School system of Germany
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The German school system prepares students for entrance to higher education at the country ’ s top universities .
Why study in Germany ?
German universities combine centuries of academic heritage with state-of-theart facilities to ensure students graduate with a prestigious degree . As well as German universities , the language and academic skills gained with EF will allow you to attend university in Austria and Switzerland .
Education in Germany
From the age of six or seven ( depending on the state ), children attend an elementary school called Grundschule . They then progress to either a Hauptschule , which prepares students for a vocational education , or a Realschule , which has a broader range of emphases for intermediate pupils , or a Gymnasium , which prepares students for higher education with grades 11 to 12 or 13 . There , students study up to 10 subjects before taking the Abitur , which is the academic qualification required to enter German universities .
University
Undergraduate students in Germany typically pursue a bachelor ’ s degree which specializes in one subject for three years . Entrance requirements for international students include a German proficiency test ( TestDaF ) and – if the student ’ s high school diploma is not considered equivalent to the Abitur – an additional year of secondary school in Germany , known as Studienkolleg , which is the equivalent to grade 13 at Gymnasium . Universities of applied sciences ( Fachhochschulen ) focus on a practical scientific approach . The range of subjects is generally not as extensive and is focused on certain subject areas , such as technology , industry , social affairs or media . The integrated practical phases are comprised of internships spanning several weeks , extended project phases or entire practical semesters .
Master ’ s or MBA degrees : Ages 21 +
A master ’ s or MBA degree typically lasts one year and requires both exams and a thesis to graduate . For most of these programs , international students are required to have a recognized undergraduate degree and a German level of at least C1 . MBA programs normally require at least two years of work experience .
Germany ’ s top universities *
1 ) LMU Munich 2 ) Technical University of Munich 3 ) Heidelberg University 4 ) Charité - University of Medicine , Berlin 5 ) Humboldt University of Berlin 6 ) University of Tübingen 7 ) Free University of Berlin 8 ) University of Freiburg 9 ) RWTH Aachen University 10 ) University of Bonn * Times Higher Education Rankings 2022
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