No Tuition
Education in Germany is public, i.e. most schools, colleges and universities are paid for by the taxpayers and therefore do not charge tuition (Studiengebühren). However, voters are much less directly involved with school matters than in the U.S. There are no local school or college boards and no PTA's, although parent-teacher conferences take place regularly.Educational programs are organized, financed and administered at the state level. The Department of Education in each of the 16 federal states (Länder [pl.]) oversees the state's primary, secondary and career training schools and much of higher education.A framework for post-secondary education is set up at the federal level. Federal statutes also regulate the licensing of lawyers and health care professionals and define the status of teachers as tenured civil servants. Administrators at both the state and federal level coordinate educational planning and research. As a result the standard of teaching and testing is relatively equal throughout the country, although curricula may vary form state to state.
Students With Limited German Language Skills
The German constitution guarantees all citizens the right to fully develop their human potential which includes the right to choose one's occupation and to have access to the appropriate career training. Children whose native language is not German are deemed to have the same rights as native Germans. They are taught together with German-speaking children. In addition they also receive three to five hours of instruction per week in their native language taught by instructors from their native country. The courses cover native language skills, the history, geography and religion of that country. There is also a special program to assist these students in preparing for job-skills training and securing paid internship positions. The students' native languages are most frequently Turkish, Serbo-Croatian, Italian and Greek.
Schools Are "All Business"
More than U.S. students, German students tend to separate their private lives from school matters. German schools are strictly for learning and not much goes on in the way of social events. Students go on an occasional field trip (Wandertag) and take an annual class trip (Klassenreise). But U.S. students in Germany will look in vain for commencement ceremonies, school rings, yearbooks, honor societies or university football clubs. All in all, there is a relatively high general standard of education but less fun at school (More about school and college life later).
Decisions, Decisions...
Compulsory schooling begins at age six and continues through age 18. Children between the ages of three and six may attend a Kindergarten (day-care center, nursery school). Enrollment is optional. Kindergärten [pl.] are operated by municipalities, churches and charitable organizations and are not part of the state's compulsory school system.
In the first four grades of elementary school (Grundschule), all children are taught together. The curriculum stresses language skills and mathematics. During the fourth year of elementary school, children and their parents usually decide on the type of secondary school which begins with grade 5: Hauptschule, Realschule, Gymnasium or Gesamtschule. The choice is determined by a student's aptitudes, career aspirations and grades. In order to facilitate the choice, most states offer a two-year transition period or orientation phase (Orientierungsstufe) for grades 5 and 6. In the 1950's and l960's fourth graders had to pass a comprehensive assessment test before enrolling at a Gymnasium.
The choice of secondary school is not necessarily final. In recent years the educational system has become more "permeable", i.e. it has become easier to transfer from one type of institution to another, thus making it possible to revoke earlier decisions.
Early Job-Skills Training
German students have the opportunity to pursue formal job-skills training at a much younger age than in the U.S. About one third of the German secondary student population graduates from Hauptschule after the 9th or 10th grade with a Hauptschulabschluß, a diploma certifying the equivalent of a 10th grade education at a U.S. high school. They can transfer to a Berufsfachschule (full-time job-skills training school) or pursue a formal dual-track job-skills training program: a three-year paid internship paired with classroom instruction. Graduates of the program enter the employment market as specialists in labor and technical fields. Many open small businesses or work in the service industry. They can upgrade their specific skills by continuing formal training at a Fachschule (upper level career training school) .
Graduates of the training program also have the option of continuing formal education at a Fachoberschule (specialized college-oriented high school), grades 11 through 13, and obtain a Fachabitur, a certificate which allows college-level studies in a restricted field of majors at a Fachhochschule (polytechnic university.
More Career Training
Another third of German secondary students attends Realschule. They graduate after 10th grade with a Realschulabschluß, the equivalent of a U.S. high school diploma. They can transfer to a Fachoberschule or pursue a formal three-year career training program in the dual-track mode. As graduates of a Fachoberschule they can transfer to a Fachhochschule for college -level studies in a restricted field of majors.
