Master of Compliance and Integrity Management

The MACIM is a postgraduate and tuition-based study course that leads to the academic degree of Master of Compliance and Integrity Management (MACIM) and can be completed on a part-time basis.The study course is linked to the Viadrina Compliance Center, an interdisciplinary unit of the European University Viadrina, which has been successfully dealing holistically with the research fields of Ethics, Compliance and Integrity in organisations since 2010 and has thus made a name for itself in Germany and worldwide.

Through the postgraduate Master's programme, students will acquire in-depth knowledge in the field of Compliance and Integrity Management as well as the ability to apply this knowledge in professional practice and research. In the course of their studies, students will acquire the skills and abilities to develop, implement, test and continuously improve the Compliance and Integrity Management System in any type of organisation, taking into account current developments in the areas of digitalisation, environmental protection, sustainability, governance and social aspects.

These goals are achieved through the three-stage teaching approach:

1.LEARN: The curriculum consists of specialised modules in which all theoretical and practical knowledge and skills required for the implementation and operation of effective and efficient Compliance and Integrity Management (CIM) are learned along a practical management cycle.

2.APPLY: As part of a presentation, students develop new models and methods based on what they have learnt, which have a strong practical relevance. This takes place as part of an in-depth module with distance learning lecturers.

3. PROVE: As part of the master's thesis, students demonstrate the theoretical and practical knowledge and skills they have learnt and provide proof of qualification for a management position.

The programme lasts two semesters and is divided into five modules, four of which are designed as compulsory basic modules and one as a compulsory elective module with distance learning reading and a specialist presentation. The combination of face-to-face and online teaching, which is always offered on Fridays and Saturdays, enables working people to take part in the programme. The programme concludes with the completion of a Master's thesis. This enables students to complete a Master's degree in just two semesters!

The degree programme is not only characterised by its innovative curriculum and strong practical focus. The programme also teaches soft skills that are highly relevant to compliance and integrity management. The entire Integrity and Compliance Management cycle has been integrated into the degree programme and distributed across the existing modules.

The programme thus covers the practical design, implementation, testing and improvement of such a system. This is complemented by specialisation options and insights into various industries, including the public sector.

We were able to attract more than 50 highly qualified lecturers from research and practice for the varied teaching format, enabling us to effectively implement the concept of the degree programme. While the sound theoretical foundations are taught by professors, renowned experts take over the modules on practical implementation and specific management tools. The teaching is rounded off by further guest lectures from well-known personalities. The small group of a maximum of 20 people enables excellent networking with each other and with the lecturers.

Meet our lecturers: 

• Nicola Allocca | Chair Anti-Corruption Committee at OECD
• Elisabeth Andersen | Executive Director | Basel Institute on Governance | United States of America
• Dr. Andreas Büttner | Head of Compliance Varian | Siemens Healthineers | Germany
• Geert Delrue | AML/CFT Trainer | LEXDURA | Belgium
• Dr. Kyrill Farbmann | Compliance Director | McDonald’s | Belgium
• Johannes Gilch, LL.M. | Senior Associate | Schürmann Rosenthal Dreyer Attorneys at Law | Germany
• Florian von Götz | Chief Compliance Officer | Axel Springer SE | Germany
• Karsten Griesshammer | Executive Director, Head of Global Security & Protection | BioNTech SE | Germany
• Dr. Marie von der Groeben | Chief Compliance Officer | Deutsche Telekom | Germany
• Gabriela Gutierrez | Group Head of Ethics, Compliance and Investigations at VEON | Co-Founder of the Latam Ethics Hub | Netherlands
• Prof. Dr. Christian Hauser | Professor at Swiss Institute for Entrepreneurship | University of Applied Science Graubünden | Switzerland
• Prof. Dr. Branislav Hock | Associate Professor in Economic Crime & Compliance | University of Portsmouth | Great Britain
• Dr. Victoria Hurth | Independent Pracademic | Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL) | Great Britain
• Peter Jonas | Director Certification | Austrian Standards | Austria
• Michael Kayser | Compliance Manager | DB Engineering & Consulting | Germany
• Dr. Bendikt Knothe | Chief Compliance Officer | Siemens Healthineers | Germany
• Katleen Linke | Compliance Learning Expert | SAP SE | Germany
• Katrin Löffler | Head of Corporate Regulations | AUDI AG | Germany
• Prof. Dr. Bartosz Makowicz | Director | Viadrina Compliance Center | Germany
• Dr. Thomas Meiers, LL.M. | Chief Compliance Officer and Head of the Supervisory Board Office | BayWa AG | Germany
• Akif Mert | Chief Compliance Officer & Head of Legal | Allianz | Germany
• Dr. Anna-Maija Mertens | Managing Director of the anti-corruption organization Transparency International Deutschland e.V. | Germany
• Sandra Middel | Head of Group Compliance bei Clariant. Verantwortliche für Ethik & Integrität, Datenschutz
  und Informationssicherheit. | Germany
• Farzana Mohomed | Head of Program Management - Corporate Compliance and ESG | NEOM | Saudi Arabia
• Christian Mühl | Senior Director Compliance | GSK Deutschland | Germany
• Prof. Dr. Konrad Ost | Vice President of the Federal Cartel Office | Germany
• Prof. Dr. Guido Palazzo | Professor of business ethics | University of Lausanne | Switzerland
• Ghizlane Pandey | Head of Compliance/ DPO/Investigator/Project Manager | Freelance | France
• Volker Perthes | Senior Distinguished Fellow | Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik (SWP) | Germany
• Prof. Dr. Lisa Marie Ranisch | Professor of Sustainable Business Management and Applied Ethics | OTH Amberg-Weiden | Germany
• Jan Schreiner | Head of Corporate Audit, Chief Audit Executive | MAN Truck & Bus SE | Germany
• Prof. Dr. Jürgen Stock | Honorary Professor for Law and Criminology | Justus Liebig University Giessen | Germany
• Maria Thestrup | Chief Ethics, Risk and Compliance Officer | Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance | Switzerland
• Prof. Dr. Alexander Trautrims | Professor of Supply Chain Management | University of Nottingham | Great Britain
• Prof. Dr. Wim Vandekerkhofe | Professor of Business Ethics | EDHEC Business School | France
• Prof. Dr. Hans-Micheal Wolffgang | Professor and Director of Institute of Customs and Internatioanal Trade Law | University of Muenster | Germany
• Prof. Dr. Sonja Wüstemann | Professor of Business Administration | European University Viadrina | Gemany
• Dr. Uta Zentes | Head of Compliance, Attorney-at-law | Federal Republic of Germany - Finance Agency | Germany

