GERMANY

Among all the European countries, Germany is the preferred destination for many Indians due to its advanced educational setup. There are 16 federal states in Germany with more than 500 different educational institutions offering more than 1000 courses for International students. The educational system is slightly different to that of India. The traditional certificates offered at German universities are the Diplom" and the "Magister Artium" (Master of Arts). Would-be teachers, attorneys, pharmacists and doctors also have to take the so-called "Staatsexamen", the German Civil Service Examination. The average degree is supposed to take eight semesters to complete. But it actually takes longer in many departments, because the amount of work cannot be completed in the time available. Students at universities of applied sciences usually graduate after six semesters, and are awarded a "Diplom (FH)". Doctorate degrees and qualification as a university professor (Habilitation) can only be obtained at a university. Almost all German universities also offer internationally oriented B.A. and M.A. degree courses for both German and foreign students. These courses are usually taught in English. You can enroll in these courses even if you don't speak any German. You can always visit German language courses during your studies. A special aspect of these international courses: both German and foreign students enrolled in such a course will receive either a Bachelors or a Master's degree upon graduation. The main focus is getting the students qualified for a job on the international market during the course of studies. Subjects range from "Aeronautical and Astronautical Technology" at the University of Applied Sciences in Aachen to "World Heritage Studies" at the Technical University in Cottbus.

Around 60% of these modularised degree courses also have an international component to them. In 1 in 5 courses, spending time abroad is part of the course, and almost all degree courses are graded according to the internationally recognised credit point system. This means that all the new qualifications can be compared not only nationally, but also internationally - which means that changing to a university in another country will be easier and more attractive. In addition, there will be a greater focus on the job market in the new B.A. and M.A. degree courses. Potential employers are actually actively involved in around two-thirds of the courses. Students can, of course, also get in touch with companies by doing work placements or when carrying out fieldwork. There are more than 150 European degree courses. In such programmes the students spend at least two semesters at the respective partner university abroad. This means that it's possible to get a double qualification at the end. Foreign students can study in Germany for one or two semesters. There are some 15,000 exchange programmes between German universities and universities abroad. Cooperation agreements between these universities mean that the grades acquired while abroad are acknowledged by the home university. These exchanges are very popular with students, researchers and lecturers alike. At the moment there are more that 1500 M.A. and 2000 B.A. courses on offer at German universities, many of which are taught through the medium of English. In January 2005 B.A. and M.A. degree courses accounted for 26.3% of all courses taught at German universities. It generally takes between six and eight semesters to complete a B.A., and a further two to four for the M.A. Until now German institutes of higher education did not charge tuition fees for first degrees. However, this is changing from 2007 onwards with and the Universities started charging a fee of 500 Euro per semester. Regardless of such tuition fees, German students need to pay a registration fee even now. The so-called "social contribution" of approximately 100 Euro per semester goes to the student union and the social services. It also entitles students to quite a number of benefits such as free public transport (buses and trains), student reductions etc.

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