As graduates of the career training program they will seek employment in the area of health care, technology, government, business and industry, e.g. as nurses, social workers, technicians, mid-level supervisors and managers.
General Secondary Education
Another third of German secondary students attends Gymnasium (grades 5 through 13), an academically-oriented high school, offering a curriculum of general education which is not career-specific. Students graduate with the certificate of Allgemeine Hochschulreife or Abitur, a prerequisite for admission to a German university where students have an unrestricted choice of majors.
The course work in grades 12 and 13 is equivalent to lower division courses at the freshman and sophomore level at a U.S. college. However, U.S. colleges and universities typically will grant only sophomore standing (30 semester credits) to a German transfer student with Abitur.
Comprehensive Schools and Special Education
A Gesamtschule (comprehensive high school) offers all three secondary courses of study: Hauptschule, Realschule and Gymnasium. Students can wait till grade 11 before transferring to the college-oriented Gymnasium-curriculum. The comprehensive schools came into being in the early 1970's and do not exist in all states.
There are also special education programs for developmentally and physically disabled.
Paid Internships
75% of German students - that is to say everyone not immediately bound for college - complete a formal three-year training program in a dual-track mode (Dualsystem): Hands-on job experience as interns (Auszubildende) in business, industry and government integrated with career-specific classroom instruction.
Interns are paid about one quarter of the rate for a skilled employee. Federal labor law governs the on-site training with a qualified employer. For three to four days a week and under the guidance of in-house mentors, interns learn and practice all phases of the operation. One to two days a week they study career-specific theory together with core academic subjects at a public career training school. At the end of the three-year program interns have to pass rigorous state-recognized theoretical and practical exams.
This integrated approach produces skilled employees as early as age 19. These young people can advance to well paying-jobs with the option of upgrading or continuing their education at any time. Completion of a formal training program is valued greatly in the market place and a source of personal pride. It demonstrates motivation, the ability to set goals and the energy and dedication to follow through.
Career Training For Everyone
Formal career training is an integral component of both, the German labor market and the educational system. There are over 400 state-recognized occupations which require formal training. Internship positions (Ausbildungsplätze [pl.]) are available to all, even secondary school drop-outs. Typically, though, the interns are graduates from the Haupt- or Realschule. But more and more Gymnasium-graduates with Abitur are enrolling in career training programs which is a result of waiting lists at crowded universities and the employment sector's demand for interns with a broad educational background.
Employers and Schools As Partners
German employers and also labor unions play a vital and visible role in the educational system. Employers have long recognized that they have both a stake and a responsibility in training a skilled labor force. Employers large and small offer paid training positions. The process of obtaining an internship is as competitive as obtaining a regular job. Half of all interns train at small-size companies, i.e. companies with less than 50 employees.
Quality training requires close collaboration between career training schools and employers. The cooperation extends from the planning of the training program to an intern's final comprehensive examination. In fact, an intern's final examination panel routinely includes representatives of the training school and of the training company's management and employees.
More Subjects Over More Years
The German high school curriculum is very standardized with fewer electives offered than in the U.S. While a U.S. high school student usually studies seven subjects per semester, five times a week and at the same period of the school day, a German student's weekly class schedule lists about twelve subjects and each day's schedule is different. Typically, German students are taught more subjects per semester with fewer weekly hours of instruction but generally over a much longer period of time (e.g. English over five, seven or even nine years).
Unlike in the U.S., religious instruction is mandatory until age 14. For religious instruction classes are separated according to religious denominations, either Protestant or Catholic.
A Typical School Day
The German school day is shorter than in the U.S. School normally ends between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. As a result, schools seldom need cafeterias or study halls. However, homework is plentiful and parents often spend hours helping their children. Students who do not meet the academic challenges of a particular grade level in more than one subject are not promoted to the next level. They are held back for one year (sitzen bleiben) and they repeat the entire course work for that year. Due to the high academic standards at a Gymnasium, it is not uncommon that a graduate has spent one or even two extra years in school.
