Economics in Göttingen - Excellence in Education

Since 2001, the University of Göttingen offers several accredited bachelor's programmes in economics. The programme is also fully accredited and bears the seal of the Central Evaluation and Accreditation Agency Hannover (ZEvA), a member of the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA).


Economics at the University of Göttingen

  • The economics programme is one of the few programmes in Germany that offers an international focus starting at the bachelor's level, as well as concentrations in international economic relations, integration policies, and the analysis of economic situations in developing countries. The programme also offers excellent opportunities to study abroad and to take advantage of the diverse language course offerings.

  • The economics department is comprised of 19 professors. The University of Göttingen also has the largest focus on development studies and research in Germany. Currently, there are six chairs and one research centre dedicated to development studies: the Research Centre for Poverty, Equity, and Growth in Developing and Transition Countries: Statistical Methods and Empirical Analyses.

    For further information, see:


  • An increasing number of courses are offered in English, which help prepare students for an increasingly international research and work environment.

    For further information, see: Course offerings in English

  • Students can participate in a semester abroad for example in Europe/ Russia, US, Latin America, South Africa, Indonesia, China, Japan, Thailand and Korea. As part of the Europe-wide ERASMUS programme, students also have the opportunity to attend one of the approx. 60 partner universities. Additionally, the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) offers funding for students participating in a semester abroad in Russia, China and South Africa.

    For further information, see: Exchange Programmes

  • Every semester, the Faculty of Business and Economics hosts several guest professors from abroad, expanding the international course offerings at the bachelor’s level, and offering additional courses in English.

  • Successfully completing a Master of Science (MSc) degree offers excellent career opportunities. Career possibilities for graduates of our programme can be particularly attractive because of the various specializations within international economics. Examples of career paths include:

    • National and international business and consulting companies
    • Banking and insurance companies
    • Associations, and private and public organizations.


    Additionally, a bachelor's degree offers the possibility to continue your studies, such as participating in a master's programme. The University of Göttingen alone offers several programmes such as an MSc in International Economics, an English-language MSc in Development Economics, a MSc in Taxation, as well as a MSc in Applied Statistics.

    In addition, the Göttingen economics department was ranked 8th in the 2019 university ranking of the business magazine "WirtschaftsWoche". On behalf of the magazine, the consulting firm Universum interviewed 650 HR managers across Germany to find out which universities (universities and universities of applied sciences) they preferred to recruit employees from and which criteria they paid particular attention to.


  • The quality of student life at the University of Göttingen is one of the best in Germany. The university offers modern facilities such as campus-wide WLAN, an E-leaning platform and well-equipped lecture rooms. Students also have access to the modern divisional library for the Economic and Social Sciences; and the Göttingen State and University Library (SUB), one of the five largest research libraries in all of Germany. Furthermore, the recent evaluation by the Centre for Higher Education (CHE) ranked the Faculty of Business and Economics highly, placing the departments of business administration, economics, and business information systems in the highest to average ranking groups.

  • The university prides itself on excellence in research, with top performing economists as ranked in the Handelsblatt (German business magazine) rankings. For example, cege, the Centre for European, Governance, and Economic Development Research regularly offers research seminars, symposia, and workshops for qualified and interested master's students.

    For further information, see:


  • Göttingen is one of the most attractive university towns in Germany. Approximately one out of every four of the 120,000 residents of Göttingen are students of the international and culturally diverse student town. The inner city (old town) has many street cafes and an active night life, surrounded by nature. The city also has two theatres, a symphony orchestra, and many literature and music festivals, providing a rich and diverse arts and culture offerings. Many events and venues also have inexpensive and reduced entrance fees for students. The university also offers the most fitness and recreation opportunities in the area. Additionally, housing rents and general living costs are relatively inexpensive; housing around 4,400 students in centrally located dormitories. Lastly, Göttingen is well connected to the high-speed rail system (ICE lines), with the train station located within a five minute walk to campus.