Energy & Sustainability Management

- Hybrid and agile project management frameworks
- Stakeholder, risk and complexity analysis in energy & sustainability management
- Design thinking & user research in energy & sustainability management with personas, customer journeys, service blueprints
- Rapid prototyping for products, service and process innovations

- Electrochemistry
- Mechanics
- Thermodynamics
- Electrical engineering
- Design, operating principles and key parameters of power generation plants

- Concepts and principles of the circular economy and the bioeconomy
- Regenerative systems and their role in sustainable transformation processes
- Material and value chains in the context of resource efficiency and circularity
- Systemic relationships between natural and technical cycles
- Potentials, limits and trade-offs of circular and bio-based economic models
- Modeling and assessment of circular and regenerative system approaches

- Big data fundamentals in energy & sustainability management
- Data quality, data governance, ETL processes and data pipelines
- Exploratory data analysis & feature engineering for large data volumes
- Modeling methods
- Big data tools & ecosystems

- Smart cities and smart communities as strategic urban and regional development approaches
- Digital and infrastructure technologies such as IoT, mobility solutions, energy systems and data platforms
- Urban transformation processes with a focus on energy, mobility, spatial structure and governance
- Analysis of urban planning and spatial planning foundations for smart neighbourhood concepts
- Diversity and inclusion principles in smart city concepts
- Assessment approaches for smart measures with regard to sustainability, quality of life, cost and acceptance
- Stakeholder management and participatory decision-making processes in municipal transformation projects

- Fundamentals and models of innovation management
- Processes, drivers and barriers of organizational innovation
- Methods and approaches for sustainable and transformative innovation
- Assessment of technologies, business models and market opportunities
- Innovation culture, leadership and organizational conditions
- Strategic integration of innovation into sustainable corporate development

- Technological and systemic deep dive into innovative energy concepts
- Selected innovative energy concepts such as sector coupling, power-to-X approaches, decentralised energy supply, smart energy systems, energy storage technologies, and data and automation potentials
- Innovation pathways in the context of renewable and hybrid supply systems

- Fundamentals of sustainable and multimodal mobility systems
- Electromobility, charging infrastructure and integration into the energy system
- Sharing models, mobility-as-a-service and new mobility services
- Autonomous and digitally connected mobility
- Barriers to transformation
- Mobility concepts for companies, cities and regions

- Fundamentals of integrated building design and sustainable building physics
- Energy simulation
- Building energy demand, load profiles and performance analysis
- Planning and assessment of energy-efficient building and supply concepts
- Optimisation of energy and operating concepts over the life cycle
- Strategic decision-making processes based on simulation results

- Fundamentals of sustainable development
- Basic ecological concepts
- Climate change, drivers and fundamental mechanisms of action
- Societal and technological transformation processes
- Fundamentals of resilience in ecological, technical and social systems
- Interactions between sustainability, transformation and ecosystems
- Introduction to scientific sustainability concepts

- Fundamentals of energy economics and the specific characteristics of energy commodities
- Market structures and price-formation mechanisms in European energy markets
- Roles of market participants in energy trading and the regulatory framework
- Price, volume and credit risks in energy trading
- Basic concepts of hedging and strategic procurement decisions
- Interactions between the energy transition, carbon pricing and market design
- Impact of volatile markets on risk profiles and strategic management decisions

- European and international institutions
- International agreements relevant to energy & sustainability management
- EU legislative and decision-making processes
- Legal acts in the energy and sustainability field
- Governance and compliance with the implementation of European requirements in companies, oversight by European and national regulatory authorities, and requirements in the area of ESG and sustainability reporting
- Case studies on the influence of European institutions on energy prices, emissions trading, supply chain law and climate litigation before the European Court of Justice

- In-depth market mechanisms in electricity, gas and flexibility markets
- Methods of advanced risk management in energy trading
- Fields of innovation among energy providers and market participants
- Strategic behavior in volatile energy markets
- Effects of regulatory changes on trading, portfolios and investments

- In-depth study of European energy law covering market rules, network regulation, institutional competencies and current reform processes
- International climate negotiations and global governance covering UNFCCC, COP diplomacy and international mechanisms for climate protection
- EU internal market regulation for energy and sustainability covering competition aspects, state aid, security of supply and the transformation of energy systems
- European case law in energy and environmental law covering landmark rulings on emissions trading, climate litigation, the internal energy market and fundamental environmental rights
- Conflict resolution and contractual instruments in international energy law covering the regulation of cross-border energy projects, supply contracts and dispute settlement
- The external relations of the European Union in the energy sector covering energy partnerships, global security policy and sustainable external energy policy

