International degree programmes
Modularization of the syllabus and Credit Point System
Dieser Artikel in Deutsch
About 110 universities and 160 "Fachhochschulen" (technical colleges) in Germany now offer around 1000 internationally recognized Bachelor and Master degree programmes. This number has been achieved since 1997, i.e. after only five years. In most majors, Bachelor and Master degrees can be gained respectively after the sixth and after the ninth or tenth semester. According to new laws, programmes that offer both undergraduate and graduate degrees will soon be the rule and not the exception at German institutions of higher education.
Almost all "international" degree programmes are offered in English. These are mainly Bachelor and Master degree programmes that hold every second place for international students. Characteristic for these programmes is a modularization of the syllabus and the use of regular exams following a credit point system. The success of these programmes speaks for itself: approximately 90 percent of students successfully graduated not later than one semester after the recommended period of study. Only 10 percent dropped out. So: gain your degree in Germany!
Above all, gaining a higher degree in Germany is of interest to those international students who already have their Bachelor's degree and wish to further qualify themselves in Germany. The University of Technology of Aachen, for instance, offers a Master's degree in "Electrical Power Engineering", which is tailored towards gifted students with proven merit. In a special Ph.D. programme the German Academic Exchange Service supports around 30 "Doktoranden-Kollegs" (groups of graduate students working on related topics), that are made up to one-third of international students.
Today there are more than 110,000 international students in Germany. "Compared with our total population and our economic power, that is still not enough," says Professor Max Huber, the government's commissioner for marketing of higher education. The number of international students is expected to double in the next five years.
| Hermann Horstkotte | 26.06.2002 |
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