Creating added value through brands – that is what the Brand University of Applied Sciences training courses are designed to achieve. And it is precisely that which makes the Brand University of Applied Sciences a university which enables its graduates to start successfully in their careers and go far in them.
The university was founded in 2010 as Brand Academy – Hochschule für Design und Kommunikation and changed its name to Brand University of Applied Sciences in 2019.
At Brand University of Applied Sciences you will learn from an international team of experienced professors, lecturers, experts and practitioners how to design, communicate, present and manage brands. You will learn in practical situations and in small seminar groups, guaranteeing intensive personal support.
Brand University of Applied Sciences is state recognized and accredited by:
Inspired by their fascination for big brands, a group of friends decided to found a university for branding.
They envisaged a place of education that unites and focuses on brand knowledge with a passion for brand stories – while not forgetting that education and creativity are two parts of one inseparable whole. A place that brings together cultures from the Eurasian region.
It was from this thinking which the university was born.
It was founded under the name Brand Academy – University of applied sciences. In September 2019 it changed its name to Brand University of Applied Sciences.
With the official recognition of the new name by the Hamburg Authority for Science, Research and Equality, the university received a special acknowledgement for its scientific work on brands.
Brands are exciting stories – and our students are the future authors of those stories.
The BU overlooks the River Elbe in Hamburg – itself a city of brands. It is the first university to focus on brands – the central strategic success-factor in national and international businesses.
Brand University of Applied Sciences is a government-recognised private university offering internationally accredited Bachelor’s and Master’s degree courses.
We place great emphasis on a culture of creativity, curiosity and open-mindedness. Our university is a place of learning which combines scientific research and close collaboration with brand-name companies in Europe and Asia.
“Brand Thinking” – this paradigm is the central driving force behind education and research at Brand University.
But what is ” Brand Thinking” all about? Why do brands have such a high value in our everyday lives that we dedicate a university to the subject?
Every day we are reached by about 10,000 brand messages. This results in countless alternatives of products and services to choose from.
To differentiate themselves from the competition in saturated markets, companies must stand out, be remembered and win the trust of consumers. The key success factor for this are brands.
A brand is more than its visual appearance. Successful brands arouse emotions and associations, stand for an attitude towards life and create the possibility for identification through their values.
A brand is only authentic and future-oriented if business and brand strategy are merged within a company. If the brand plays the central role in a company and its values are lived by all the employees – from production to executive management. This is what we call Brand Thinking.
This holistic approach is the core of studies at Brand University. With this knowledge you will learn to develop, design, communicate and manage successful brands.
Your goal is a successful career in the brand and creative industry in which you play a part and achieve something? Then you don’t simply have to be a specialist, but a strong personality.
At Brand University you will learn for the future – our teaching is competence-oriented, practical, interactive and interdisciplinary. Whether online or offline, learning has a lasting effect and opens up space for personal development. In this way, studying is also more fun.
METHODICAL SKILLS In this fast-moving, globalized world, it is essential for professional success to constantly expand your knowledge. This also applies to the time after university. That is why you will learn to understand topics in depth, evaluate information and apply your new knowledge. No matter what task you face in your studies or profession, with the right methods you will become a competent problem solver!
PRACTICE In numerous practical projects, you will learn how to perform convincingly in the professional world, because you will experience how companies and agencies operate during your studies. You will learn how to organize yourself in a team and how to get the most out of your creativity together.
At the end of the projects, there is always a practice check: You present your ideas to CEOs, marketing managers or senior project managers. In this way, you establish contacts in the business world during your studies – the foundation for your career network.
PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT In small groups and at the same time across all disciplines, you will learn interactively and in dialogue in order to critically examine real business problems, develop solutions together and present them. In this way you will gain in communication skills and leadership competence.
At Brand University, professors and lecturers personally supervise all students and act as mentors. This personal closeness opens up individual ways in which your strengths can be recognized, challenged and encouraged. This results in opportunities and possibilities that become a stepping stone to your future.
It was impressive how swiftly the graduate was able to take on responsibility as head of marketing after being awarded her master’s degree. She succeeded due to the academic education at BU, which is completely in line with practical relevance for companies. Studying at BU enables students to introduce and implement future-focused changes in marketing and management as soon as they join a company. Companies that hire BU graduates, engage coworkers with professional expertise that delivers already established companies reliable future scenarios.
