Specialisation module “Web Management”
In the Web Management specialisation module the focus is on a practice-oriented, but still methodically based way of teaching. Students of this specialisation module can expect comprehensive and challenging, but also very interesting contents.
(Standard) Structure
The selection of an area of specialisation takes place for the summer semester:
Specialisation I (summer semester)
Lecture "Web Analytics": The main contents are advanced knowledge in the area of web analytics and web controlling. We will use different important web analysis tools (Google Analytics, etracker, Piwik, Sistrix, Searchmetrics, Onpage.org, etc.).
Specialisation seminar(usually in the summer semester; depending on number of participants sometimes also in the winter semester):
In this seminar, students will prepare a seminar paper on a current topic within e-commerce. The topics are being developed in cooperation with a company. The results will be presented at the company. During the seminar, we already visited well-known companies, such as Google, Baur, OTTO, ProSieben Sat1, S.Oliver.
Specialisation II (winter semester)
”Traffic Management and Website Optimisation” through a (regional) online marketing challenge (OMC) - formerly known as Google Online Marketing Challenge (GOMC)
The “elite training ground” for e-commerce in Germany
This specialisation module offers the chance to learn things that are certainly above what is traditionally offered in this topic area at other higher education institutions. However, those who want to take on this challenge will also find an area in which not only the mere contents are taught. On the contrary, students are invited to become actively involved, to independently think of solutions, but also to expose their work to the critical eyes of others, e.g. during seminars. Learning by doing and doing by learning.
Last but not least, we would like to add that companies of any size desperately look out for academically trained staff that is capable to dedicate themselves to e-commerce in a reasonable way and with sound technical knowledge.
On a regular basis, well-known companies like OTTO, Baur, but also Google or Bing actively ask for our best graduates. For the OTTO group in Hamburg as well as for the Baur-Versand Würzburg is by now “the “elite training ground” for e-commerce in Germany“.
What our graduates say
Detailed structure of the Web Management specialisation module
With topics that change every year, our seminars are perfectly aligned for the subsequent career launch.
Additionally, they train the students’ ability to use problem-solving methods, work a bit scientifically (applicability to bachelor’s and master’s theses!) as well as analyse and reproduce interrelationships in a reasonable way.
In short: There is a lot of useful stuff for the brain.
The compulsory courses for bachelor’s students, totalling to 12 credit hours per week (SWS):
- Specialisation seminar
(4 SWS, Prof. Dr. Mario Fischer, Prof. Dr. Christina Völkl-Wolf)
It usually takes place in the summer semester and teaches current topics within e-commerce. The topics are usually worked on in pairs and jointly presented.
In order to allow time for consultation, discussion and joint revision of the talks, the seminar is structured accordingly. We don’t want seminar sessions where one talk learnt by heart follows the next talk that is learnt by heart as well without any interaction. In our seminars, we strive to work out and knowledge, but in particular interrelationships together. This is the only way how all participants can learn something. - Specialisation I: Traffic Management and Website Optimisation
(4 SWS, Prof. Dr. Mario Fischer)
It usually takes place in the summer semester. You will get the opportunity to take part in the worldwide Google Academic Challenge.
In teams, we will look for real companies in and around Würzburg, get real money from Google and set up real AdWords campaigns. You will have the unique opportunity to try out online marketing with a real-life example.
There will be strategy meetings with the companies, keyword research, designing advertising texts, keyword siloing as well as continuously controlling and optimising the campaign you are supervising. Simply unbeatable in terms of practice.
During our first online challenge in the summer of 2008, all our four teams ranked among the top 50 worldwide. One team was on the 2nd place in Europe and invited to the London office (see below).
The taught know how really seems to be worth something. In 2009 again, all teams ranked among the top 50 worldwide such as the 2nd, 3rd, 7th and 12th place. Google even made a case study of the performance of our runners-up.
For organisational reasons, this course has to take place in the first half of the semester. The challenge runs for a limited time only and must be synchronized with all higher education institutions worldwide. We will therefore work at double capacity in the first half of the semester. The second half of the semester will then be free of sessions. See below for the results of the 2009 challenge. - Specialisation II: Web Analytics
(4 SWS, Prof. Dr. Christina Völkl-Wolf)
This specialisation will also be offered seminar-like and takes usually place in the winter semester. The main contents consist of advanced knowledge in the area of web analytics. Evaluation of existing e-commerce data is essential for optimising websites and online shops.
