Our programs are developed in collaboration with carefully selected partners who are global leaders in their own fields, providing the best-in-class experience of a carefully woven academic journey with STU.
Immerse yourself in a curated journey of holistic development beyond the traditional degree pathway, build up digital and communication skills, and access an unparalleled network of industry experts.
Offered in partnership with IU International University of Applied Sciences, step into your next phase of study with an internationally recognized and state-accredited academic degree from Germany.
Sharpen your communication skills to connect with recruiters and colleagues across the world, and access new opportunities with the advantage of EnglishFirst (EF)’s targeted intensive programmes.
Elevate your career-readiness with digital skills certified by ICDL, the world’s leading computer skills certification. Boost your employability with the most in-demand skills sought by employers in your industry.
Bridge the gap between Academia and Industry through our dedicated Career Services, that connect you with senior professionals in your industry. Schedule a 1-1 mentoring, join our networking and speaker sessions, or even utilize AI-powered simulations to better prepare for your next interview.
Despite the virtual environment, we provide personalized support to ensure your success. Our online study model is designed to empower students to achieve their educational goals while accommodating their unique schedules and needs.
We provide cutting-edge tools for interactive learning, enabling connections with professors and peers in real-time. Engage in lively discussions and collaborate seamlessly on projects, all while accommodating individual schedules and needs. Join us in redefining education through a dynamic online experience
Of alums surveyed feel prepared for career expectations
Internship and clinical placement rate
Of undergraduates receive financial aid
Nations represented among students enrolled for 2022.
Years of Experience
Enrolled Students
Recommendation Rate
into Management roles within 2 yrs
Discover how the experience has helped our alumni transform and embark on the next step of their careers. Join the 100,000+ learners already enrolled now.
Ready to discover the unique advantages that set STU Global Academy apart? From our global partnerships to affordability without compromise, find out how we can empower your educational journey.
Kunal is currently working as a Senior Project Manager at IU, his alma mater where he pursued his master’s in Business Administration with a specialisation in finance. After graduating he was invited to present a guest lecture in Corporate Finance due to his vast experience and expertise in the corporate field. This led to more frequent invitations for guest lectures, and the rest as they say is history. It was the success of his lecturers that led to his current position at IU.
In his own words, Kunal says: “Teaching was never my initial plan it was to work in the corporate sector but being in classroom surrounded by intelligent, curious, and diverse streams of thought was highly rewarding which swayed me in the direction of academics.”
As an Indian who was born and raised across 3 continents, Kunal is especially drawn to IU’s global network of students from 153+ countries and its international faculty. While in Germany, he learnt the importance of maintaining a healthy work-life balance in order to optimize both personal and professional goals. Having worked in various finance roles, Kunal has a genuine interest in finance and management. He chose IU for his studies because of its practical modules, company-specific case studies, and experienced professors.
“My MBA in International Business aided me a great deal in my present role. Having hands-on experience in IU courses such as Strategic Management has taught me how to make decisions more holistically and consider their impact on various stakeholders more effectively. Other modules such as Corporate Finance honed my skills in interpreting quantitative assessment of strategic choices.”
Before working at IU, Kunal worked as an equity analyst for a large investment firm in the U.S, a strategy consultant for a Foreign Direct Investment consultancy in Berlin, and an investment analyst for an Asset Management company in India as well as Southern Germany.
He is working towards getting his doctorate degree and hopes to become a professor one day. He’s passionate about passing on knowledge while remaining open to learning new things himself.
Kunal Saigal
Born and raised in Germany, my career path has taken me to high levels in the hospitality industry, where I hope to inspire other young women with dreams of leadership roles. In the words of Bob Dylan, the times they are a-changing!
A native of Bonn, Germany, I’ve always had an international spirit. Having fallen in love with travel at a very young age, I knew from early on that my ideal lifestyle would be one that took me across the world. I also soon discovered a passion for the hospitality industry – while others spent their vacations visiting museums and landmarks, I toured hotels. Even now, I have a bucket list of about 100 hotels I want to experience at first hand. Putting all this together, it wasn’t long before I knew what my future career would be!
Having grown up in Bonn, I had heard about the opening of the university campus in nearby Bad Honnef. On my first visit I immediately fell in love with the energy of the place and the way everything was set up – along with the fact that even at that early stage, the university offered a great international, yet intimate, atmosphere and a portfolio of study programmes with an global outlook. Opting for the Bachelor in Hospitality Management, I really appreciated how the course was tailored to the industry, with excellent professors and lectures geared towards real-life scenarios. The small size of the study groups really helped with the learning environment, and throughout my time at the university I was able to make great industry connections and build a specialist network that I am still in touch with today.
Through IU, I got in touch with Four Seasons, and after I graduated they recruited me as Assistant Manager at their Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Los Angeles. After subsequently working for Four Seasons in Qatar, I secured a role Events Floor Manager at the newly reopened SAVOY in London. Eventually, I was promoted to Director of Events Operations there, a position I held for 2 years before my husband and I decided to go to South Africa after he got a job offer in Cape Town. Here, while undertaking an online Master’s degree – and also having my first child – I worked for a time as a senior consultant for a travel and events company. However, missing the hospitality industry, and intrigued by the Radisson RED Cape Town concept that was due to open in 2017, I applied for the Assistant Curator position. Now, 4 years and a second child later, I am in a general management role as Curator.
Looking to the future, I am passionate about the RED brand and want to keep working in that creative and rule-challenging environment. I am also determined to help create further space for female empowerment in the hospitality industry, as well as continuing to create awareness for how the industry offers opportunity for a better future for so many young South Africans. And of course, I want to improve my open water swimming skills. And maybe one day some industry mates and I will get together and write a book of all our hospitality stories!