Students in grades 1 through 10 do not change classrooms for every subject. They remain in the same classroom throughout the day, unless special facilities are needed, e.g. in music, chemistry, sports, etc. Teachers rather than students move from class to class. Students sit at tables with fairly spacious surfaces, usually two to a table.
Impacted Majors
Those secondary students who are headed for the Allgemeine Hochschulreife (Abitur) take courses in core academic subjects (Grundkurse) and in areas of concentration (Leistungskurse) in grades 11 through 13. Mandatory subjects include German, a foreign language and one area of natural science. The grades of the last four semesters (Gymnasium grades 12 and 13) and the examination results of the written and oral Abitur-examination determine the Abitur-GPA. This GPA determines how quickly students are admitted to their majors.
Some university majors are heavily impacted, especially in medicine, dentistry, veterinary science, pharmacology, psychology, biology, architecture and agriculture. Therefore it has become necessary to impose a Numerus clausus in these majors, i.e. a restriction on the number of students who are admitted each year. University applicants compete for the limited number of openings on the basis of their GPA and a student's admission may depend on a tenth of a point.
Evolving Changes in Higher Education
German students enter university at a later age, generally 20 or 21, with a major and minor firmly in mind. They rarely take courses outside those fields. University study is intended to be specific and career-oriented rather than general and broadening. Much of what is required in the first two years at a U.S. college has been accomplished at the Gymnasium. Therefore the tenor of instruction and the learning environment are more akin to those at upper division undergraduate and graduate level, when U.S. students focus on their major.
Originally there were only four fields of academic study at German universities: theology, law, medicine and the humanities. In the past, the mission of German universities has been research and teaching and the universities only trained a relatively small number of students. Today more and more students are seeking a university degree to better their chances in a competitive job market and the government is struggling to keep up with a growing demand while facing shrinking financial resources.
There are not many private colleges in the U.S. sense. German students who have been raised with the tradition of free higher education, have a difficult time comprehending the concept of paying large sums of money for a college education as it is customary in the U.S. Meanwhile, classes at crowded public universities are frequently large and impersonal, especially at the lower level.
Types of Universities
German students tend to choose a university for particular professors, not for the reputation of the school. Just as there are individual graduate institutions in the U.S. specializing in law, medicine, theology and business, there is a variety of German colleges and universities.
The 300 post-secondary institutions (Hochschulen) in Germany include general universities, colleges of art and music, theological colleges, teacher colleges, comprehensive universities and polytechnic universities.
The polytechnic universities (Fachhochschulen) developed in the early 1970's from various advanced career-oriented institutions, notably the schools of engineering and technology. They offer three-year courses in fields ranging from technology, agriculture, economics, design, social work and human development to government and administration of law. To study at a Fachhochschule students need the Abitur from a Fachoberschule.
The Gesamthochschule, (comprehensive university), also dating from the early 1970's, offers programs which are traditionally found at separate institutions, such as general and polytechnic universities and even art colleges.
Colleges of art and music are open to anyone, even without formal qualifications, provided applicants demonstrate outstanding artistic talent and pass an entrance exam.
Reentry and International Students
Those who are already employed but never had a chance to attend or complete a Gymnasium or Fachoberschule may also qualify for university or college study. They can obtain an Abitur certificate or equivalent through special adult education or by passing an assessment test. These alternatives are know as der zweite Bildungsweg, the "second route to higher education".
Students from abroad must have a secondary education certificate deemed equivalent to the Abitur. Some students complete a preparatory course in their major at a Kolleg before enrolling in regular course work. But all students must demonstrate sufficient language proficiency to be able to meet the challenges of German college reading and writing.
Academic Freedom
The academic year consists of two terms totaling seven months: the four-month long winter semester (November through February) and the three-month long summer semester (May through July). During the other five months students are expected to work on their term papers and prepare for and take their comprehensive exams. Science and engineering students use this time for their mandatory internships.
In most majors students are expected to complete their studies in four years but actually most students take more time. In fact, the average length of study is seven years. The list of courses for many majors is more advisory than prescriptive and academic counseling is almost non-existent. The German university, unlike the German secondary school, allows students considerable freedom in choosing the classes for their course of study and has no means of enforcing timely completion of the course work.
