Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) is the most popular university of German top managers. This is obvious from a study by Michael Hartmann, Professor of elite and organizational sociology in Darmstadt. Evaluation of the education biographies of 529 board members of the 100 biggest German companies revealed that 24 top managers studied at KIT or its precursory institution, Universität Karlsruhe. The KIT is followed by the University of Cologne and RWTH Aachen (17 each). The not yet published study is reported by the manager magazine online today.
The study of Hartmann is based on publicly accessible sources, such as company websites and biographical databases. According to the study, most of the current top managers passed a conventional studies program at a state university in Germany. Graduates of private universities and universities of applied sciences as well as holders of an MBA (Master of Business Administration) can hardly be found in German managing boards.