Department for Continuing Education

Hof University Graduate School

All our programs are practice-oriented, interactive and multimedia-based. Teaching is based on application-oriented knowledge and is supported by projects with industry, site visits and interaction with experts. Case-studies as well as real examples taken from business life contribute to profound insights into the theoretical knowledge.

Our professors (all with PhD) and lecturers are experts in their respective fields bringing together solid scientific understanding with valuable professional experience. Thus, the knowledge transfer from business life to the classroom is ensured.

In addition, we have a strong focus on career promoting activities for students (e.g. career talks, job fairs, seminars and trainings). This way, the employability of our graduates is at the heart of our teaching.

Gruppe von männlichen und weiblichen Studierenden gekleidet mit Talaren

Industry 4.0: Practical insights at Hof University

Prof. Dr. Heike Markus, Program Head, explains the latest addition to our machine hall and its practical use for our students

What our graduates say

Keval from India

"Studying the Master of Operational Excellence program is an incredible learning experience with a practical approach that will help you broaden your knowledge related to business administration and engineering management. You also gain new skills and develop expertise to take advantage of new opportunities for your professional career.

I am also really happy with the extraordinary professors for sharing their experiences and valuable knowledge. Along with that, the German language lessons were very beneficial in terms of improving my language skills and making it easier to find internships. Also, all departments of the university are very active and supportive in answering your queries.

Hof is a wonderful town located on the northeastern corner of the state of Bavaria. It has beautiful gardens and forests, a zoo, a lake, etc. for wandering and spending your best time with your friends. You will meet amazing people from all over the world here and you will make lifelong friends, enjoy your student life and build wonderful memories.”

Mandar from India

"The educational experience at Hof University is one of the best I’ve had. The M.B.A. General Management offers a perfect balance of learning and self-development. This course not only develops the skills and knowledge regarding the course modules but also helps to open up your mind to the subtleties of a changing world, developing economies and upcoming trends. The most important aspect for me was the critical discussions during the lectures along with the professors and colleagues.

I have always focused my career towards the Automotive Market, coming from a technical background with a work experience of almost 3 years in Business Development. Currently I am pursuing my internship at Allianz in Munich, setting up insurances and developing strategies for the upcoming trends in EVs.

I would highly recommend this course to those with a good prior work experience who are looking forward to be the pioneers in this changing world."

Nikunj from India

"The Master program Operational Excellence is strategically designed to enable you for a successful career. The theoretical knowledge gained at the university can be applied practically in industry during the internship and Master Thesis. This practical experience allowed me to expand my professional and social skills. The course also offers you to learn German language thoroughly, giving you an edge in the German job markets.

I highly recommend this program at Hof University to my peers."

Florian from Germany

"What I like most about my master’s program is the internationality.

The high intercultural diversity of all students as well as their practical experience in different occupational areas encourages the students to be open-minded and interested in various topics. Thus, especially group works and discussions are very productive and interesting. Together with the support of highly skilled and practical oriented professors a really efficient studying atmosphere is formed.

An additional advantage for me as a non-native English-speaker is that you can constantly prove and improve your language skills in different subject-specific areas."

Kavya from India

"I always wanted to pursue higher studies. Therefore, the Master's program in Software Engineering for Industrial Applications caught my attention. However, being a skilled professional with eight years of IT work experience, an introvert and a married female, I was a bit hesitant about my decision of doing masters in Hof University and also about my future in Germany.

I can now confidently say that choosing this course is one of the best choices in my life, as I had to challenge myself to learn new lessons every day from my highly skilled and knowledgeable professors, who not only inspired and motivated me to work hard on learning new technologies and enhancing my coding skills but also doing research. All those efforts allowed me to study, practice and learn more.

I felt very glad when I received the scholarship for my academic performance in the winter semester. It made me realise that Germans recognise hard work and merit rather than your race, gender and age."

Akash from India

"For someone like me, desiring for a practical oriented Master, Hof University proved to be a perfect place for pursuing my Master studies in Germany. The curriculum is designed by the professors having several years of professional experiences in their respective fields. Therefore, the students are prepared according to the current and future industry demands. The University has a very modern infrastructure with a 24 hours accessible library and computers, Wi-Fi, canteen and sport facilities. During my initial days the University helped me with finding an accommodation, completing the necessary government formalities and settling in Hof. Throughout the year, the Student Union organizes several fun and engaging events, thereby creating an overall intercultural atmosphere."

