KLU is a leading state-recognized and highly ranked international university headquartered in Hamburg, Germany, with an additional location currently being established in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Committed to empowering leaders with a strong operations mindset, KLU offers programs in business and management, data science and analytics, as well as specialized programs in logistics, operations, and supply chain management. Imparting an in-depth understanding of operations is a cornerstone of benefactor and founder Klaus-Michael Kühne's vision to improve the world through logistics and supply chain management, as reflected in the name Kühne Logistics University (KLU). This operations mindset guides KLU's approach to contemporary leadership and management education, blending academic excellence with a hands-on approach to ensure real-world applicability in both teaching and research.
We provide a comprehensive portfolio of degree programs, including Bachelor's, Master's, MBA, and PhD, along with a variety of executive education certification courses. All our programs are fully accredited and consistently ranked among the best. They are delivered in English by first-class, highly research-active professors trained at some of the world's most prestigious universities and business schools. Anchored in KLU's operations mindset, combining leadership and management studies with data science and information technology, and placing particular emphasis on digitalization, entrepreneurship, and sustainability, we ensure that our graduates are well-equipped to drive responsible and sustainable change in the world.
Beyond academic instruction, our students enhance their competencies and skills through integrated internships, international exchange programs with esteemed partner universities such as Stellenbosch in South Africa, Tongji in China, and Universidad de los Andes in Colombia. They also benefit from an engaging and vibrant student life, community-building activities, and tailored career coaching. Our strong relationships with renowned corporate partners and employers, including BMW, Lufthansa, and McKinsey, ensure that KLU graduates embark on impactful and rewarding careers.
KLU Milestones
- 2010: Founding and state-recognition of KLU by Germany via the Hamburg Senate
- 2012: KLU is awarded the Erasmus University Charter by the European Union
- 2013: Opening of KLU’s current campus in the HafenCity by current German Chancellor Olaf Scholz
- 2017: As one of very few private German universities, KLU is granted the right to confer PhD degrees
- 2020: 10th anniversary under the motto of "10 Years of Award-Winning Teaching and Research"
- 2021: KLU rated Best University Worldwide by Studyportals, solely based on student evaluations
Kühne Foundation
KLU is the flagship project of the Kühne Foundation, set up by the Kühne family in 1976, in the logistics field. Since its establishment by the foundation’s benefactor Klaus-Michael Kühne, KLU has set itself the task of being heavily involved in the professionalization of the logistics industry and its sustainable development and digital transformation. It furthermore aims to draw attention to the considerable importance of logistics and supply chain management for the global economy, while striving to highlight its significance as a management function. In addition to supporting KLU, the Kühne Stiftung finances a professorship at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH), the Center for International Logistics Networks at TU Berlin, a logistics institute at Tongji University in Shanghai, and the Kühne Center for Logistics Management at WHU’s Otto Beisheim School of Management. The foundation also supports research in medical science and sponsors humanitarian, charitable, and cultural projects.
KLU mission statement
Purpose
We empower contemporary leaders with a strong operations mindset.
Vision
To provide the world‘s best contemporary leadership and management education strongly rooted in an operations mindset, blending academic excellence with a hands-on approach, ensuring real-world applicability in both teaching and research.
Mission
Leading with an operations mindset – for an effective leader anywhere in the world, a deep understanding of logistics, operations, and supply chain management is imperative.
Our mission, strengthened by our state-of-the-art research of highest international standard with significant impact and outreach, is to equip learners with both an operations mindset and the essential tools to become responsible leaders and managers striving for a better world.
Values
Future-oriented: We take a forward-thinking approach to education. Our institution is committed to being proactive in preparing students for the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead, embracing, e.g., digital transformation, entrepreneurship and innovation, as well as sustainability. We strive to be continually evolving in order to meet the ever-changing needs of the economy and society at large.
Knowledge-driven: Deeply ingrained in our identity, the pursuit of knowledge permeates every aspect of our institution. We are committed to the transformative power of learning and teaching. To us, research excellence is rooted in both academic rigor and practical relevance, as well as interdisciplinary collaboration to reach innovation that shapes a better future within the bigger picture.
Real-world-focused: Leveraging a vast knowledge base, we emphasize a strong practical relevance, ensuring that the skills and knowledge gained have direct applicability in real-world scenarios. This commitment to practicality extends to both our teaching and research endeavors.
Student-centered: We employ the collective strength of our university community to foster the well-being and growth of every individual in our student body. We encourage a culture of support and inclusivity, ensuring that everyone thrives and feels valued in their individual approach to self-development.
Sustainability-minded: We are enthusiastic about sustainability principles and practices in our institution – from education and research to operations and community engagement. We aim to create a positive and lasting impact on both the local and global community. Thus, creating a sustainable future and instilling these values in the next generation of academic and industry leaders.
Personality
Academic excellence, Approachable attitude, International mentality
