Bachelor in StartUp Management

StartUp Management at IMC Krems is a full-time bachelor programme of 180 ECTS over six semesters, taught in English. It sits in the IMC Business School and follows a start-up from the first idea to scaling. The degree is a Bachelor of Arts in Business (BA).

What you study

The curriculum moves through a typical start-up process: pre-seed, foundation and expansion. In the early semesters you cover business basics such as Accounting, Management Essentials, Economics, Principles of Sustainability and StartUp Research. Start-up content grows semester by semester with courses like Lean Startup and Effectuation, Innovation and IP Management, Networks and Funding opportunities, and Legal Environment. Later semesters add Business Models and Business Planning, Product and Project Management, Sales & Negotiations, Finance, Investment and Mathematics, Change and Risk Management, Law and Taxation for Entrepreneurs, and Scaling and Expansion. Future Skills I and II cover topics such as diversity management, stress management and intercultural skills. The programme ends with a Bachelor Seminar and Bachelor Thesis plus a Bachelor Exam.

How the programme is organised

Each semester has five modules, and each module is taught as a one-week face-to-face boot camp. Boot camps are roughly two weeks apart. Between them you review the last camp, prepare for the next and sometimes join online sessions with lecturers. Many lecturers are entrepreneurs who bring their own start-up experience. From semester 2, each module ends with a task that applies what you learned to your own team business idea, so you work through an iterative start-up process. Practical elements include hands-on projects, hackathons, start-up conferences and excursions to successful start-ups. The internship sits in semester 6: you can work on founding your own start-up, join an Austrian or international start-up, work in innovation management at an established company, or get involved in start-up promotion. You can also use the Founders Lab alongside your studies for support with your own venture.

Who it suits

This programme fits students who want to build something rather than only study business theory. If you already have a start-up idea, you can develop it step by step through projects and group work. It also suits people who want entrepreneurial skills for other paths, since identifying and realising opportunities is useful to investors and employers. The focus is on adapting to change, and the teaching mixes theory with practice.

Admission, language and next steps

You need an Austrian school-leaving certificate or an equivalent qualification. If your certificate was issued outside Austria, IMC Krems checks equivalence under section 4 of the University of Applied Sciences Studies Act (FHG) once you send the documents through the online application tool. If it is not equivalent, you will be told which supplementary examinations you need. English proficiency is assessed at your interview, so no extra evidence is required. The online application includes a statement of motivation, which forms the basis for an application interview, usually with the degree programme director, held online via Microsoft Teams or in person. Male Austrian citizens should complete compulsory national service before starting. Applications go directly to IMC Krems, and its programme page gives the application period. As a university of applied sciences, IMC Krems sets its own fees; the programme page lists the study fee.

At the start of the programme, students gain an overview of business and economics topics, as well as sustainable practices. Over the course of the programme, students go through a typical start-up process, from the pre-seed phase through the foundation phase to the expansion phase. Lecturers with practical experience in the start-up sector ensure a direct link between theory and practice.

There is no central application portal in Austria: you apply to the institution, here IMC Krems University of Applied Sciences. Universities of applied sciences set their own application periods and admission procedures, so read them on the programme page. Entrance examination, as the register states it: An admission or aptitude procedure applies (see the programme page). Entry requirements and language tests are set by the institution, so start from the official programme page. Our guides cover tuition fees, the student residence permit and housing.