German Higher Education System

Studying in Germany

German curricula emphasize independent studies. Students are expected to do independent research, prepare oral reports or term papers and attend lectures and small group discussions.

Most common types of higher education institutions in Germany

• Universities and Technical Universities ("TU") emphasize theoretical research.
• Universities of Applied Sciences ("FH") emphasize practical knowledge and maintain close relations to the industries.

Most common degree courses

• Bachelor’ Degrees normally take 6 or 7 semesters (3 to 3.5 years) to complete. The most common Bachelor’ Degrees in Germany are B.A. (Bachelor of Arts), B.Sc. (Bachelor of Science) and B.Eng. (Bachelor of Engineering).
• Master’ Degrees are consecutive to a Bachelor’ Degree and can be earned in 2 to 4 semesters (1 to 2 years). A Master’ Degree is usually a specialization relating to the Bachelor’ subject. A Master’ Degree program can be entered immediately upon completion of a Bachelor’ Degree or following a few years of work experience.

German language requirements

An official test for German as a foreign language:

• "Telc C1 Hochschule"
• "TestDaF"
• "DSH" (Deutsche Sprachprüfung für den Hochschulzugang ausländischer Studienbewerber)
• And others