An haife shi a garin Pomeranian na Stolp, Jamus (yanzu Słupsk a Poland), a cikin 1944, kuma ya girma a Hanover. Ya fara karatun jami'a tare da mayar da hankali kan doka a Freiburg, kuma daga 1966 zuwa gaba ya yi nazarin ilimin zamantakewa, falsafa, ilimin halayyar dan adam da kimiyyar siyasa a Jami'ar Munich. Farawa a 1972, bayan ya sami digiri na biyu, an yi aiki da shi a Munich a matsayin masanin ilimin zamantakewa. A 1979 ya cancanta a matsayin mai koyar da jami'a tare da takardar shaidar habilitation. Ya karbi alƙawari a matsayin farfesa a jami'o'in Münster (1979<unk>1981) da Bamberg (1981<unk>1992). Daga 1992 har zuwa mutuwarsa, Beck ya kasance farfesa na ilimin zamantakewa da kuma darektan Cibiyar Nazarin Harkokin zamantakewa a Jami'ar Munich.
Jami'ar Munich