Taxation, Accounting and Finance
Master of Science (M.Sc.)
Taxation, Accounting and Finance
Master of Science (M.Sc.)
Overview
In a Nutshell
Our master’s program in Taxation, Accounting and Finance (TAF) offers a clear focus on business taxation, financial accounting, and corporate finance. With nine dedicated TAF professorships, interdisciplinary collaboration modules, and practice-oriented teaching formats, the program prepares you to become a specialist in corporate analysis and valuation.
Formal requirements
The admission requirement for the Master's degree programme in Taxation, Accounting and Finance (M.Sc.) is
- successful completion of the Bachelor's degree programme in Economics at Paderborn University or
- successful completion of an equivalent or comparable research-oriented degree programme in economics or a relevant degree programme.
This degree programme must either
- with an overall grade of at least 2.5 or the equivalent foreign final grade, or
- you are among the top 35% of all graduates who have completed the examination. Either all corresponding examinations of the final semester and the previous semester or all corresponding examinations of the two previous semesters must be taken into account. This means that the grade of your degree (not individual examinations) is considered in relation to the final grades of all other degrees in the same degree programme. The comparison groups are either the degrees of the graduates of your final semester and the previous semester or the degrees of the graduates of the two previous semesters. In both cases, you must be among the top 35% with your degree in order to fulfil this formal admission requirement.
Content requirements
The degree must also include at least study components in the following fields and scopes:
| M.Sc. Taxation, Accounting and Finance | At least ECTS points |
|---|---|
| Taxation (= business taxation), Accounting (= accounting) and Finance (= financial management) | 50 ECTS CREDITS |
| Quantitative methods (no business informatics) | 10 ECTS |
| Bachelor's thesis | 8 ECTS |
The ECTS of the Bachelor's thesis are also taken into account in the field of Taxation, Accounting and Finance, provided that the Bachelor's thesis originates from this field. The ETCS of the Bachelor's thesis are not taken into account in the field of Quantitative Methods.
The Examination Board determines the requirements. If credit points totalling up to 30 ECTS are missing, the Examination Board may, in consultation with the candidate, determine which additional credits must be completed as a further prerequisite for enrolment.
Language requirements
Please note that international students (before they can start their actual studies) must prove that their German language skills are sufficient for the chosen degree programme. Accepted tests and specific requirements can be found on the website of theInternational Office.
Are you missing ECTS?
If you are missing up to 30 ECTS credits from your Bachelor's degree, enrolment in the Master's programme is possible subject to certain conditions. If possible, the requirements should be fulfilled in the first year of the Master's programme. You can find out which content needs to be re-studied in the notification sent to you by the study office. The Office of Student Affairs will also be happy to be your contact for further questions regarding the conditions imposed.
If you are missing more than 30 ECTS credits, enrolment is not possible under certain conditions, as the Bachelor's degree submitted differs significantly from a Bachelor's degree from Paderborn University.
If you would like to check in advance whether you meet the content and formal admission requirements for a degree programme, please send your overview of grades from your Bachelor's degree to the Admissions Office.
Further information on enrolment under requirements.
Any questions?
If you have any questions about the admission requirements, please contact the Academic Office.
You can find out all about deadlines and your next steps on the Paderborn University's central application information website.
Please check the admission requirements in advance.
Course of Study
What’s this Course about?
Do you want to help international and regional companies navigate an increasingly complex world as a specialist in finance and reporting—whether as a corporate leader or as a consultant in tax and business advisory services? Or are you drawn to a career in auditing? Companies around the globe are looking for professionals like you!
As one of the largest departments in Taxation, Accounting and Finance at German universities, we prepare you thoroughly for a successful future in various fields of finance and reporting or for further academic study. You will gain in-depth
expertise in business taxation, accounting, and corporate finance. This knowledge is grounded in economic theory and rigorous scientific methods, enabling you to apply it effectively—even to entirely new challenges in a rapidly changing environment.
Our practice-oriented teaching methods and interdisciplinary collaboration modules equip you with the skills to communicate and implement your problem-solving approaches successfully.
3 Gründe für den Master Taxation, Accounting and Finance
Unser Masterstudiengang Taxation, Accounting and Finance (TAF) bietet einen klaren Fokus auf betriebliche Steuerlehre, Rechnungswesen und Finanzierung.
Study Contents
What is the structure of the course?
