Introduction
The Business and Economics Summer Term (BEST) is an academic program in an international setting, which is designed for upper division undergraduate and graduate students. It is organized by the Faculty of Business Administration - Mercator School of Management (MSM) - of the University of Duisburg-Essen (UDE) on Duisburg Campus in cooperation with the Rhine-Westphalia Institute for Economic Research (RWI) in Essen, Germany.
The five week program offers a variety of courses in business, economics and German language with special emphasis on the European economic environment. BEST also includes field trips and company visits to the industrial and cultural vicinity of Duisburg and an extended weekend excursion to Berlin. Click here to look over the Summer 2013 brochure.
Program City
Duisburg is situated in North Rhine-Westphalia, the German state with the highest population density (18 million). Duisburg is home of about 500,000 inhabitants. Within a radius of 500 kilometers a population of 140 million can be reached, which is almost one third of the total population of the European Union. Surrounded by traditional and modern industry, trade companies, and harbor facilities, Duisburg is a vibrant contrast of “the old” and “the new”. Its city center is a harmonious combination of commercial, industrial, residential, shopping, and leisure facilities.
Located at the confluence of the rivers Rhine and Ruhr, Duisburg is often associated with heavy industry Fountain sculpture of the French artist Niki de Saint Phalle in Duisburg Old city hall Shopping mall Koenigstrasse Shopping center Koenigstrasse and the largest inland port in the world. However, only few people know that Duisburg is one of the oldest university towns in Germany. Duisburg’s first university was officially opened in 1655 with the traditional four faculties of Theology, Philosophy, Law, and Medicine. After 163 years of existence, it was dissolved in 1818 in favor of the newly founded university in Bonn.
Scholars visiting Duisburg are always surprised by the green surroundings and the attractive university setting. Duisburg is justly proud of its history and traditions as a major industrial city. The numerous firms in the area reinforce the vocational orientation of BEST studies through their close cooperation with the academic staff.
Institution
Campus
In 1972 Duisburg once again became a university town. Gerhard Mercator University was opened with full academic rights, including that of conferring doctoral degrees and professorial qualifications (venia legendi). The university was named after the great geographer and renaissance scholar Gerhard Mercator, who lived and worked in Duisburg from 1552 to 1594 and was the most significant cartographer of the early modern age.
On January 1, 2003, Gerhard Mercator University was merged with the nearby University of Essen. Today,more than 30,000 students - among them 4,400students from over 130 countries - are enrolled in theuniversity with its two city campuses. On DuisburgCampus (DUC) nearly 15,000 students are studying in5 faculties (Social Sciences, Business Administration,Mathematics, Natural Sciences, and Engineering).With its 1,400 employees DUC contributes much tothe Duisburg region’s economy.
DUC provides all advantages of a relatively small university with many opportunities for close contact between students and faculty. Because of its standing in the international academic community, DUC has become a center for conferences and a meeting place for scientists and scholars from all over the world. Despite its attractive location adjacent to a wooded area of the town, the university campus is close to the city center of Duisburg and easily accessible by bicycle or public transportation.
Duisburg is well known as host of numerous international sporting events like the Canoe World Championship or the World Games as well as for its teams playing on the highest national levels, e.g. soccer, hockey, or water-polo.
Academic Program
The BEST course program awards up to 9 US credits.
Click here for BEST 2013 application form and Fact Sheet
Academic Calendar
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