From College to the Top of the Family Business

Anna M. Schuster, Business Management Graduate

I can wholeheartedly recommend studying at Carinthia University of Applied Sciences because the curriculum is always adapted to current industry practices, you learn about various tools that you’ll actually need in your professional life, and, above all, because the faculty members come from the field and therefore know what they’re talking about.

Anna Schuster decided in 2019 to study Business Management at Carinthia University of Applied Sciences. The decisive factor in her choice was, first and foremost, the broad curriculum, according to Schuster: “You gain a comprehensive understanding of the subject matter and can then delve deeper into the areas that interest you most.” Despite her keen interest in the course content, it wasn’t always easy–especially since Anna Schuster was among the students who had to attend classes during the COVID-19 pandemic. “There were always ups and downs during my time as a student, but the pandemic made everything a bit more difficult,” she recalls. With the help of dedicated faculty, however, she was able to successfully complete her courses. “Despite online instruction, the teaching style at the university remained very practice-oriented, which allowed me to better understand and delve deeper into the material,” she explains.

Ultimately, she was able to complete her degree with an outstanding bachelor’s thesis; Anna Schuster received the Carinthia State Digitalization Scholarship for her thesis titled “Business Analytics in SMEs: Starting Points and Implementation Recommendations.” “Writing the thesis wasn’t always easy, but I’m very grateful to my advisor for supporting me every step of the way,” she emphasizes.

“I can truly recommend studying at Carinthia University of Applied Sciences because the curriculum is always adapted to current industry practices, you learn about various tools that you actually need in your professional life, and above all, because the faculty members come from the field and therefore know what they’re talking about,” emphasizes Anna Schuster, “and the combination of my bachelor’s degree in Business Management with the master’s in Forest Products Management in Kuchl is definitely helping me achieve my career goals. I’d like to run our family business–a sawmill–in the future.”