Markus Mottinger, BA

• What were your expectations of your study program? Do they turn out to be true?

I actually started my master program with very few expectations. I was very enthused about the subjects of finance and economics during my bachelor program. I especially had the feeling that in these areas I had a lot to learn still and that a master program would definitely be fun. It was also my goal to find a job at an auditing firm after my study program, and to do so solid quantitative and analytical skills in the area of accounting/finance are necessary. My expectations in this area were absolutely fulfilled. I was able to improve my knowledge many times over compared to my bachelor, and during my study program I even got a student job at Intaria AG in the auditing and transaction services division. Although I started my study program without great expectations, I now see the incredibly valuable, practical benefits of it. I feel very privileged to have received such a good academic education and think that my master study program at the University of Applied Sciences Kufstein Tirol was the best decision for me personally.

• What does the curriculum focus on?

Three focal points from my study program have especially remained in my memory: finance, accounting, and economics. In accounting subjects, you learn how to tell a story from a company’s numbers, and many case studies prepare you to make independent analyses. It is extremely important to keep an overview, especially when it comes to the different forms of corporate entities and a range of international accounting laws. I always find it exciting that so much information is hiding behind the numbers and how you can draw conclusions by targeted analyses. In the area of finance, we deepened our knowledge from our bachelor study program. We were shown what financing instruments there are, how they are used, and even how to create entire enterprise valuations – very complex but incredibly valuable and practical. During our projects, we concentrated on the relatively new form of financing called crowdfunding and also visited the financing department of a large pharmaceutical group in Austria. Since it is not only important to understand individual companies, and the overall economic view matters, our study program also contains courses from the area of economics. Especially when you think about current political discussion such as the US-China trade war, it is extremely exciting to understand the underlying causes. That is why economics was one of my favorite subjects in the study program. On a related note, our statistic lectures were certainly a challenge. Although today it is important to differentiate between opinions and research-based facts, our professors needed a lot of patience until we were ready for our first independent data analysis.

Overall, I would say that the IBS study program conveys a very comprehensive understanding of which challenges companies will encounter over time and how these challenges can be conquered as well as possible. This especially refers to challenges in the area of financing and structuring and also to strategic long-term market orientation.

• What do you especially like about the study program?

I am especially excited about how much of the course content you can actually use in the professional world. People always say that studying at a university is dry and full of theories. I do not see it that way. I have now been a working student for more than one year at Intaria AG, and I see how important it is to understand economic correlations and to be able to correctly read numbers from annual reports. My company helps me a lot with my personal and professional further development and allows me to grow into the professional world by working on exciting projects. During the study program, we were also given sound methods in the area of strategic management that large consulting companies use. That is really powerful. It is also very enriching to study in an international environment. Of course we all speak English in class, and our semester is a colorful mixture of widely varying nationalities. Our personal relationship with the professors and employees of the university of applied sciences is especially pleasant. I have been a student at the University of Applied Sciences Kufstein Tirol since my bachelor study program. Wow – almost 5 years have passed again, and I really enjoy the individual assistance. It is now clear to me what the advantages of the University of Applied Sciences Kufstein Tirol are compared to large universities. I not only think that it is great that all of our professors have current, practical knowledge, but I also think it is great that they are available to us outside of lecture times and always have an open ear to questions or problems.

• Who would you recommend this study program to?

I would generally recommend the study program to anyone who wants to further develop their management skills and can imagine themselves working in the international business world. Possible occupational areas are strategic financial management, corporate consulting, banks or investment banks, auditing, or also self-employment. For the focus on finance, you should definitely have solid mathematical skills, logical thinking, and an entrepreneurial mindset although the study program is definitely doable with some hard work.