Popular Institutions of Higher Learning in Germany

As you apply to German Universities, you come across different forms of institutions that all offer degrees.

The favourite form is the University, this could be due to the fact that as a graduate in Germany, you earn more if you have a degree from a University compared to a degree from a Fachhochschule (FH). For the foreigners who come to study in Germany, Universities are more popular as they are easily “understood” internationally.

Having said that, Germany offers many other institutions that all offer degrees. Depending on your field of specialisation, you might choose one of the other institutions instead of the traditional Uni. Some of those are:

• Universities and Technical University (Technische Universität) also known as Hochschule
• Fachhochschulen – depends on who you ask for a translation, some translate it to Technical college, others call it a Polytechnic and others call it a University of applied sciences.
• Verwaltungsfachhochschulen – specialising in business administration and management
• Kunsthochschulen – for the arts
• Pädagogische Hochschulen – teacher training
• Theologische Hochschulen – theology

For further explanation on the different school forms, you can listen to the Mkenya Show from March when we spoke on: Understanding the German Education System.