At the doctoral graduation ceremony on 13 May 2026, nine early-career researchers from the School of Business & Economics celebrated the successful completion of their doctorates. The formal presentation of the doctoral certificates by the Dean of the Faculty, Prof. Dr. Thomas Langer, took place in the Aula of the Schloss.

As part of the ceremony, Charlotte Czernietzki, Christina Englisch, Fiona Höllmann, Alina Herting, Julian Lanfer, Matthias Neugebauer, Marika Platz, Shariga Sivanathan and Lena Stein-Warburg were awarded their doctorates.

Im Rahmen der Promotionsfeier der Wirtschaftswissenschaftlichen Fakultät am 13. Mai 2026 konnten 9 Nachwuchswissenschaftler erfolgreich ihre Promotion abschließen. Die feierliche Übergabe der Doktorurkunden durch den Dekan der Fakultät, Prof. Dr. Thomas Langer, fand in der Aula des Schlosses statt.

Geehrt wurden Charlotte Czernietzki, Christina Englisch, Fiona Höllmann, Alina Herting, Julian Lanfer, Matthias Neugebauer, Marika Platz, Shariga Sivanathan und Lena Stein-Warburg.

Jonathan Grundmann’s master’s thesis, titled “Decoding Bureaucracy: Towards a Process Mining Method for Public Administration,” has been awarded first place in the Materna Graduate Award. The Materna Graduate Award recognizes outstanding theses in the field of digitalization and supports young talents as well as innovative solutions for the digital transformation of public administration.

In his thesis, Jonathan Grundmann examines why process mining holds great potential for public administration but has rarely been used in a systematic way. The focus is organizational, technical, and structural challenges that hinder broader adoption. His analysis shows how data-driven process analysis can make administrative workflows more transparent, uncover optimization potentials, and thereby contribute to more efficient and modern administrative structures.

The thesis was supervised by Michael Räckers and Sandro Franzoi from the Department of Information Systems at the University of Münster.

Jonathan Grundmann is a graduate of the Erasmus Mundus Master of Science in Public Sector Innovation and eGovernance (PIONEER). This interdisciplinary program is a joint degree offered by KU Leuven (Belgium), Tallinn University of Technology (Estonia), and the University of Münster (Germany), and combines expertise in public administration, public management, information systems, and eGovernance.

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Materna Graduate Award

Master of Science PIONEER

Kann Deutschland noch Zukunft? Diese Frage stand im Mittelpunkt des Vortrags von Prof. Dr. Nils Foege, Leiter des Instituts für Innovation, Strategie und Organisation, beim 2. Update Wirtschaft. Kurz zusammengefasst lautet seine Antwort: Ja – wenn wir wollen und wenn wir Digitalisierung und Nachhaltigkeit gemeinsam gestalten. Wie das gelingen kann, war auch ein Schwerpunkt in der anschließenden Diskussion mit dem Publikum und Moderator Prof. Dr. Johannes Becker. Mit dem Fazit „Zukunft ist kein Zustand – sie ist eine Entscheidung“ endete eine weitere gelungene Ausgabe der Veranstaltungsreihe Update Wirtschaft.

In the Bachelor-level course “Game Theory”, Max Linden, founder of lemon.markets, and Florian Dostert, co-founder of Syntinels, discussed the practical relevance of economic and, in particular, game-theoretic concepts. During their visit, both speakers shared insights into their entrepreneurial journey. They described concrete challenges in market entry, strategic negotiation situations, and the dynamics of competitive environments. A central theme of the session was the discussion on the actual usefulness of formal economic models for entrepreneurial decision-making.

In der Bachelor-Vorlesung „Spieltheorie“ diskutierten Max Linden, Gründer von lemon.markets, und Florian Dostert, Mitgründer von Syntinels, die praktische Relevanz ökonomischer und insbesondere spieltheoretischer Konzepte. Im Rahmen ihres Besuchs gaben die beiden Einblicke in ihre Gründerreise. Sie schilderten konkrete Herausforderungen bei der Markteinführung, strategische Verhandlungssituationen sowie die Dynamik im Wettbewerbsumfeld. Zentrales Thema der Veranstaltung war die Diskussion über den tatsächlichen Nutzen formal-ökonomischer Modelle für unternehmerische Entscheidungen.