- Principles of system resilience in ecological, economic and social systems
- Identification and analysis of climate risks, vulnerabilities and exposures
- Development of adaptive climate adaptation strategies and measures
- Systemic modeling of interactions between climate, society and infrastructure
- Risk and adaptation assessment based on scientific indicators and scenarios
- Governance and management approaches for resilient systems
- Strategic decision-making under uncertainty and trade-offs
- Effectiveness and transformation analysis of resilience and adaptation measures

- Compliance requirements and the regulatory framework in the sustainability context
- Sustainability metrics, environmental and social indicators, and ESG analysis approaches
- Methods of sustainability assessment and life cycle assessment (LCA)
- Design of integrated sustainability and risk management strategies
- Governance and accountability systems for sustainable corporate management
- Linking sustainability, controlling and risk management
- Design of sustainability and risk reporting systems

- Project work on real-world case studies, taking economic and ESG criteria into account
- Teamwork in interdisciplinary and intercultural groups
- Development and presentation of an innovative project concept

- Preparation for the study trip: thematic and organizational planning
- Advanced study of international energy & sustainability management
- Visits to companies, projects, trade fairs or universities in the destination country
- Expert discussions with practitioners, public authorities, project developers or research institutions
- Observation of international management and sustainability strategies
- Intercultural communication and professional conduct in an international context
- Follow-up: presentation of results, reflection and transfer to the study program

- Introduction to and deepening of project- and lab-based work
- Fundamentals of methodical problem solving and creativity techniques
- Use of digital tools
- Introduction to documentation and presentation techniques
- Teamwork and communication in a project context
- Implementation of small practical tasks or micro-projects
- Reflection on work processes and self-organization
- Feedback and review rounds to improve results

- Deepening of project- and lab-based work
- Deepening of methodical problem solving and creativity techniques
- Use of digital tools
- Deepening of documentation and presentation techniques
- Teamwork and communication in a project context
- Implementation of small practical tasks or micro-projects
- Reflection on work processes and self-organization
- Feedback and review rounds to improve results

- Identification of relevant research fields and derivation of a precise master's thesis research question
- Structuring of theoretical foundations and definition of key concepts and variables
- Development of an initial research design including the choice of methods and feasibility
- Analysis of data and source availability as well as ethical and organizational conditions
- Discussion and presentation of the planned master's thesis project

- Fundamentals of professional scientific communication and the principles of clear knowledge transfer
- Audience-oriented writing and presenting for expert and non-expert audiences
- Storytelling methods for the structured and narrative preparation of complex content
- Design and analysis of media formats
- Visualisation of data and arguments with digital tools
- Communication ethics, transparency and responsibility in conveying science-related topics

The students independently carry out a project in small groups amounting to 4 ECTS = 100 hours. This is based on a predefined objective. Planning, coordination, budgeting, monitoring, communication and reporting, as well as finding solutions, are the responsibility of the students. The role of the course instructor focuses on coaching the students.

- Methodological grounding
- Quality criteria of empirical research
- Methodological risks & bias in research
- Presentation and peer discussion of the research design

Students gain insights into current topics, developments and research findings in energy & sustainability management. Various experts from academia, industry and research provide practical impulses on innovation and transfer questions. The content is explored in greater depth through moderated discussions, fireside chats or field trips, and is reflected on with regard to its relevance for professional practice.

Topics covered include:
- current innovation and research trends in the sector
- examples of successful business and research collaborations
- approaches to knowledge and technology transfer
- digital transformation processes in the energy industry and in sustainability management
- reflection on one's own learning and transfer processes in a professional context

- Scientific dissemination
- Scientific presentation skills
- Publication ethics & quality assurance

- Preparation of the master's thesis
- Academic writing & argumentation
- Preparation for the final examination

- Fundamentals of intercultural communication
- Communication styles, value orientations and dealing with misunderstandings
- Team roles and decision-making processes in culturally diverse groups
- Intercultural conflict patterns and resolution strategies
- Building trust, empathy and perspective-taking in international contexts
- Diversity, inclusion and ethical dimensions of collaboration
- Reflection on one's own cultural background and communication preferences
- Models and methods for analysing strain and resources (work-life balance)
- Mechanisms of gender roles, bias and structural disadvantage, as well as practical approaches to gender-inclusive design of work and learning environments
- Practical exercises on team building and collaboration in international settings

- Fundamentals of strategic communication in change and innovation processes
- Communication as a driver of organizational resilience
- Narratives, storylines and framing in transformation contexts
- Stakeholder and actor communication in the energy & sustainability field
- Communication in crises, uncertainties and conflicts
- The psychology and dynamics of resistance & acceptance
- Communication requirements in innovation and change projects

- Mediation in an organizational context
- HRM-related fields of conflict
- Methods of collaborative leadership
- Mediative intervention techniques
- Facilitation methods for conflict situations