Finance with attitude: Why Victor's professional goals drew him to St. Gallen for his Master's degree
After completing his double Bachelor's degree at Witten/Herdecke University, Victor Wolff began his Master's programme at the University of St. Gallen in Switzerland. He wants to pave his career path with the Banking & Finance programme.
"I really wanted to do my Master's abroad to gain a new perspective," says Victor. That's why the UW/H graduate swapped the slag heaps of the Ruhr region for the Swiss Alps in September 2025. However, it was not clear from the outset that he would study at the University of St. Gallen (HSG). He was interested in the Master's degree programmes at various European universities: LSE in London, Sciences Po in Paris - Victor's ambitions were high. "As I had successfully passed the GMAT placement test required by many universities, but only wrote it relatively late, I didn't think I had much of a chance in the application phase that was about to end. I wanted to work for a year after completing my Bachelor's degree and gain more practical experience before enrolling at a university again. But then I got the acceptance letter from St. Gallen." For Victor, this was a sign to seize the opportunity and start the Master's programme straight away. The Swiss university was by no means his second choice, as the HSG's Banking & Finance degree programme is one of the top ten most renowned business schools according to the Financial Times.
The first few weeks were intense: an enormously ambitious, international environment, lots of new impressions and topics and a network that helps organise the future entry into professional life with many partners from the field. "I really appreciate benefiting from the wide range of opportunities," says Victor and continues, "just like in Witten, there are short distances here on campus and you always meet familiar faces.
I've always liked the small course sizes and the family atmosphere at UW/H." When Victor is not studying or enjoying the view over the city from the high campus, he rides his racing bike in the mountains. His home in Munich is also not far away and only a weekend trip away.
How Victor Wolff laid the foundation stone in Witten
The decisive factor for Victor's application to Witten/Herdecke University was the interdisciplinary degree programme PPÖ - Philosophy, Politics and Economics. "Witten is simply a totally innovative university, especially when it comes to degree programmes. It was also the first university in Germany to introduce a PPÖ programme. I really wanted to do this degree programme," recalls the graduate.
Ultimately, however, he did not complete a linear degree programme - but did exactly what UW/H systemically enables: trying things out, breaking new ground and gradually broadening his horizons. After his first year of study in PPÖ, he switched to Management in order to initially focus on business and entrepreneurship, and shortly before completing his first Bachelor's degree, he took up his original degree programme of choice as a second degree. "In my management bachelor's degree, I learned how organisations work, and in my PPÖ degree, I learned how associates work. It's often about similar problems, just on a different scale," says Victor. "For me, it was the right approach to first look at the smaller scale, where there might be more pragmatic solutions, before finally venturing to the societal level, where the challenges are even more complex."
A key figure in Victor's studies at the UW/H was Prof Dr Hendrik Wilhelm. Victor: "Prof Wilhelm not only gave me the knowledge, but also the tools for scientific work and practice. I also wrote my Bachelor's thesis with him and learnt a lot in the process. The individual mentoring from him was very, very helpful."
His involvement in the StudierendenGesellschaft (SG) at UW/H was also central to Victor's current career planning. It was there that he first became involved in financial matters, dealing with annual financial statements and bonds and taking on responsibility in the student-led organisation at an early stage. For him, this experience was not only the prelude to his current Master's programme in St. Gallen, but also had a formative influence on his time studying in Witten. "The StudierendenGesellschaft manages the Income Share Agreement (ISA) and I simply enjoyed paving the way for other students to study with my work. The social funding system makes the UW/H what it is - a very, very unique private university."
Next stop: Finance
Victor's professional goal is clear: finance. He has already gained his first practical experience through internships at corporate and M&A (mergers and acquisitions) consultancies and could also imagine starting a career in this field. In the long term, he wants to use his knowledge of markets and forms of financing to shape social change. Sustainable finance and impact investment are possible prospects for him.
His advice to future UW/H students: "Pursue your interests! I'm convinced that you're always particularly good at the things you're passionate about. This has helped me to get to where I am now."
