That is what it's about

Intelligently controlling production, gaining knowledge from large amounts of data or unlocking products such as electric scooters via an app: Business informatics specialists design digitally supported business processes and services. "Digitalisation now permeates society as a whole, whether positively with new services and products or negatively with the issue of fake news or cybercrime. Business informatics shapes the future and has made many things possible, especially in times of pandemic with online trading or video conferencing," says Rainer Alt, professor at the University of Leipzig and chairman of the Business Informatics Commission in the Association of University Teachers of Business Administration.

This is how the course runs

The first few semesters deal with the basics. Among other things, you deal with business application systems such as SAP, with algorithms and with how to formalise business problems for the computer. You will learn about programming languages and database technologies, and how to plan and implement software deployment for a business. In addition, there are basics of business administration, economics, mathematics and statistics. A possible task for future business informatics specialists: designing a digitalised ordering process for an online retailer where people can pay by mobile phone.

Typical questions raised within the subject

• How do investments in IT pay off?
• Which software suits which company and how do you introduce it?
• How do you achieve same-day delivery for online orders?
• How can digitalisation support exchanges with customers and between employees?
• How do you develop apps and launch them successfully on the market?
• How do product reviews on online platforms come about and how do they influence purchasing decisions?
• How does the platform and sharing economy work?
• In which areas can a company use artificial intelligence?
• Which tools improve participation in digital employee meetings?
• How do you get employees and customers to use new IT solutions?
• How do you protect personal data?

The subject suits you,...

... you are interested in digitalisation, have technical understanding and enjoy working together across disciplines. You should also like to communicate and have a healthy self-confidence: In their professional lives, business informatics specialists deal with people from many departments who often do not have in-depth IT knowledge. In addition, the introduction of new IT systems often leads to tensions, so that persuasion of the users is necessary. Organisational talent and also mathematical understanding are further requirements. Especially at the beginning of your studies you must learn computer science, technology and mathematics. You should also enjoy trying things out, because the models and ideas thought up on the computer first must prove themselves in practice, for example when a company introduces new billing software or a tech start-up implements its digital business idea.

Take a close look at the curricula of the universities you are considering, because the two subfields of information technology and business administration vary to a large extent. Courses with a focus on business administration usually belong to a faculty of economics, while courses with a focus on computer science can be found at a faculty of computer science or mathematics.

Is there a numerus clausus?

Around a third of degree courses have admission restrictions (numerus clausus), although often only between a grade range of 1.5 and 2.5. Some universities also conduct selection procedures with tests and interviews.