Master of Arts Transformation Management in Digital Societies | DS

Digital transformation poses challenges for business, politics and civil society. In the future, it will raise questions whose answers will be essential for the common good and will challenge future decision-makers.

To face digital transformation, experts are needed who can look at the challenges of technology and business jointly and use their knowledge of technological and societal dynamics to develop broad, long-term scenarios for the benefit of society.

The interdisciplinary two-year master's program “Transformation Management in Digital Societies | DS” – predominantly lectured in English - will enable students to understand, anticipate, and accompany digital transformation in business, society, politics, and culture on an intersectoral basis through methods, theories, and practical research. Students will be prepared to be socially, ethically, and technologically sensitive “change makers”.

Thematic focus and course structure of master's program

The innovative master's program Transformation Management in Digital Societies | DS emphasizes a holistic understanding of high-tech change. To this end, it fosters on a dialogue between the “liberal arts” and technological and future sciences. In particular, the program aims to develop theoretical-cultural-analytical and philosophical-theoretical skills.

In its four areas of specialization, master's students can focus on sociological-ethical, economic, and administrative issues on a project-by-project basis. In particular the study program offerss focus on ethics and innovation, scientific methodological competence, futurology, digital business models, and digital politics & society.

“Ethics & Innovation” track

This track handles questions about values, decisions and acting power in the age of its digitalization involving the overloading and dwindling relevance of human actors. Questions of decision-making (especially when it is done by self-learning software) play as much a role as the reconstitution of media societies by artificial intelligence or the position of humans in a world that may soon know more intelligent agents than themselves. Furthermore, his track is significant in terms of technology acceptance, but even more so for the social acceptance of the consequences of technology.

“Possible Futures - Shaping the Digital Future” track

The track is dedicated to the presence of future scenarios, speculations and innovations and its created markets and cultures. Crucial to this master's degree is the insight that anticipating the societal dynamics of the next decades has become the essential core competence of future decision-makers and intellectuals. Medium- to long-term planning in political, infrastructural, administrative, etc. respects will therefore require future-oriented knowledge and research, which does not halt at the borders of scientific disciplines.

“Digital Business Models” track

This track provides skills and expertise that can be used to translate new technologies into commercially viable business models and products. Firstly, students identify special features and success criteria of digital business models based on proven practices. This enables them to understand not only the existing marketability of new digital business models and products, but above all, to identify the emergence of new markets.

With this background, students learn how to translate technology into business models and products into an operational environment. Emphasis will be placed on the corporate approach, both in terms of entrepreneurship and intrapreneurship.

“Digital Politics & Society” track

This track raises political and administrative issues in the context of digital transformation and a future digital society. In this light, it is crucial to consider digital transformation not just in terms of its possibilities, but also and in particular with a view to the associated responsibility concerning the ethical and moral aspects of political and administrative action. Students are taught to navigate between the conflicting priorities of the opportunities presented by digital transformation, especially artificial intelligence, the demands of an enlightened and digital future society on political and administrative action, and the ethical and moral aspects associated with ever greater data processing capacity and more advanced data analyses.

The curriculum also allows students to prioritize topics of their own choice and specialize in particular subjects when choosing their required elective modules.
Further information on the academic minors on offer as part of the course, and all other key topics, can be found in the “Structure & Content” section.

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Course facts and information

Qualification: Master of Arts (M.A.)
Standard period of study: 4 semesters (= 2 years)
ECTS points: 120
Non-consecutive
Course language: German and English
Language skills: Good knowledge of English is necessary
Course begins: Fall semester (September)
Faculty: Faculty of Political & Social Sciences, Faculty of Communication and Cultural Studies, Faculty of Economics
Fees per semester: €6,090

– Applications for the course are currently possible –

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Interdisciplinary and research orientation of master's program

Contextual competence and transfer thinking are required to be able to assess and classify future social developments. This is why there is a consistent interdisciplinary focus to the DS master's program.

This includes an interdisciplinary connection for attending courses between the subject areas of economics, culture and politics. In addition, the program is supported by H-Farm (LINK) as an international and scientific partner for digital innovation.
In addition, the master's program allows students to bring course content into the program that is missing from the regular curriculum in the form of StudentStudies.
In the major phase of the master's program, students can complete a practice or research module in the regular curriculum in cooperation with a practice or academic partner.

The DS master's program is characterized by dialogue-oriented teaching in a seminar format, which benefits the development of discursive skills as a key competence.

Further education and employment prospects of the master's program

The world is in a state of change. With digital transformation, the question arises in both the private and public sectors of who will develop the best scenarios for tomorrow?

The focal points of this master's program – future technological-social developments, digital ethics, digital business model development, and political action in a digital society – specifically prepare students to meet the future requirements of work in the public and private sectors.

In an inspiring university environment, students at Zeppelin University are given the time and space to apply their individual talents, skills and passions to their studies to then develop them further.

The interdisciplinary DS master's program is aimed at bachelor graduates in fields such as political and administrative sciences, economics, sociology, communication & cultural studies, and philosophy. Zeppelin University’s career network allows students to choose from a wealth of local, national, and international industry partners, thus giving them the chance to familiarize themselves with new, public-sector job profiles.

The master's program gives students the opportunity to expand their own career network and to closely link research and professional practice with a further step in their academic career.

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