The university of leaders and founders
FAU among the Top 10 universities that bring forth successful executives in Germany
It is not just FAU’s extraordinary national and international reputation, or its strength in generating innovation that make the university stand out from the crowd. In addition, it is among the Top 10 universities that bring forth successful executives in Germany. This is the conclusion of a study recently conducted by the consultancy firm Horváth after examining the educational paths of 500 German business managers who are members of the board of management at a DAX, MDAX or SDAX listed enterprise. Their findings included that ten board directors of DAX companies studied or graduated at FAU.
Siemens-CEO Dr. Roland Busch is one example: He studied physics and received his doctoral degree at FAU. In 2011, he was called to join the board of directors at the Siemens AG. He is the chairman since 2021. In this interview with Busch, he reveals that he chose to study at FAU due to the university’s great reputation with regard to physics.
The Horváth study also shows that it is not so much a university’s location that determines their students’ professional path but rather its academic quality and standing. In addition, it points out that the boards of German companies not only rely on knowledge in business economics but that technology, too, plays an essential role: About 35 percent of the executives graduated in a program of the natural sciences, in engineering or in formal science. The study further confirms that having a university degree remains important when aiming at entering the board of management at a German firm.
Just the right place for innovation and start-up businesses
Even though FAU is all set in these aspects, the latest future strategy will help strengthen the university’s benefits even more. This makes FAU the perfect place to do research, push innovation to the next level and found start-ups. In addition, there are many points of support, e.g. the Digital Tech Academy, the Techincubator Zollhof and the FAU online courses „Innovation & Entrepreneurship“.