The nine professorships in our TAF department offer a diverse https://wiwi.uni-paderborn.de/en/studies/studienorganisation/modulesrange of courses, enabling you to align your studies with your personal interests and career ambitions. Throughout the program, you’ll learn to break down complex problems and solutions into their essential elements, communicate them clearly to decision-makers or clients, and facilitate informed decision-making. These social and professional skills are especially valuable in advisory fields such as auditing, tax consulting, and transaction services.
The curriculum covers the following areas:
With in-depth knowledge of tax law, commercial and international accounting, auditing, corporate law, and banking regulation, you'll be equipped to assess decision-making challenges within their institutional and legal context—and to
develop well-founded, economically sound solutions. Explore our full range of course offerings!
The collaborative courses are jointly offered by at least two professors from different disciplines, in some cases in collaboration with external industry partners. This interdisciplinary approach gives you a deep understanding of the complex interrelationships between different areas of finance and reporting, and equips you with decision-making strategies to effectively manage this complexity.
Examples of topics include:
- Methods, models, and strategies for the financial valuation, accounting treatment,
and regulatory handling of selected derivative and structured financial instruments
used by banks to hedge interest rate and credit risk. - Mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures.
- Transfer pricing at the intersection of corporate management and taxation.
You have the opportunity to broaden your academic profile with additional courses in business administration, economics, business law, or information systems.
In today’s data-driven business world, complex decision-making challenges in the fields of taxation, accounting, and finance (TAF) demand the ability to analyze large volumes of internal financial data and connect them with relevant external sources. Our modules in quantitative and qualitative research methods prepare you to meet this challenge: you’ll learn how to structure decision problems, identify key interdependencies, collect and evaluate the necessary data, and apply sound, evidence-based decision strategies. These skills are highly sought after by employers across industries and are essential for roles in consulting, auditing, and financial analysis.
Your studies culminate in a master’s thesis that must be clearly rooted in the subject area of Taxation, Accounting, and Finance.
Exemplary Study Plan
The study plan offers you a good orientation about your required and optional modules. However, the chronological order shown here is only an example and may change due to individual focus areas.
Focus Areas
Always included: our cross-cutting themes — digital & connected, sustainable & fair
No matter which individual specialization you choose, you will engage with key future-oriented topics across all subject areas—such as sustainable development, a digitally connected service economy, social justice, and stable, transparent financial and economic systems. Join us as we help shape the future of work! Only by thinking in interconnected ways can we develop meaningful solutions for a sustainable world.
Sustainability matters! That’s why sustainability plays a central role in our programs. Five professorships will prepare you to become a sustainability expert across various fields of economics and business:
- Business Administration, especially Sustainable Human Resource Management and Leadership
- Business Administration, especially Reporting, Governance, Sustainability
- Information Systems, especially Nachhaltigkeit
- Economics, especially Sustainability
- Business Education, especially Education for Sustainable Development
In addition, one third of our professors are already actively engaged with sustainability-related topics in both teaching and research and the number is growing!
Nachhaltigkeit in deinem Studium
Wie Nachhaltigkeit in die Studieng?nge der Fakult?t für Wirtschaftswissenschaften einflie?t – und warum das Thema immer wichtiger wird – erf?hrst du hier.
Possibilities
Study Abroad
It is important to us that you get to know different cultures and develop your language skills. Decide for yourself which opportunities you would like to take to gain international experience.
Each student has the opportunity to spend a semester abroad. You can choose the perfect place for your exchange semester from around 70 partner universities. Our special focus is the Asian area as well as French and Spanish speaking countries.
You can also gain international experience in Paderborn, even while being at home, so to speak. For example, you can take modules taught in English language. Most of the modules are led by guests from all over the world. You can also take part in a tandem language course or help with the integration of international students. Special highlights, however, are our short-term programs and summer schools. Here, you work in an international team on topics of business and economics for a few days. One example is the International Spring Program with Tohoku University from Japan which has taken place almost every year.
Together with our 9 partner universities in Asia we have established a particularly intensive connection to Asian countries. The core element of our Asian focus is the program in Asian Studies in Business and Economics (ASBE Program). Taking part in this program, you can gain profound knowledge of the Asian economic area, focus on Asian culture and spend half a year at one of our partner universities in China, Korea or Japan.
Students Report
Nine months in Denmark: Anna-Lena's internship abroad - Part II
Anna-Lena's wish to be able to look back on an instructive and enjoyable time at the end of her internship was definitely fulfilled.
Cinnamon buns, snow and wanderlust in Finland
In eastern Finland, Jessica was inspired by the Northern Lights and fabulous amounts of snow.
Northern lights and hearty waffles in Norway
Svenja tells how the Trondheim Fjord exceeds her expectations.