The School of Business and Economics at the University of Münster is once again ranked among the leading institutions for Business and Management in Germany. In the latest “Best Business and Management Universities in Germany Ranking 2026” by Research.com, it ranks 5th nationwide and is thus among the top tier of German Business Schools, alongside other renowned institutions such as the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management.

Two professors from the Department of Information Systems are listed among the “Leading Scientists”: Prof. Jan vom Brocke and Prof. Jörg Becker rank 12th and 20th nationally and 348th and 585th globally. A total of 9,829 researchers specializing in business and management were analyzed for inclusion in the ranking. It is based on bibliometric data and takes into account the number of publications and citations by top researchers.

Further information on the methodology and all results of the ranking can be found here.

The latest CHE University Ranking shows that students at the School of Business and Economics are highly satisfied with the general conditions at the University of Münster. More than three quarters of the students rated their study experience with 4 or 5 out of 5 stars – in Information Systems, the figure is as high as 93.6 percent.

The School of Business and Economics performs particularly highly in supporting students at the beginning of their studies. A wide range of services specifically for prospective students and first-year students makes the transition to university life easier and places the School among the top performers in this category.

Students rated the Information Systems program with more than 4 out of 5 stars in the categories overall study situation, teaching quality, support from lecturers, academic support, library facilities, learning and working spaces, and digital learning. The program performed especially strongly in study organization, achieving a score of 4.6 out of 5 stars. In almost all categories, the program scores above the average of German universities.

The CHE University Ranking is the most comprehensive comparison of higher education institutions in the German-speaking world. This year, around 35,000 students at 265 universities and universities of applied sciences (HAW) provided feedback on their study conditions in the subjects of Law, Business Administration, economics, business studies, business informatics, industrial engineering, business psychology, business law and social work.

All the results of the ranking will be published in the ZEIT Study Guide 2026/27 and online at HeyStudium.

Students at the School of Business and Economics are very satisfied with the general conditions at the University of Münster – as shown by the results of the latest CHE University Ranking 2026/27. More than three-quarters of students rate their study experience with 5 or 4 out of 5 stars – in Information Systems, the figure is as high as 93.6 per cent. The School scores particularly highly for support at the start of studies: a wide range of services places the School among the top performers in this category. The Bachelor’s programme in Business Administration also achieved top marks for the international focus of its teaching and learning.

Die Studierenden der Wirtschaftswissenschaften sind sehr zufrieden mit den Rahmenbedingungen an der Uni Münster – das zeigen die Ergebnisse des aktuellen CHE Hochschulrankings 2026/27. Mehr als drei Viertel der Studierenden bewerten ihre Studiensituation mit 5 oder 4 von 5 Sternen – in der Wirtschaftsinformatik sind es sogar 93,6 Prozent. Besonders punkten kann der Fachbereich bei der Unterstützung zum Studienstart: Vielfältige Angebote führen zu einer Platzierung in der Spitzengruppe in dieser Kategorie. Weitere Spitzenwerte erzielte der Bachelor BWL bei der internationalen Ausrichtung von Studium & Lehre.

Ihr Studium nähert sich dem Ende und Sie überlegen, ob eine Promotion der richtige Schritt für Sie ist? Dann sind Sie herzlich zu unserer Informationsveranstaltung eingeladen! Am 20.5.2026 um 10:15 haben Sie die Gelegenheit, sich mit Professor:innen und Promovierenden des Fachbereichs Wirtschaftswissenschaften auszutauschen und Ihre Fragen zu stellen. Wir freuen uns darauf, Sie bei dieser Veranstaltung begrüßen zu dürfen! 

Die Wirtschaftswissenschaftliche Fakultät der Universität Münster zählt erneut zu den führenden Standorten für Business und Management in Deutschland. Im aktuellen „Best Business and Management Universities in Germany Ranking 2026“ von Research.com erreicht sie den 5. Platz. Mit Jan vom Brocke, Jörg Becker, Thorsten Hennig-Thurau und Manfred Krafft sind vier Professoren unter den "Leading scientists" platziert.

Die Volkswirtschaftslehre hat nach über zehnjähriger Zugehörigkeit zur Abteilung Jun.-Prof. Dr. Gordon Jochem Klein verabschiedet. Gordon Klein war seit 2016 am Münster Center for Economic Policy tätig und hatte die Juniorprofessur für Volkswirtschaftslehre, insbesondere Regulierungs- und Industrieökonomik, inne. Wir bedanken uns herzlich für sein langjähriges Engagement in Forschung und Lehre!