By means of real websites, we will use different web analytics tools (Google Analytics, etracker, Piwik, Sistrix, Searchmetrics, Onpage.org, etc.).
Research projects and bachelor’s theses:
With the associated lecturers of the specialisation module, lecture and exercise topics, own ideas or problems can be developed into solution-oriented final theses in cooperation with companies.
For this, we will publish extra information in time. Please do not hesitate to approach us with your own project idea!
Success stories
Google Challenge 2012 - award ceremony for the European champions at Google’s Europa Office in London (7 November 2012)
Micro kitchens are equipped with home trainers. A blue-green striped carpet, sofas and a flower wallpaper decorate the conference rooms. Four students of Business Information Systems at FHWS got to know Google’s Europa Office in London.
They are the European champions in the Google Online Marketing Challenge 2012. Around 11,000 students worldwide took part in the competition. Stefanie Niggemann, Urs Merkel, Martin Gelowicz and Christian Pregitzer could bring the championship back to FHWS after four years...
It was not a red carpet, but the Blueberry Meeting Room, decorated with a blue shag carpet and a blueberry and rose wallpaper, where Google staff welcomed the team of four from Würzburg. There is also a Cherry and a Strawberry Meeting Room, a library and a gym within the three floors of the London Google offices.
“No Googler must be more than 20 metres away from food” Aj Pascua, member of the Google Challenge organisation team says and takes the students to the next micro kitchen. There, freshly ground coffee, all kinds of fruit juices and even water in three different flavours was available and also apples, oranges, bananas, blueberries, nuts and muesli bars as well as chocolate bars. “The average Google employee gains 7 kilos of weight”, Pascua explains.
Google, however, tries to act against this trend by its gym with a view over the London skyline and by an anti-blender-strategy. Googlers don’t get their smoothie by simply pressing a button. Instead they have to snap the blender jar onto the handlebars of a home trainer and pedal for blending. The perfect solution for creative work breaks ;-)
In the Blueberry Room, the four students from Würzburg present their successful AdWords campaign. The Google staff is especially interested in the team work and its organisation. During the feedback round, the idea came up to support future participants in coping with the challenge by means of education hangouts. The European champions immediately gave their full support for it.
Google Challenge 2009 - excellent result for students specialising in e-commerce
The Google Online Marketing Challenge 2009 has ended and the results are now available. As was the case last year, our team from the e-commerce specialisation could not only be measured against other international teams in terms of online marketing training, but also make a name for itself and prove that we have every right to rank among the top.
This time, two teams were placed among the top 15 in the world. The remaining three teams also achieved outstanding results:
- 2nd place in the final 15 worldwide
The Cinemoreshop: Axel Scheuring, Daniel Unger, Axel Zimmermann-Pfeiffer - 3rd place in the final 15 worldwide: JU Sports
Martin Lotze, Dominik Scheiner, Tobias Emmerling - 2nd place of the semi-finalists (top 50 from EMEA countries)
Stefan Lorber, Simon v. Rotenhan, Larissa Köberle, Michael Sinner - 6th place of the semi-finalists
Stephan Christian, Patrick Häse, Martin Hesselbach - 17th place of the semi-finalists (top 50 from EMEA countries)
Pascal Moll, Marcel Hollerbach, Marco Moser - 6th place in the “Strong Campaign” (10% of the worldwide best teams (excluding semi-finalists))
Fabian Ott, Peter Schuhmann, Stefan Schmitt
The challenge supervisors, Prof. Dr. Mario Fischer, Prof. Dr. Christina Völkl-Wolf as well as Junior Assistant Christian Huller are happy about these outstanding results together with the students!
Google Challenge 2008
In 2008, one of our student teams achieved the 2nd place within the Europe/Middle East area and was flown in to Google’s Europe Office in London in October 2008.
More than 1,650 teams from 47 countries participated in the Google Online Marketing Challenge 2008, a worldwide competition for higher education institutions on advertising online.
With statements such as “we did not expect the high quality of your [meaning Würzburg’s] campaigns", "campaigns were absolutely excellent“ and the “best of the world" (original quotes!) Karen Hudson, Relationship Manager AdWords Google, described the performance of the winner teams in London.
Addition for 2010: Two of our teams were among the top 3 of EMEA countries.
Addition for 2009: Dito.