German and Business

German is spoken as a first language by over one hundred million people, and as a working language of the European Union, of international science and scholarship, and of major global industries, it is one of the most practically valuable European languages to study seriously. Business, studied alongside it, gives you the analytical and managerial frameworks through which commercial organisations operate. The combination equips you not just to speak to German-speaking counterparts but to think with them about strategy, finance, marketing and the full range of business functions.

At the University of Edinburgh you will follow a four-year programme that takes you to a high level of German proficiency alongside a rigorous business education. Edinburgh's reputation for both language teaching and business and economics education gives the programme intellectual depth across both strands. You will study German literature, culture and language alongside the core disciplines of business: accounting, marketing, finance, organisational behaviour, operations and strategy.

The combination produces graduates who can move fluently between language and business contexts, an increasingly rare and valued capability in organisations operating across European and global markets.

Graduates of German and Business are well placed for careers in international business, European finance and banking, management consultancy, corporate law (with further training), public affairs, the diplomatic service, multinational manufacturing and logistics companies, and the growing range of roles in technology and media where German-language markets are significant. The Edinburgh degree's combination of cultural depth and commercial grounding makes its graduates distinctive in competitive graduate job markets. Postgraduate study in business, international management, translation, European studies or linguistics is an option for those who wish to specialise or develop their academic interests further.