My academic career at the Frankfurt School has been characterised by leaping into the unknown and seizing opportunities. After everything started relatively ordinarily with the Bankfachwirt after a banking apprenticeship at a medium-sized Volksbank in 2015, the Frankfurt School answered the question of my further path itself: Just in time for the opening of the new campus in 2017, the part-time Bachelor of Arts programme for Bankfachwirt graduates also found its way to Frankfurt. The prospect of three degrees in two years did not make me hesitate for long, and the next two years were again filled with fully booked Saturdays. Of course, the workload is high, and you must make concessions in all other areas of life, but at the same time, the community and the excellent environment on campus make up for a lot.
When, after a break of three years, I again seriously searched for a fitting Master’s programme, it was again the Frankfurt School that helped to determine my fate. In 2022, the “EBI Master in EU Banking & Financial Regulation” was launched at just the right time, a programme that perfectly fits my current job as a Compliance Manager. The prospect of understanding the complicated regulatory framework for banks and financial service providers in the banking and capital markets from start to finish appealed to me. This also applies to content, duration, and time model. Three evenings a week would not have been possible on campus, but via Zoom and working from home suddenly became an option. It was also essential for me to know all the dates in advance. Even before I started studying, it was possible to plan my days of absence for lectures on campus in Frankfurt and my personal holiday for 2023 during the lecture-free period. The programme was rounded off by the modules’ clear structure and the lecturers’ appealing profiles.
After the successful application, my studies began at the end of August with a Pre-Course on European Law. These four lectures were helpful to get started with the subject as a non-lawyer, get used to the digital lectures, and set up accordingly at home. In mid-September, the official kick-off took place in Frankfurt, which all students could use to get to know each other, and which ended with a joint boat trip on the Main. Two days after this successful kick-off, the first semester already began. Directly in the first module, we received an excellent overview of the many different topics from the programme. In addition, the first exams were due. And so it went on, week after week, through the curriculum. Currently, in May 2023, the eighth module is already running, and we have mastered various assignments as well as written and oral exams. We must also choose the topic for the Master’s thesis and our supervisors. Even though the editing phase for the thesis starts in June, it is slowly becoming concrete here, too.
At the end of my experience report, I would like to give all those interested in the EBI Master’s programme three tips:
In conclusion, I recommend the programme to anyone interested in regulatory issues in the banking and capital markets environment. Together, the European Banking Institute & the Frankfurt School have created an exciting and, in this form, unique Master’s programme with experienced lecturers from all over Europe, which should be worth considering when planning your further academic career.
Frankfurt School gGmbH
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60322 Frankfurt am Main