Burger Edelmetalle
Dr. Michael Stoermer, CEO
The students impressed with a straightforward and fresh approach to our Brief. All steps of classic strategic marketing planning were professionally taken. The students included new digital channels and proved that social media and influencer marketing come to them in a completely natural way. It was fun to see how easy it was for them to think out of the box. This made them capable of presenting surprising and efficient solutions. We can only congratulate them on a well-done performance!
Britta Rückriem
Head of Marketing & Sales
Germany, Austria, Switzerland
Tallink Silja GmbH
We really appreciated the fresh and inspiring concepts developed by the students – well thought out with a great combination of innovative ideas and a sense for aesthetics and design.
Beiersdorf AG
What fascinates me is a holistic and long-term approach of strategic brand management. The marketing professionals at Brand University of Applied Sciences from Germany and China provide extensive knowledge in the various aspects of marketing, economics, social and cultural content of studies.
Minjie Yu
General Manager and Art Director
at Glowspark Studios GmbH
The collaboration with the Brand University of Applied Sciences has been a pleasure for me and has produced the professional results for Margarete Steiff GmbH. Within a short time the foreseeable innovative solutions were developed by students and discussed together. We are glad to use the results of this cooperation in our further working process.
Alexander Schönfeld
Strategic Marketing and Design
at Steiff
Being the German largest package design agency we pay much attention to the brand.
This subject is unfortunately often neglected by many design academies despite their creativity.
The graduates of Brand University of Applied Sciences bring the principles of marketing and knowledge of strategic tools. This is a great advantage.
Nicolas Eilken
Design Director
at Lothar Böhm Associates GmbH
We met open-minded and knowledge-thirsty students that asked many questions and formulated their concerns eloquently, and confidently took part in the discussions. This is the best setting for the successful career. These students left us a great impression. We support each training pathway that convey the special knowledge and enhance the expertise. The Brand University of Applied Sciences in this case is a clever invention that deserves specific attention. The training approach is even more interesting due to the fact that Brand University of Applied Sciences takes a bigger position through teaching and learning in the growth market of China.
Markus Bode
General Manager
at Jung von Matt/ brand identity
We were fascinated by remarkable motivation of the Brand University of Applied Sciences and its appreciation of trademarks and practical ideas which lead to innovative solutions by the practice projects with ColaRebell.
Andreas von Frohreich
General Manager
of ColaRebell
The revolution in media usage has already begun. Companies and brands must come to terms with this fact. The Brand University of Applied Sciences with its degree programmes creates the best conditions for this.
Ingmar Bartels
Creative Director
by agency Nordpol+
The Brand Academy Alumni Association provides a living interface between the university and its graduates, and between academia and professional practice.
The purposes of the Association are education, student assistance and the promotion of academic study.
To this end it organises events for students and professionals aimed at technical, cultural and social development and at an exchange between former students, teachers and the university itself.
Any former student who has reached the final semester of a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree course at Brand Academy can become a member. Former and current teachers as well as members of the university administration who were active for at least one semester or half a year at the university can also become members.
If you would like to become a member of the Brand Academy Alumni Association, please send an e-mail to Uli Drömann, Chairman of the Board.
The student representatives are elected by the students collectively and are made up of students from all of the Brand University of Applied Sciences courses; they represent the interests and wishes of the students in general. Members maintain close contact with students, professors, lecturers and employees of the Brand University of Applied Sciences and they nominate individuals to act as representatives on the Examination Board and in the Senate.
Student representatives are responsible for making suggestions on how to improve studying at the Brand Academy, and for providing ideas about how to develop the university, as well as organising celebrations, events and guest talks.
Student representatives also support new students at Brand University of Applied Sciences as part of the Buddy Scheme, and provide them with assistance and orientation in the organisational and personal issues that arise in the early stages of study.
Student representatives call a general meeting of students annually in order to provide all of them with a review and a look ahead to things which will be changing at the university.
Application-oriented, interdisciplinary University of Applied Sciences for Brands – intercultural brand competence in the continuously coalescing world.
Our vision
A leading academic competence center for brands in Eurasia.