Shantall from Bolivia

"The Master's program Operational Excellence offers a great platform to connect with international students from different engineering backgrounds, thus making it an amazing course to exchange ideas and open the horizon. The praxis-oriented approach opens the gate to the German industry landscape, and it is worthwhile to watch out for the numerous family-owned hidden champions.

As the students are coming from all around the world it is an experience to grow not solely on an academic but as well on a personal level and make friends for life. The city of Hof features a lot of outside activities to enjoy the weekends like swimming at the lake Untreusee, canoeing at the river Saale or hiking in the Fichtelgebirge. And of course, there is always a spare time for Bavarian Brotzeit."

Khen Brian from Ghana

"What I loved most about studying Master's in Software Engineering at Hof University was the excellent range of attractive, and practice-oriented study options as well as the outstanding teaching and research curriculum. Deciding to pursue my degree at Hof University was an extremely fulfilling experience which in turn deepen my professional and social skills. The well-structured program readily set me up for the job market and I was hired immediately after the completion of my degree.

Moreover, studying at Hof University exposed me to individuals from around the world; since it is a multicultural university with diverse groups of people from different social backgrounds. Working with students from all over the world as well as members of faculty also granted me a global perspective to addressing both social and technical problems. Additionally, the mandatory German modules have made it simple to be well integrated into the German culture and society at large as well equipped me to enhance my German skills. I would absolutely recommend Hof University to everyone looking forward to the unique opportunity to combine their studies with first-hand experience life in a German speaking country. It was an ultimate delight studying and living in Hof!"

Yash from India

"Studying Masters in Software Engineering at Hof University has been a memorable experience for me. The curriculum offers a wide range of modules that covers topics from different areas of software engineering. One year of mandatory internship allowed me to get more practical insight on TYPO3 CMS which was one of the modules in the course and after finishing my internship, I was offered a job in that field. Additionally, compulsory German modules have helped me improve my German skills which makes it easier to get settled in Germany. Apart from the studies, I attended many social events organised by the University which gave me the opportunity to connect with other students."

Francis from Ghana

"Software Engineering for Industrial Applications was everything I was looking for in a Masters course. It is a well-structured program with exciting modules to deepen your existing knowledge as a Software Developer, which is the main reason I chose to study here. The entire program is taught in English but you also have the opportunity to study German at the University. This really sharpened my German skills and by the second semester I could read and understand some journals written in Deutsch.

There is also a good balance between studies and social life; there are lots of social activities, job fairs, workshops and parties where you meet and learn from people of different cultural backgrounds. The mandatory internship crowns it all by giving you one-year working experience in a German company, this is one of the key benefits of studying here. Studying and living in Hof has been an amazing journey so far!"

Our English-taught Master's programs

Find out more about our exciting Master's programs!

For all programs, one year of relevant professional experience is required; tuition fees apply.

FAQs for Graduate School programs

The following FAQ list is only relevant for students starting in summer semester 2023 in the following study programs:

Digitalization and Innovation (M.B.A.),
Operational Excellence (M.B.A. and Eng.),
General Management (M.B.A)
Software Engineering for Industrial Applications (M.Eng.)

(as of November 17, 2022)

For further questions relevant for international students (such as accommodation, health insurance, etc.), please also see our FAQs for degree-seeking students.

The application period for summer semester is from November 5 to November 30, 2022. Please note, in case all necessary documents (despite APS certificate, if necessary) have been submitted until November 30, you are allowed to submit the missing German certificate until December 14, 2022!

The application period for summer semester is from November 5 to November 30, 2022. Please note, in case all other necessary documents have been submitted until November 30, you are allowed to submit the APS application form until December 14, 2022! In this case, you are allowed to submit the APS certificate until January 31, 2022. After all the necessary documents have been submitted, the examination board will inform about admission or rejection as soon as possible.

Hof University is no distance-learning university. Our teaching concept is built on close personal interaction in an on-campus environment. Immediate exposure with the German study and work environment is one of the most important success factors of our programs.

Nevertheless, we are aware of the special situation of our international students regarding their visa issues. Therefore, Hof University has decided to offer hybrid teaching during the summer semester 2023 only for our first semester students. Second semester students are expected to study on campus.

