At a glance

• University degree programme with accreditation
• Four semesters of full-time study; no tuition fees
• Degree: Master of Arts (MA)
• Maximum of 30 students
• Languages of instruction: German & English
• Close integration of research & practice
• Alternating guest lecturers at management level from leading companies, agencies and other organisations
• Start in the winter semester
• Application & admission
• Team: Four professors, four honorary professors and numerous academic staff in the department - more than at any other German-speaking university
• Large national and international partner network; over 750 alumni

The Master's programme in Communication Management at the University of Leipzig was the first of its kind to be launched in the German-speaking world in 2007 and now occupies first place in all current rankings.

Four internationally renowned professors and four honorary professorships cover all facets of the discipline from a single source. More than 750 alumni - from the founder of an agency to the head of communications of a DAX company - stand for the success of the constantly developing programme. 

The studies in manageable groups are multilingual, demanding and intensive. Nowhere else are students so close to the innovations of the discipline - over 80 book publications by the professors, contributions awarded prizes at international conferences and renowned empirical studies by the team speak for themselves.

The close interlocking of theoretical foundations, globally oriented research and exciting practical projects with top addresses in the industry characterises the Leipzig profile. Graduates regularly receive awards for their theses or are given the opportunity to work on projects and publish.

Those who are thinking of doing a doctorate later on will receive excellent training in Leipzig. And for all those who want to prepare themselves for management positions in internal and external communication in companies, on the financial market, in non-profit organisations or consultancies, there is no way around Leipzig anyway.

Studieren und Leben in Leipzig

Campus university in the heart of the city

In 1916, communication science was founded in Europe - with the Institute for Newspaper Studies of the national economist Karl Bücher in Leipzig. Today, the institute is one of the leading addresses in the German-speaking world in terms of size and reputation. The institute, library and campus are centrally located in the city centre, only a few minutes' walk from the main railway station and Augustusplatz with the Gewandhaus and opera.

Pulsating cultural scene and short distances

Culture pulsates in the "hero city" of the peaceful revolution of 1989. Nevertheless, it is not far by bike from the clubs in the city to Clara Zetkin Park or the Neuseenland with its many bathing bays in the south of the metropolis of 600,000 inhabitants.

Libraries, media centre and digital teaching

With the University Library Albertina, founded in 1542, the German National Library Leipzig and the DFG Special Subject Collection Communication and Media Studies of the University Library, there is an excellent infrastructure for research and working on site. The Centre for Media and Communication and the local radio station mephisto 97.6 offer media practice. The digital infra-structure for teaching has been massively expanded; among other things, Moodle, Zoom and other tools are available.

Leipzig students have won numerous awards in recent years. Awards for the best Master's thesis or dissertation in the field of communication management and PR in Germany, Europe or globally have already gone to Leipzig 27 times. In addition, there are awards for contributions at scientific conferences or for conceptual projects, such as the DPRG Junior Award. This is top-notch throughout Europe and testifies to the quality of Leipzig's education. In addition, since 2008 the best Master's and Bachelor's thesis on communication management at the Institute has been awarded the Günter Thiele Prize every year - the award-winning alumni can be found here.

2023 BEST GRADUATE THESIS IN GERMANY
BdKom Talent Award
German Association of Communicators (BdKom)
„Metaverse in internal corporate communications. A framework for capturing potentials, use cases, challenges and constraints and an assessment of the willingness to use in practice.“
Larissa Benz, M.A.

2022 JAMES E. GRUNIG AND LARISSA A. GRUNIG OUTSTANDING THESIS AWARD 2020/21
International Communication Association (ICA)
"Internal Perception and Positioning of Public Relations and Communication Departments: An Empirical Case Study and a Conceptual Framework"
Jana Brockhaus, M.A.

2022 BEST RESEARCH THESIS IN GERMANY
DPRG Scientific Award – DPRG-Wissenschaftspreis
German Public Relations Association (DPRG)
"Ethical Dilemmas in Digital Communications: An empirical investigation of ethical decision-making processes"
Jeanne Link, M.A.

2020 BEST GRADUATE THESIS IN EUROPE
Master Thesis Award – Theoretical Impact Award
European Public Relations Education and Research Association
„Work stress among communication professionals. A comparative study between Germany and the United States“
Daniel Ziegele, M.A.

2020 BEST DOCTORAL DISSERTATION IN GERMANY
Dissertation Award – PR and Organisational Communication
German Communication Association (DGPuK) & Springer VS
„Genesis and specifics of communication in medium-sized companies: A case-based analysis of organisational communication“
Dr. Luisa Winkler

2020 BEST GRADUATE THESIS IN GERMANY
BdKom Talent Award
German Association of Communicators (BdKom)
„Artificial intelligence in strategic communication: A qualitative investigation of ethical challenges and normative expectations“
Kristin Hansen, M.A.

2020 BEST RESEARCH THESIS IN GERMANY
DPRG Scientific Award – DPRG-Wissenschaftspreis
German Public Relations Association (DPRG)
„The communicative dimension of work environment 4.0“
Vivien Weitz, M.A.

2019 BEST DOCTORAL DISSERTATION IN EUROPE
PhD Award for Excellent Doctoral Thesis
European Public Relations Education and Research Association
„Strategic communication: The instigatory theory of NGO communication (ITNC)“
Dr. Evandro Oliveira

2018 BEST GRADUATE THESIS IN EUROPE
Master Thesis Award – Theoretical Impact Award
European Public Relations Education and Research Association
„Value creation through thought leadership“
Luisa Bißwanger, M.A.

2017 BEST GRADUATE THESIS IN GERMANY
BdP Young Talent Award – BdP-Nachwuchsförderpreis
German Association of Press Spokespersons (BdP)
„The contribution of communication departments to digital transformation in companies“
Meike Ostermeier, M.A.