Enchanted by Colombia's diversity
Johannes reports how he accompanies turtles into the sea and observes whales.
Corona Semester Abroad in South Korea
Between green landscapes and ultra-modern cities, Jason studies.
Internship in New York
Yuri talks about his KPMG internship in New York and his time as a freemover.
Internship
An internship is not compulsory. However, we recommend that our students organise an internship on their own initiative during the lecture-free period, in combination with a semester abroad or during a semester off. This gives you the opportunity to further deepen the contents you have learned in a real company. In addition, you have the opportunity to apply for an Erasmus scholarship for an internship abroad.
Professional Orientation
We complement your academic training with guest lectures from industry professionals, case studies, business simulations, and project work. We also support final theses and seminar papers written in cooperation with companies.
In addition, you can enhance your profile with optional qualifications such as Business English, IT training, SAP and ITIL courses. Furthermore, you have the opportunity to acquire additional qualifications and to become a part of various student initiatives, for example in the areas of marketing, project management or sustainability.
Every January, a student team from our faculty competes at the John Molson MBA International Case Competition (MBA ICC) in Montreal, Canada. There, students develop strategic solutions to real-world business challenges, competing against top teams from around the globe.
Praxiserfahrungen im Studium
Projektseminare
In Projektseminaren bearbeitest du echte Problemstellungen von unseren Kooperationsunternehmen und erh?ltst Einblicke und Feedback.
Top ausgestattete IT-Labore
Hardware und Software auf dem neusten Stand der Technik zur Umsetzung deiner Forschungs- und Lehrprojekte.
Social Impact Festival
Gesch?ftsmodelle mit gesellschaftlichen Einfluss entwickeln.
Research
The TRR 266 Accounting for Transparency is a nationwide Collaborative Research Center and the first of its kind in the field of business administration. Paderborn University serves as the coordinating institution for this unique research initiative.
A team of over 80 dedicated researchers investigates how accounting and taxation influence corporate transparency, and how regulations and transparency affect the economy and society. The goal is to develop effective regulation for corporate transparency and a transparent tax system.
If you're considering a career in research, the TRR offers outstanding conditions and a wide range of support. As a student, you also have the opportunity to participate in research projects and connect with guest researchers from around the world.
Future Perspectives
After graduation Master ?
Career Opportunities
The master’s program in Taxation, Accounting and Finance prepares you specifically for careers with a strong focus on business taxation, accounting, and corporate finance.
Throughout the program, you’ll develop robust decision-making and analytical skills rooted in economics and business. These competencies enable you to approach both theoretical and practical problems with a structured, methodical mindset and to formulate comprehensive, solution-oriented strategies.
- Tax consulting
- Auditing
- Transaction services, including advisory roles in mergers, acquisitions, and corporate financing
- Risk management in industrial companies and financial institution
- Management roles in corporate finance and reporting, such as in taxation, accounting and controlling, or treasury departments of medium-sized and large enterprises
During the course of your studies, questions about career orientation arise from time to time. In events, practical projects and company visits as well as in the job and career portal, you can get to know possible professions and fields of activity and work out your personal interests and strengths.
Interested in the start-up scene? Then visit us at TecUP! We promote start-ups in Paderborn and will support you on your path to self-employment. We’ll be by your side throughout every stage of the start-up process – completely free of charge and with no obligation! garage33 is our dedicated space for creativity and exchange, networking and working. In addition to tailored coaching, we also offer workshops and events for you to learn the theory and practice of setting up a business in an innovative and creative environment, and to help you formulate, develop and validate your idea.
Want to start a business, but lack the seed capital to do so? We can help you apply for grants and put you in touch with our network of business angels and investors. Or merely looking to get an insight into start-ups, for some inspiration or to network with business founders? Then visit our courses or events, such as CALL FOR IDEAS, apply for a start-up job or simply visit us at garage33 – we look forward to meeting you!
Every year on three days in November, various companies from the region and from all over Germany present themselves at the company contact fair LOOK IN! Find out about numerous companies in company presentations in the foyer of the University of Paderborn or talk to HR staff directly and without obligation. During the fair, you will have the opportunity to take part in a variety of workshops or speed dating sessions with various companies. Through direct contact with the companies, interested parties can secure final theses, internships and working student jobs.
The largest company contact fair in the Ostwestfalen-Lippe region is organised by students for students. So if you want to experience event management first-hand, you can register with LOOK IN! GbR, in which the university groups Wirtschaftsingenieurwesen e.V. and Wirtschaftsinformatik Paderborn e.V. are involved.