There is no specific arrival deadline. Despite that, you are expected to be physically present at Hof University as soon as your visa status allows you to travel to Germany. Therefore, Hof University cannot issue any extension letters for late arrival.

If you have to cancel your room, because you do not get the visa, you have to cancel your reservation immediately.

After your cancellation the Housing Office starts to find a new tenant for your room. Should we not be able to find anyone, because your cancellation came too late, you will have to come up for the rental costs worst case until the end of the semester.

First of all, you should apply for an APS certificate as soon as possible, as it is necessary for the admission at Hof University and for your visa application.

Due to the strained situation at the Embassies and Consulates, we strongly advise you to go ahead with your visa application as early as possible to join our on-campus lectures.

We highly recommend you to give an IELTS test ( 6.5 or above) or TOEFL test (90 or above) as the visa authorities might not accept the medium of instruction certificate as a proof of English language proficiency.

If you should not be able to travel to Germany before October 17, 2022, you could attend up to 2 online courses Please note, if you attend only these 2 online courses in the first semester, you will have to study an extra semester which will be charged with 500 Euro tuition fees ( please take a look at the fee structure).

If you decide to come after October 17, please keep in mind that it is your own responsibility to catch up the missed lectures (on-campus). Moreover, the Housing office won’t offer you support and you will have to look for accommodation on your own.

Exams for first semester students, who can’t be in Hof because of visa issues, will take place online. As second semester students are expected to be in Hof, their exams will take place on campus.

Your admission cannot be saved for winter semester 2023/24 or any of the following semesters. In case you want to start later, you will have to apply again via Primuss portal during the official application period. The examination board reviews all incoming applications based on the current criteria for each semester.

Be aware that the requirements might change and inform yourself regularly on our homepage.

Admissions for the following semester(s) cannot be guaranteed.

Yes, we recommend starting your studies this summer semester as we are offering hybrid classes and you can easily apply for a visa and join us on campus as soon as you have received it.

The payment deadline is mentioned in your admission letter (January 18, 2023).

If we have no record of your payment on this date, you need to show a confirmation from your bank/loan sponsor confirming that and when the payment will be made (latest February 15, 2022). Without recording your payment or receiving the confirmation on time, payments cannot be accepted as completed for the summer semester 2023.

If you have paid your tuition fee but have not yet received any student credentials, or participated in any event of the Orientation Week online or on-campus (e.g. Academic Writing or Intercultural Training) a partial refund is possible until February 24, 2023. You will get back the tuition fee minus an administration fee of 500 € and any bank charges incurred.

As soon as you have received your student credentials for participating in any lectures (online or on campus) no refund is possible. Moreover, if you have attended any event of the orientation week (e.g. Intercultural Training or Academic Writing), no refund will be possible.

We are a public University; therefore, the fees of our Graduate School are calculated on our ongoing costs. In contrast to many other universities worldwide our fees are quite moderate. Thus, we do not offer complete scholarships as we do not have any side income.

However, we provide partial scholarships. After completing the first semester, overachieving students may apply for partial scholarships, which are financed by companies, institutions like the DAAD, or the government. Besides, we implemented an additional special scholarship program for students of our Graduate School with outstanding academic performance during the first semester at our university. These partial scholarships are financed directly by the Graduate School and our supporting association.

Fee structure

Only valid for students of Hof University Graduate School starting WS22/23 or later.

Program	Tuition fees* [DI, GMG, OEX, SE: semester 1-4; SM: semester 2-4]		Tuition fees for extension semesters*	Cancellation fees*
	Per semester	Total program	For every additional semester	Cancellation after admission (before start of the first semester)**
Digitalization and Innovation (M.B.A.)	3,300 €	13,200 €	500 €	500 €
General Management (M.B.A.)	3,300 €	13,200 €	500 €	500 €
Operational Excellence (M.B.A. and Eng.)	3,300 €	13,200 €	500 €	500 €
Software Engineeringfor Industrial Applications (M.Eng.)	3,300 €	13,200 €	500 €	500 €
Sustainability Management (M.B.A. and Eng.)	3,690 €	11,070 € (total fee at Hof University)	500 €	500 €

*Fees have to be paid per semester. It is not possible to pay the tuition fees in installments or to pay the tuition fees for the whole program in one payment.

**After having received the student credentials, refund is no longer possible. Please check our FAQs.

[Fee structure of Graduate School as of March 2022]