Leonie Andereya is from Bonn, Germany and graduated from the IU (formerly IUBH) Bachelor in Hospitality Management in 2007. She is Curator of Radisson RED Cape Town in South Africa, where she lives with her husband and two daughters (aged 3 and 6). She loves the ocean and nature, and spends a lot of time swimming, surfing and hiking.
Leonie Andereya
From my native Hong Kong, I came to IUBH with a few German classes under my belt, and ended up founding a start-up to help other expats in Berlin.
I have always been international in spirit, so when it came time to pursue my postgraduate education I was eager to do it in a new country. Having taken a few semesters of German language classes at home in Hong Kong, I decided to give Germany a try. During my search for the right university for me, IU stood out thanks to how quickly and clearly they communicated everything I needed to know, from the course contents to the details of the visa application process. I was even able to do the first semester remotely while still working in Hong Kong – that sealed the deal for me, and so it was time for me to start my MBA in International Marketing!
At IU, the quality of the faculty made the biggest impression on me. My professors were outstanding, providing well-planned and interactive lectures from a perspective of strong industry expertise. I found my remote semester and subsequent on-campus semesters to each have their own advantages: flexibility on the one hand, the opportunity to enjoy the international campus atmosphere on the other. Not only that, but the programme itself was very useful to me after I graduated and took on a role with a German real estate company, working in a variety of marketing disciplines. IU really equipped me with all the essentials for formulating strategies and visions for the marketing campaigns.
After working in that position for three years, I decided to strike out on my own and kick-start my own business challenge! The result is Booka Local, founded in October 2020. My experience as an international student in Berlin made me realise that all us expats need a little help sometimes in navigating the various bureaucratic processes and so on. With Booka Local, internationals can book German-speaking helpers for assistance with tasks like paperwork, attending appointments as interpreters, and so on. It’s like Uber, but instead of a taxi you get a helpful local on the way to you! My hope is that Booka Local can take some of the pressure off internationals like me in Berlin, so we can concentrate on enjoying our time in this fantastic city.
Mei Chi Lo is from Hong Kong and studied the MBA in International Marketing at IU, graduating in 2018. Her start-up company, Booka Local, is a digital platform for internationals to find a helping local hand in Berlin. For more details, visit www.booka-local.com.
Mei Chi Lo
With only a South African high school diploma in hand, Shamila wanted to boost her job prospects by getting a bachelor’s degree. Thanks to the IU scholarship, she could afford to do so and get one step closer towards achieving her career goals and dreams.
Shamila decided to pursue a bachelor’s in business and IT as it aligns with her interests in coding and digital design. She also believes that the IT field is thriving in today’s digital era and is brimming with job opportunities for future graduates like her.
For Shamila, studying at IU is the right choice because it is reputable, certified, and the online learning model lets her learn at her own pace. She can maximise her learning at IU because she studies when she’s the most productive in the day and takes the online exams only when she feels fully prepared.
Shamila also really appreciates the 24/7 access to IU’s digital library as she learns better through reading and the video lectures help her when she needs further clarification. Her degree modules such as Business and Collaborative Work not only provide her with industry-relevant knowledge, but they also equip her with essential skills such as how to communicate with others more effectively.
Shamila hopes that her IU degree will increase her employability in whichever positions she applies to after graduation. For the future, she has bigger ambitions and dreams for herself – she is also working towards building her own graphic and web design business someday.
Shamily Adegboye
Sofia comes from a family of scholars and is currently pursuing an MBA at IU. She had long desired to pursue an MBA and discovered that the MBA programme at IU is the most affordable and best fit for her lifestyle. Sofia is interested in learning more about project management because it involves solving challenges and puzzles, both of which she enjoys. With an MBA, she’ll gain a range of project management skills accompanied by relevant experience.
“Flexibility is key for me, and IU provides the best and most flexible MBA programme”.
While pursuing her MBA, Sofia works part-time as a junior project manager. As an online student, she has the freedom to work and study at the same time. She’s able to work at her own pace and choose her weekly schedule. Smart tools, particularly video lectures and interactive books that provide easy-to-understand and brief modules, helps her to make the most of her time studying.
“I wait for no one! All depends on me, and I could do it whenever it made more sense… I set weekly small goals and step by step I’m able to keep motivated”
The next big step in Sofia’s professional career is getting an MBA degree. With her current job and an MBA on the horizon, she’s on her way to doing what she loves – solving problems one project at a time.
Sofia Pereira
Currently a Project Assistant for International Markets at IU, Stine decided to take the opportunity to further her studies as well at IU to deepen her knowledge of the industry. She is passionate about all things marketing and believes it is a special skill to have as it puts one in the position to steer consumer in the right direction and make the right decisions.
Stine decided to pursue the online master’s in marketing management as it provides her with up-to-date knowledge about the current marketing trends. She finds that the seminars and case studies relate to current events around the world, for instance, the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on consumer needs. This helps her remain on top of things in her current role.
One of the many things Stine enjoys about learning at IU is the flexibility it provides. She can study without time or location constraints and schedule exams for when she feels fully prepared and confident. She also loves the diverse range of digital learning tools available on-hand. She can always adjust her learning based on her own needs and utilise materials that best suits her study preferences.
Stine hopes that her master’s degree will expand her horizon and provide her with insightful knowledge and useful skills to succeed in her current role.
Stine Marie Quabs
