Project manager obtains master’s degree parallel to his work

Büro und Baustelle oder Hörsaal: Projektmanager Benjamin Förster hat sich für beides entschieden und ist für einen berufsbegleitenden Master-Studiengang in den Hörsaal zurückgekehrt.

Office and building site or lecture room? The project manager Benjamin Förster decided to do both, so he returned to the lecture room for a Master’s study course parallel to his work. 

After several years of practical experience as a project manager at Drees & Sommer, Benjamin decided to take the next bold step. The course of studies in Industrial Real Estate Management (IREM), which is held jointly by the University of Stuttgart and Drees & Sommer as a partner company, lasts four semesters (two years). The course syllabus is based on the life cycle of industrial buildings. 

Greater Knowledge and Teamwork 

The students not only acquire new knowledge, they also have to come to terms with a variety of lecturers with different special subjects. Teamwork plays a major role. The workshop character is predominant. The lecturing staff include professors from the University of Stuttgart and other universities with practical experience and renowned specialists and business managers from the field of industrial real estate management. 

Although such a combined program of work and study is extremely time-intensive, Benjamin decided to go back to the lecture room – with the full support of his employer. 

‘Because of the high calibre lecturers and exciting topics, I was glad to spend my Fridays and Saturdays at the university – even after a fully packed working week. Drees & Sommer encouraged me and actively supported me in my Master degree studies,’ Benjamin explained. 

Peeping behind the Scenes and Networks 

During his studies, Benjamin was able to gain a wide range of experience. Excursions to best-practice examples in Germany and abroad gave Benjamin a deep insight into international and industrial construction projects and their use and operation. This also included a two week trip to selected partner companies in the USA. The course of study also offered a good opportunity for Benjamin to extend his personal professional network. 

Benjamin has now completed his Master's degree with flying colors. For his Master’s thesis, in which he developed a performance profile for partnering models, he was even awarded the 2020 promotional prize of the German Industrial Construction Working Group AGI (Arbeitsgemeinschaft Industriebau e.V.). 

Combining Study and Work – Welcomed by Drees & Sommer 

Drees & Sommer has a firm focus on our employees and their professional development. Therefore, we support in-service study courses for Master’s degrees and professional certificates, and we pay a share of the costs.