The study course is aimed both at university graduates from all disciplines who wish to pursue the profession of a Compliance/Integrity Manager in companies and other organisations or who are or will be working in a consulting environment;or who are or would like to become active in a consulting environment, as well as Compliance/Integrity Managers who are already in employment and would like to refresh, deepen, systematise and professionalise their knowledge and skills.

The course content is designed in such a way that the study programme is also ideally suited for representatives of the public sector who deal with Compliance-related issues (for example in the area of combating White-Collar Crime or as Anti-Corruption Officers).

After three successful editions, the MACIM programme may be resumed in the winter semester of 2026/2027. What is more, for the first time, it will be conducted entirely in English. There are 20 places available in the fourth edition; the decisive factor is receiving applications from people who meet the recruitment requirements. 

The application period for the winter semester 2026/2027 is currently open and will close on 30 June 2026.

Please submit the documents in PDF copies by email only. These should include:

• Letter of motivation for the study course
• Current curriculum vitae
• Certificates (bachelor's degree, diploma, state examination, university entrance qualification if applicable, etc.)
• Proof of at least one year's professional experience
• Language certificate (English proficiency at B2 level or higher)

 If you have any further questions about the recruitment process or the required documents, our team will be happy to answer them. 

The Master's degree programme in Compliance and Integrity Management is designed as a part-time and continuing education study course. Admission to the MACIM Master's programme generally requires (1) a first professionally qualifying degree (e.g. Bachelor's, Diplom, state examination) with at least 240 ECTS points
and (2) at least one year of professional experience. If the first professionally qualifying degree is missing or has fewer than 240 ECTS points, admission can be granted upon passing the entrance examination.

Admission and admission are otherwise governed by the Framework Regulations for Admission and Admission to Studies at the European University Viadrina Frankfurt (Oder).

The number of students in each edition of the programme is limited to 20 in order to ensure the appropriate quality of teaching in a small group.

The entrance examination is required if either the first professionally qualifying degree is missing or if it has fewer than 240 ECTS points. Depending on the requirements, it can consist of a written, an oral or both parts (see overview below). The written entrance examination takes the form of an essay of 18,000 characters. The topics are assigned by the examination board, the deadline is 2 weeks. The oral part of the entrance examination lasts 30 minutes and is based on the essay or on previously determined topics.

The following overview provides an overview of whether and which entrance examination is required:

The tuition fee is 13,000 EUR; plus semester contribution (approx. 140 EUR;). In exceptional cases, payment in instalments can be agreed. If financing is to be provided by a company, please contact us before applying to discuss the arrangements. Further details can be found in the fee regulations.

Yes! We start with the first lectures in October, finish with the submission of the master's thesis in July / August and award the certificates at the handover ceremony in October!

Yes, the study course is primarily aimed at professionals and is designed for this group, i.e. courses only take place on Fridays and Saturdays, on a total of 31 days a year, of which only 10 days are in attendance at the university.

All students are welcome at the Viadrina. We realise that living and working locations are very different. The course locations have therefore been mixed – some in presence, some online. According to the programme schedule, the face-to-face courses take place in Frankfurt (Oder). This applies to three weekends in the winter semester and two in the summer semester. The remaining courses take place online.

The examination load is limited. There are four written final module examinations, a presentation followed by a discussion and the master's thesis! These examinations are spread over the whole year.