Through interdisciplinary, project-based teaching, students acquire not only expertise and methodological skills, but also social skills and develop the ability to work independently and take responsibility. The Schmalenbach Institute offers In addition schools for students Russia. Due to teaching in small groups in the area subjects, the supervision ratio between lecturers and students is particularly good.

The Master's degree programmes focus on the interdisciplinary acquisition of (leadership) skills. Students acquire these in the course of specialising in their fundamental business knowledge as acquired in Bachelor's degree programmes in economics, and in theory-driven interaction with education and training in relevant special topics in business administration.

The Schmalenbach Institute's focus is on international business. Given this focus, there is a lively international exchange of students, teachers and researchers. Students in all degree programmes at this institute benefit from these activities through an expanded, variable range of courses, guest lectures, seminars or project work with exchange students. The institute coordinates cooperation with universities worldwide.

Grenoble Ecole de Management (Grenoble); University of International Business and Economics (Peking); Tecnológico de Monterrey (Monterrey/Mexiko); Instituto Universitário de Lisboa (Lissabon); University of Wisconsin-Whitewater (Wisconsin); Karlstad University (Schweden); Tor Vergata (Rom); Liverpool John Moores University (Liverpool); Universitas Gadjah Mada (Indonesien); Universidad de Huelva (Spanien)

The department has a modern infrastructure, digital learning environments and offers IT services such as 7 computer rooms with current software (Python, R, SPSS, among others), learning platforms (ILU, Microsoft 365), virtual collaboration spaces for group projects and online teaching, access to research databases and a real-time financial database (Refinitiv Eikon) as well as digital libraries. A special offer is the department's IT service point. Students receive direct support here for IT questions and problems.

Research focuses on the challenges of the future; in the development of solution strategies and the design of the questions of the time, researchers contribute their technical expertise in interdisciplinary interaction. In this connection, they work closely with local, national and international cooperation partners. Research topics and areas include, for example, "Innovation and competition in digital ecosystems", "Development of dynamic competencies" as well as sustainability and climate aspects of trade policy or transatlantic economic relations.

Students have the possibility of continuing their education outside their subjects. To this end, there are language courses and modules on cross-disciplinary qualifications. The COMpetencePASS allows students to pursue their skills development independently. Extracurricular, interdisciplinary and volunteer commitment for students is particularly important at the Schmalenbach Institute. At Enactus you learn entrepreneurship in social innovation projects or at eMotorsports Cologne. Alternatively, you involve yourself in self-administration (student council).