In part 25 of the Alumni Stories, we introduce Stephanie Düker. After completing her vocational training as a bank clerk at WGZ BANK AG, she studied Public Administration with a focus on European Studies at the University of Münster, including a year abroad at the University of Twente, and later earned a Master’s degree in Economics in Münster. She began her academic career as a research associate at the Institute of Cooperative Studies (IfG) before moving into cooperative consulting at Genoverband e.V. Today, she leads the educational project “Student Cooperatives – Sustainable Business, Acting in Solidarity,” supporting students in founding and running their own cooperatives based on cooperative principles.

In Teil 25 der Alumni Stories stellen wir Stephanie Düker vor. Nach ihrer Ausbildung zur Bankkauffrau bei der WGZ BANK AG studierte sie Public Administration mit Schwerpunkt European Studies an der Universität Münster, inklusive eines Auslandsjahres an der University of Twente, und absolvierte anschließend einen Master in Volkswirtschaftslehre in Münster. Ihre akademische Laufbahn führte sie als wissenschaftliche Mitarbeiterin an das Institut für Genossenschaftswesen (IfG), bevor sie in die genossenschaftliche Beratung beim Genoverband e.V. wechselte. Heute leitet sie dort das Bildungsprojekt „Schülergenossenschaften – nachhaltig wirtschaften – solidarisch handeln“ und begleitet Schülerinnen und Schüler dabei, eigene Schülerfirmen nach genossenschaftlichen Prinzipien zu gründen und zu führen.

The School of Business and Economics at the University of Münster is once again among the leading institutions for business and management in Germany. In the current “Best Business and Management Universities in Germany Ranking 2026” by Research.com, it achieved 5th place nationwide. Four professors — Jan vom Brocke, Jörg Becker, Thorsten Hennig-Thurau, and Manfred Krafft — are ranked among the “Leading Scientists.”

After more than ten years with the department, the School of Business & Economics has bid farewell to Junior Professor Dr. Gordon Jochem Klein. Since 2016, Gordon Klein has been affiliated with the Münster Center for Economic Policy, where he held the junior professorship in economics, with a focus on regulatory economics and industrial organization. We would like to thank him for his many years of dedication to research and teaching!

At this year’s Girls’Day on April 23, 2026, 19 schoolgirls gained exciting insights into the world of Information Systems. 

Staff members from various areas of the department put together an engaging program: Following an informal icebreaker game to get to know each other, participants were introduced to the field of Information Systems and potential career paths. They then experienced how software development works firsthand in a LEGO Scrum workshop. A rallye across the Leonardo Campus also gave them the opportunity to explore the surroundings. 

A particular highlight was the programming course, where participants were able to gain their first hands-on experience with Scratch. In the subsequent quiz, they had the opportunity to deepen their knowledge and discover further aspects of Information Systems. 

The day concluded with a joint lunch, where participants could also try out VR headsets. In this way, Information Systems was not only explained in an accessible way but also experienced firsthand. 

Girls’Day is a nationwide orientation day in Germany that enables girls from grade 5 onwards to explore professions and fields of study in which women are still underrepresented, particularly in technology, IT, skilled trades, and the natural sciences. The aim is to break down gender-based career stereotypes and open up new perspectives for the future. 

Wie kluges Management den Standard „Made in Germany“ zukunftsfähig macht, zeigt Prof. Dr. Nils Foege, Leiter des Instituts für Innovation, Strategie und Organisation, am 05.05.2026 bei der 2. Auflage unseres Veranstaltungsformats "Update Wirtschaft" anhand von aktueller Forschung und praktischen Beispielen bekannter Unternehmen.  Auch die persönlichen Erfahrungen des Publikums werden miteinbezogen. Wir freuen uns, wenn Sie dabei sind!

Once again this year, many prospective students visited the University of Münster’s main building to find out more about the four Master’s programmes offered by the School of Businesss and Economics. Prof. Dr Verena Rieger outlined the structure and practical relevance of the course content, Prof. Dr Thomas Apolte presented a highly topical research topic, and Dr Fumi Kurihara discussed one of the major collaborative projects. A week after the on-site information day, a digital edition of the event was held for the first time this year, with a programme designed specifically for students from abroad and more remote regions of Germany.