2017 BEST RESEARCH THESIS IN GERMANY
DPRG Scientific Award – DPRG-Wissenschaftspreis
German Public Relations Association (DPRG)
„Corporate communications and polyphony – Interdisciplinary foundations and conceptual perspectives“
Lena Schneider, M.A.

2016 BEST GRADUATE THESIS IN EUROPE
Master Thesis Award – Theoretical Impact Award
European Public Relations Education and Research Association
„Public relations evaluation and measurement research: A systematic review within the field’s academic journals from 1975 to 2015“
Sophia Charlotte Volk, M.A.

2015 BEST GRADUATE THESIS IN EUROPE
Master Thesis Award – Theoretical Impact Award
European Public Relations Education and Research Association
„Strategic communication of non-governmental organizations: The role of volunteers as communicators and multipliers“
Antonia Hess, M.A.

2012 BEST RESEARCH THESIS IN GERMANY
Albert Oeckl Award – Albert-Oeckl-Preis
German Public Relations Association (DPRG)
„Enabling, advising, implementing: New job profiles in holistically communicating organizations“
Neele Franke, M.A.

2012 BEST GRADUATE THESIS IN GERMANY
BdP Young Talent Award – BdP-Nachwuchsförderpreis
German Association of Press Spokespersons (BdP)
„Enabling, advising, implementing: New job profiles in holistically communicating organizations“
Neele Franke, M.A.

2011 BEST DOCTORAL DISSERTATION IN EUROPE
PhD Award for Excellent Doctoral Thesis
European Public Relations Education and Research Association
„Communication management as a professional organisational practice. Theoretical considerations based on participatory observations“
Dr. Howard Nothhaft

2011 BEST THESIS ON DIGITAL PR IN EUROPE
Digital Communication Award
European Association of Communication Directors (EACD)
“The image of German companies in Wikipedia: Theoretical foundations, empirical analysis and recommendations for action”
Jeanette Gusko, M.A.

2010 BEST GRADUATE THESIS IN GERMANY
BdP Young Talent Award – BdP-Nachwuchsförderpreis
German Association of Press Spokespersons (BdP)
„Investor Relations 2.0: Status quo in listed companies in Germany and strategic challenges“
Kristin Köhler, M.A.

2010 PR STUDENT OF THE YEAR IN GERMANY
PR Report Gold Award “Student of the Year”
“Communication management, employee communities and open innovation: Challenges for internal communication at Daimler AG”
Juliane Mühling, M.A.

2009 BEST GRADUATE THESIS IN GERMANY
BdP Young Talent Award – BdP-Nachwuchsförderpreis
German Association of Press Spokespersons (BdP)
„Communication with moving images on the web. An empirical study on the challenges of online video content for media relations“
Martina Mahnke, M.A.

2007 BEST GRADUATE THESIS IN GERMANY
BdP Young Talent Award – BdP-Nachwuchsförderpreis
German Association of Press Spokespersons (BdP)
„Communication in change processes: A theoretical analysis and an expert survey on the role of promoters, opinion leaders and multipliers in organizational change“
Andreas Richter, M.A.

2007 BEST DOCTORAL DISSERTATION IN EUROPE
PhD Award for Excellent Doctoral Thesis
European Public Relations Education and Research Association
„Risk management for public relations. Theoretical foundations and systematic instruments to handle journalistic risks“
Dr. Frank Herkenhoff

2007 BEST DOCTORAL DISSERTATION IN GERMANY
BdP Doctoral Dissertation Award – BdP-Dissertationspreis
German Association of Press Spokespersons (BdP)
„Risk management for public relations. Theoretical foundations and systematic instruments to handle journalistic risks“
Dr. Frank Herkenhoff

2006 BEST RESEARCH THESIS IN GERMANY
Albert Oeckl Award – Albert-Oeckl-Preis
German Public Relations Association (DPRG)
„Political communication and public trust. The Biedenkopf case in 2001“
Katja Smirek, M.A.

2006 BEST APPLIED THESIS IN GERMANY
Albert Oeckl Award – Albert-Oeckl-Preis
German Public Relations Association (DPRG)
„Crisis communications in the tourist industry“
Christin Wätzel, M.A.

2004 BEST RESEARCH THESIS IN GERMANY
Albert Oeckl Award – Albert-Oeckl-Preis
German Public Relations Association (DPRG)
„The quality of quality. How PR agencies understand quality. Literature review and analysis of self-representation media of German PR agencies“
Howard Nothhaft, M.A.

1998 BEST RESEARCH THESIS IN GERMANY
Albert Oeckl Award – Albert-Oeckl-Preis
German Public Relations Association (DPRG)
„ Advertorials: Objectives and reception of editorially designed advertisements in general-interest magazines“
Jörg Hoepfner, M.A.

The brochure, which is published every year (available for download as a PDF here), provides an overview of the degree programme with the voices of students and alumni, module contents and exemplary projects, interesting facts about the lecturers and everything you need to know about applying.

If you still have questions:

Those interested in the degree programme should first read the "Questions & Answers" section in this brochure. If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact the Helpdesk or the Studienbüro.

Enrolled students in the degree programme should contact the respective module supervisor and, in case of general questions, the subject advisory service or the head of the degree programme.

Webinar "Study Master Communication Management"	Zoom	29 April, 6pm
Application with German or foreign higher education entrance qualification & German BA degree	AlmaWeb	02 May–31 May
Application with German or foreign higher education entrance qualification & foreign BA degree	uni-assist	15 April–31 May
Personal selection interviews (by invitation only)	Leipzig	03 July–05 July