Only a small number of basic lectures and seminars is required which leaves the option of attending other lectures of interest. At lectures attendance is not taken. However, if students miss a seminar more than twice, the course is not credited. Passing an exam in a seminar is the prerequisite to a higher level seminar. At seminars progress is measured by means of in-class essay tests (Klausuren), in-class presentations (Referate) and term papers (Seminararbeiten).
First Degree: Masters Degree
In some majors basic course work is tested after two to three years by means of a Zwischenprüfung, a comprehensive midway exam. This exam has no equivalent in the U.S. system. It merely represents a benchmark.
The first degree or certificate awarded in the German system of post-secondary education is the equivalent of the U.S. Master's degree. This degree requires the successful completion of one of three types of comprehensive final exams at the end of five to six years of study. Depending on the major, the exam is called Staatsexamen, Magisterprüfung or Diplomprüfung.
Those who plan to teach at a Gymnasium or Realschule or to become physicians, dentists or lawyers sit for the Staatsexamen (State exam). In the humanities students are required to pass the Magisterprüfung (Masters exam). Students with majors such as architecture or psychology, must take the Diplomprüfung (exam for a professional license). These exams typically consist of in-class essays, papers and orals.
How students prepare for these comprehensive exams is up to their own discretion as academic advisors are a rarity. Students register to take the exams when they feel competent. The exams are taken between semesters. Some students continue for a doctorate degree and post-doctorate studies. Doctorate degrees are e.g. Dr. phil (PhD), Dr. med. (MD), Dr. jur. (JD).
College Life
Rarely does a university in Germany have something like a campus, and rarely is there a feeling of close community. Individual academic departments or divisions (Institute, Fakultäten) may be scattered widely throughout a city.
German universities are exclusively academic institutions. Most students do not live in dormitories (Studentenheime). Fraternities (Verbindungen) or sororities (Frauenverbindungen) are unimportant. University-sponsored social events are infrequent. Big-time sport programs do not exist. However, German students tend to be more politically active.
Footing the Bill
Many students in the U.S. do not receive financial support from their parents and must work, performing mostly unskilled labor, in order to pay for both their studies and their living expenses. In Germany, jobs which do not require formal training do not exist in the same numbers as in the U.S. labor market. In Germany, parents have the obligation to finance their children's education. Students are known to have sued their parents for non-support while pursuing a lengthy college education.
Although German universities do not charge tuition, only a modest registration fee, students need money for living expenses and books. Financial aid in the form of grants and loans is available under the Federal Training Promotion Act of 1971 (BAföG = Bundesausbildungsförderungsgesetz). However, as the BAföG has been scaled back in recent years, more and more students are forced to work part-time.
Students are also entitled to a benefit package which includes credits toward future retirement under the Social Security System, free accident insurance and health insurance coverage at a minimal premium cost.
Trouble in Paradise
In the fall 1997 students across Germany went out on strike and organized protest marches. Why?
They complained that over the years budget cuts at the state and federal level have eroded the resources for higher education. Colleges and universities have been left with too few faculty, overcrowded classrooms, antiquated research facilities and inadequate libraries.
Also students were not happy with certain proposed reform measures in the new Hochschulrahmengesetz (Higher Education Framework Act). One such reform proposal imposes restrictions on the number of semesters students may enroll before completing their degree exams and it stipulates that all students routinely pass an exam midway through their studies to demonstrate that adequate degree-progress is being made. The protesters were also calling for an explicit prohibition on the introduction of tuition fees.
Reading Comprehension: Group Work
1. Read text
2. Assume responsibility for the completion of one of the assignments below.
3. Review each other's work before turning in the entire package.
Choose one of the following assignments:
A) Write ten (10) challenging questions testing reading comprehension.
Options: a) questions requiring short answers
b) multiple choice
c) true/false statements
B
C) Write a glossary for all German terms appearing in the text followed by a definition in
English.
e.g. German English
This document was last modified by Ralph Sutter
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