A master’s degree is important in today’s job market — as most of the vacancies put a preference for candidates with Master’s degrees. A Master’s degree is also an opportunity to explore deeper into the subject of your choice.
So if you are planning to pursue a master’s degree abroad, Germany is an excellent destination for an international student.
Before Master's degree in Germany, you can also purse German Taught Bachelor Programs In Germany or English Taught Bachelor Programs In Germany.
So, Let’s know about the Master's degree in Germany for International students:
Why study master’s in Germany?
1. No tuition fee and an attractive list of courses
You won’t need to pay any fees to complete your Master's in Germany, as all the public universities there are free for everyone, including international students. There would only be a semester contribution fee of around 150-300 euros per semester. Also, you would get world-class education on probably any subject of your choice.
[Note: Baden-Württemberg, a state in Germany charges 1500 euros as tuition fee, per semester to international students. To know why they made this decision, visit the Ministry of science, research, and the arts Baden-Württemberg website.
2. Research-oriented universities
Research is an essential part of learning in Germany. Universities there have focused the exploration on solving various problems humanity is facing. Not only humans, but they also work for the advancement of robotics too.
The Technical University of Munich (the best university in Germany as per QS world university ranking) is exploring the possibility of making robots understand maps and help them navigate around the cities with ease.
Germany is also the starter of research-oriented universities which now is followed by all the modern universities in the world.
3. Lucrative job opportunities
Germany is the 4th most powerful economic force in the world based on the gross domestic production (GDP) ranking. It is also home to world-famous brands like Adidas, Audi, BMW, and Volkswagen. To fulfill the needs of a rapidly growing economy, new job opportunities must emerge. This surely shows that there are a lot of job opportunities in Germany available for graduates of all faculties.
Interestingly, according to Germany's Federal Employment Agency, the country needs 400000 new immigrant workers every year.
Information Technology (IT) scope in Germany
Startups and mid-level tech companies are on the rise in Germany — so skilled Information Technology (IT) technicians are well sought after manpower there. Even Deutsche bank, despite being a financial institution, is one of the highest employers for IT technicians.
Universities in Germany For Masters
Almost all public universities there offer a range of master’s degree courses in faculties like humanities, social sciences, education, economics, management, science, engineering, medicine, and many more.
How to study for a master's in Germany?
Studying master’s in Germany requires some preparation beforehand. Assuming that you have taken no steps until now, let’s look into what you need to go through to study for a master’s in Germany, from start to finish:
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Find your university and course of choice
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Learn the German language
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Have the financial backing for a block account in case it’s needed
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Fulfill minimum requirements to study in Germany
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Request admission into the university
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Request for a german student visa
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Find a place to live either before or after traveling to Germany
1. Find the university and course of choice
Finding the university and course of your choice is the initial step of the process. You can either choose a course first or the other way around. Suppose you first chose your course, then you need to find universities that have the particular course of your preference.
Else, you can go through our list of Top 10 universities in Germany and select among the suitable master’s degree courses they offer.
There is an exceptional webpage called DAAD International program which acts as a search portal for universities in Germany for masters. You can just enter the course you want, later choose it for a master's degree, and then it displays all the courses related to it in all German universities.
2. Learn the German language
Language is a huge barrier to studying abroad, especially in countries like Germany where English is not their native dialect.
To study or simply communicate with the locals in Germany, you need to learn the German language.
Talking about the German language, the common European reference for language (CEFR) has divided German language proficiency into 6 levels (A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2). Here A1 is a beginner level and C2 is the advanced level of expertise.
Anyway, a minimum of B1 level of expertise is needed for you to travel and study at German universities.
For studying the German language in Nepal, Edu Zeit offers an extensive German language course from level A1 up to B1. Contact us or visit us for more info or to get guidance on finding a suitable university and course.
3. Have the financial backing for a blocked account in case it’s needed
Internationals not belonging to countries listed in the European Union (EU) should open a German blocked account; on occasions when the German embassy specifically asks to create it while applying for a student visa.
A blocked account is there to make certain that you would live a life of sound standard in your first year after arriving in Germany.
As one needs to deposit a minimum of 10,332 euros into the German blocked account, you should have the financial backing in advance.
Know more about: German blocked account ******(hyperlink to German blocked account blog)******
4. Find out minimum requirements for admission
Your current academic qualifications or language proficiency may or may not fulfill the minimum requirement for admission to German Universities. So for being sure, check the website of your chosen university to find out more about it.
German universities offer most of their courses in the German language and a minority of them are in English. So, for getting admitted to a Master's program in Germany, you need a certain level of proficiency in either of those languages. (i.e., you need to complete an English language test to take a course in English and a German language test to take a course in German).
The English language test here is IELTS and for the German language, you need to appear for the Goethe-Zertifikat exams offered by Goethe institute.
The level of proficiency required would differ based on the university and course you choose. The common standard is you need a minimum of 6.5 IELTS score for studying master’s in Germany in the English language course, and a B2 level of German language proficiency to apply for a German language course; while you need to have the proficiency of C1 or C2 until it's time to enroll in the course. Also, you need at least 60% marks in your bachelor’s degree for any chance to study in English language courses. Students get to study for master’s in Germany in the German language with marks below 60%.
The course you chose for your master’s degree, must be in sync with the course you had taken for your bachelor’s degree. Find more about it on the respective university website.
You would need all the documents like transcripts, diplomas, resume e.t.c in the English language. So get it translated if needed. Also, you would need those documents to be notarized by a notarizing service. The notarized documents act as proof that the documents are authentic.
5. Request admission into the university
After fulfilling the minimum requirement and arranging all the documents, it’s time to apply to the university for your preferred course. The application process differs among the universities but most of them take the application through their own online portal. Few universities take the application through uni assist, which acts as a contact point between international students and those universities.
Sometimes, the universities may even require you to be in person for the application process. You would need a German student applicant visa to go to Germany and apply for admission to the university. Please note that this visa is just to apply for admission and doesn’t permit you to study in Germany.
6. Request for a German Student Visa
To apply for a German student visa — one should fill up an online appointment form before submitting the German student visa application form to the German embassy.
You should then be present at the embassy based on the schedule in the appointment to submit the German student visa application form.
According to the German embassy of Nepal, you need to submit the following documents to apply for a German student visa:
- Valid passport
- Biometric passport photograph
- Application for national website
- signed declaration on true and complete information
- copy of your passport’s data page + last page
- Original citizenship certificate
- letter of motivation
- proof of admission
- school-leaving certificate
- higher secondary education board certificate
- proof of previous studies
- proof of German language knowledge
- Proof of financial means
More information about it here: Student visa- German Embassy of Nepal