PhD
Explicitly research-oriented modules are aimed at students who plan to continue their doctoral studies after their Master’s degree. As one of a few faculties in Germany, we offer you an opportunity to study within a structured doctoral program.
Our research thrives on networking and exchange. Various seminar series and workshops enable our young researchers to get to know the research work of guest researchers from all over the world and to present their own work and ideas and develop them further in discussion.
Every two years, the junior researchers leave the familiar university environment for the Faculty Research 365体育_足球比分网￥投注直播官网, so that space is created for new ideas and lectures, discussions and poster sessions can be supplemented with connecting activities.
As part of the TRR 266/ TAF Research Seminar, renowned scholars from around the world present their current research findings. Doctoral students and professors from the department actively participate in these sessions through critical and constructive discussion. This culture of exchange helps refine ongoing research and inspires new research projects.
In preparation for each TRR 266 / TAF Research Seminar, a prep-session is held. This doctoral seminar is designed to facilitate in-depth analysis and discussion of the research paper that will be presented. The goal is to critically examine the research question and chosen methodology, offer suggestions for improvement, and reflect on relevant reference papers. Doctoral students prepare the guest papers in advance, present them in the prep-session, and actively contribute to the academic discourse. This typically takes place one week prior to the corresponding TAF Research Seminar.
The peer mentoring program "Insight!" offers future female graduates the opportunity to exchange ideas about the prospect of a doctorate and to prepare for this. The exchange is accompanied by a PhD graduate who provides tips and strategies for decision-making based on her own experiences. The goal of the program is to offer participants insights into scientific work and to expand their personal and professional skills and development opportunities through the exchange with mentors.
The Faculty of Business Administration and Economics provides students pursuing postgraduate qualifications with support. The team at the Postgraduate Centre will be more than happy to provide you with information and advice.
Life journeys of our students and alumni
Art from Tanzania in Paderborn
Felix, Thorben and Lindsey want to offer street artists from the global south a stage in Europe with their start-up.
As Key Account Manager, look after major customers and further develop marketing strategies
India's studies and working life are accompanied by mathematics.
Dream job: Human Resources Officer at Deutsche Bahn
Through an internship, Jan gets his dream job right after graduation.
From the lecture theatre to the Head of PM
Cafer already worked as Head of PM in a Shopware agency during his studies.
Working abroad: Business knowledge and foreign languages
Anna Sophie applies her Spanish skills in Colombia.
From student council chairman to CEO
Kevin gained leadership experience for the family business in student representation.
Adventure Bundestag
Norina was already involved in numerous initiatives during her studies and now as a staff member in the Bundestag.
From the idea to the start-up-to-be
Lia and Franziska are studying - and preparing to start their own business on the side.
Dream job: Human Resources Manager at WDR
Laura found her career aspiration during her studies and realised it immediately.
More than just a title
The doctorate provides Jennifer with different perspectives and an opportunity to develop herself further.
Get to Know
The right fit?
Organizations and companies make thousands of decisions every day. Many of these are based on information provided by accounting systems, where business transactions are recorded and documented. This raw data is transformed by controlling and finance into meaningful key figures, reports, and forecasts. Comparing these metrics with company goals allows for data-driven corporate management.
In taxation, a key role is to assess and optimize the impact of business decisions on a company’s tax burden.
These areas—taxation, accounting, and finance—are deeply interconnected and cannot be considered in isolation. That’s why companies are looking for professionals who understand how these domains interact in decision-making processes and are able to evaluate their combined effects.
If you choose this program, you should bring an interest in working at the intersection of these fields, along with strong analytical and quantitative skills and a detail-oriented mindset.
The M.Sc. in Taxation, Accounting and Finance is right for you if…
- you’re interested in the interplay between taxation, accounting, and finance,
- you aim to become a specialist in corporate finance or reporting,
- you have strong analytical and mathematical skills,
- you enjoy working with regulations and large datasets,
- you are passionate about managing businesses through an economic lens.
Study Start and Orientation
Even if it is not your first semester at the University, we would like to make your start as a Master student as easy as possible.
During the first weeks of the lecture period, the Faculty of Business Administration and Economics will welcome you and inform you how studying with us works. Additionally, the individual study program coordinators and student representatives will offer you a welcome program and show you around the campus, organize social events and help you to create your personal study plan. The first week is the best opportunity to get to know the university, the study process and your peers.
In our online course we will explain to you how the study process looks like. With the help of learning videos, you will learn how to plan your semester, where you can find information on your study plan and the modules and also what examination regulations you need to know.
Related Studies
Not quite right for you? One of our other study programs might be a better fit!