The Wissenschaftliche Hochschule fur Unternehmensfuhrung was founded in 1984 by the Koblenz Chamber of Commerce with the purpose of addressing what was seen as a "deficit" in advanced business education in Germany. Its founder honorary dean was the free-market guru Friedrich von Hayek.
The first courses were taught in a former elementary school, but WHU moved to its current location in Vallendar, a small town close to Koblenz, in 1988. Significant expansion was made possible from 1993 by a donation of 50 million Deutsche Marks (around $30 million) from Otto Beisheim, founder of Metro Cash and Carry. Classes were extended in 2010 to Dusseldorf, where a new campus was opened in 2014.
WHU, which bills itself as one of Germany’s leading business schools, has offered an executive MBA since 1997 and a full-time MBA since 2005. It is accredited by the AACSB and EQUIS. Undergraduate level courses are taught in a mix of English and German, with master's provision entirely in English.
Students are admitted via a selection day in which they perform presentations, talk to business representatives and take tests in mathematics and other skills.
Two thirds of WHU students do an internship outside Germany during their studies, while the institution’s pitch to prospective students makes use of the attractiveness and quality of life of Koblenz, located in one of most picturesque sections of the River Rhine at the junction with the Mosel.
There is a strong emphasis on entrepreneurship, with many students going on to set up their own companies and surveys showing high ratings as a provider of the requisite skills. A master's course in entrepreneurship was created in 2017.
