors and investors). To date, EUR 535 million has been invested in SpinLab companies, and 86% of its startups are still active after three years. All three programs are free of charge beyond program tuition.

HHL is ranked #1 as the most entrepreneurial university in Germany by the Stifterverband Grundungsradar 2025 and has produced four unicorn companies among alumni ventures. According to HHL’s Entrepreneurship Report 2025, alumni have founded more than 530 startups and created over 30,000 jobs.

HHL’s Career Development Team supports graduates who want to join startups, venture capital, consulting, or corporate innovation departments. Networking events including Career Day, the Startup Career Fair, FinNights, and Digital Nights connect students with organizations such as McKinsey, Zalando, Roland Berger, SAP, Porsche, Puma, and more.

The following courses address AI and technology directly: Next Big Thing: Visions for the Future (megatrends and strategic opportunity identification using AI), Coding and Data Literacy (R programming and machine learning), Disruptive Technologies and Business Models (AI, blockchain, and robotics), and Online Marketing and Customer Analytics (data-driven marketing using R). Students can also join HHL Digital Space bootcamps and workshops exploring AI for founding.