Masters degree - Postgraduate in English in Germany for international students

The Master's degree program in Germany is known for its strong medical, natural science and technical programs, as well as philosophical and philological faculties. The country's education system is the third in quality in the world after the USA and Great Britain.

Below the advantages of studying in Germany for foreign students are provided:

• Free studying. In public universities, you will need to pay only semester fees (up to 499 USD/semester). The only exception is the federal state of Baden—Württemberg: a semester there costs 1,497 USD.
• Many programs in English. If you do not know German, this will not be an obstacle to getting an education. Basically, international English-language programs can be found in the STEAM, MBA and some humanitarian specialties.
• Employment opportunities. After graduation, the foreign students will have a year and a half to find a job.
• Opportunities for travel.  The Schengen long-stay visa issued to applicants will open the borders of many countries, such as France, Spain, Italy, Austria, Sweden.

In German universities there are two types of studying programs:

• Consecutive – the students continue to study the same specialty as during the bachelor's degree, but in a more interdisciplinary way. Usually these programs are free.

• Non-consecutive – the students either change their specialty, or delve into a specific narrowly focused area. There are few of these programs, which are usually paid. In some cases, upon admission, the foreign students need to provide proof of at least one year of work in the specialty.

As a rule, MA (Master of Arts) and MSc (Master of Science) degrees are awarded in Germany. There are also special degrees for some specialties — MEng (Master of Engineering), MFA (Master of Fine Arts), MMUs (Master of Music).

Germany has a European credit system. To obtain art Master degree in Germany, it is necessary to gain 120 credits — 90 in the course of studying and 30 for scientific work or an individual project. Academic year consists of winter and summer semesters, holidays are in February and August. The exact dates of the beginning of studies vary in universities of specific federal lands. The organization of classes and types of tasks depend on the type of educational institution:

• Research universities include a large number of lectures, seminars, laboratory, as well as self-study and bibliographic studies in the program;
• Universities of applied Sciences are more practice-oriented, so many hours are devoted to obtaining applied skills and classes organized by partner companies and industry representatives;
• Colleges of Arts, Cinema and Music focus on the development of creative competencies.

Tasks are evaluated on a five—point scale, with 1.0 being the highest score and 4.0 being the minimum threshold. The final score consists of ECTS credits. Master degree programs in Germany stipulate writing of research work or project on the second year of studying. At the beginning of the third semester, the students choose a topic. Then you need to choose a supervisor — usually you need to provide a plan for this. After that, the main part of the work begins, which is assigned to the last semester: academic analysis of the topic, the theoretical part, the study itself or the project and the collection of results. After checking the final text, students pass an oral defence. Here the students need to show level of mastery of the material and knowledge of the topic, and then answer the questions of the commission.

Main specific feature of Master degree programs in Germany is the opportunity to write a master's thesis in a company. The students are offered to work on the company's project during the internship, or they find such an option on their own.

Below the list of compulsory documents for the foreign students is provided:

• Bachelor diploma and academic transcript
• International language certificate (English or German)
• Certificate of financial solvency and medical insurance for visa processing (availability of sufficient funds in the bank account at the rate of USD 10,311/year)
• Recommendation letters
• Motivation letter
• Resume.

Some universities set additional selection criteria — entrance tests and interviews. This usually applies to educational institutions with a quota for admission (Numerus clausus). Such institutions ask to provide the results of GMAT, GRE and other additional exams, a description of undergraduate subjects, a research plan and proof of work experience in the relevant field. Sometimes applicants are interviewed.

Confirmation of language level is a compulsory requirement for the successful enrolment. If the student chooses a program in German, any of the following certificates will do:

• TestDaF — TDN-4 and above;
• DSH — DSH-2 and above;
• Goethe-Zertifikat — C2.

The German universities also accept telc Deutsch of level C1 and other exams, which meet the criteria of the Ministry of Education. If the language level is below the required level, some universities can still accept the student — provided that otherwise the applicants meet the criteria and then take language courses (before admission or at the beginning of the master's degree). An important condition is that the university itself must provide such courses. Also, when making an application, the student must immediately indicate that he is going to pass them.

Master degree in English in Germany asks from the applicants the certificate of English at the level of B2-C1 (depending on the chosen program) C1 Advanced (CAE), IELTS or TOEFL.

In Germany, universities themselves set deadlines for submitting applications. You need to find out the exact dates on the website of a particular university. Usually, the submission for the winter semester ends in mid—July, and for the summer semester - in mid-January.

The number of international students in Germany is steadily growing: from 2014 to 2019 it increased by 30.9%. The number of English—language master's degree programs is also large - more than a thousand. These are mainly STEM majors: chemistry, biology, mathematics, physics and engineering. Various options of the programs can be viewed in the DAAD catalog.

Usually, the Master degree MBA in Germany is conducted in English. The requirements for the language level is high – it is necessary to provide the certificate at least C1. Additionally, it is necessary to pass entrance exams. Although not all universities set a specific requirement, it is best to have GRE 150+ / GMAT 600+ scores. Some business schools have an Early Bird Discount - a discount for early submission of documents. Usually there are several deadlines, in each of them the discount amount is different. Applicants who applied before the first deadline can pay 2,994-4,990 USD less.