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The Education System in Germany

NOTE: There are differences within the education system of Germany because responsibilities and oversight for compulsory education take place at the state level; however, the purpose of this document is to present a brief, general summary of education in Germany. The sources cited at the end of this section provide more specific details about education in Germany.

Preprimary:

  • Common name: Kindergarten
  • Ages of attendance: As early as age 3 to age 5
  • Number of years: 1 to 3
  • Start of universal enrollment: Does not begin in preprimary;
  • see below
  • Compulsory: No

NOTE: Students may attend preprimary programs from age 1.

Primary:

  • Common name: Grundschule
  • Ages of attendance: 6 to 9
  • Number of years: 4
  • Start of universal enrollment: Age 6
  • Compulsory: Yes

NOTE: In two Länder (the German equivalent of states), Grundschule covers 6 grades.

Lower secondary:

  • Common name:
    • Hauptschule—General secondary school
    • Realschule—Enhanced general education secondary school
    • Schule mit mehreren Bildungsgängen—Secondary school with several educational tracks, usually Hauptschule andRealschule
    • Gesamtschule—Integrated secondary school, meaning that students are not split into separate general education and academic tracks
    • Gymnasium—Academic secondary school
  • Ages of attendance: 10 to 15
  • Number of years: 5 to 6
  • Universal enrollment: Yes
  • Compulsory: Yes
  • Entrance/exit criteria: Based on a transition referral of the
    primary school. If parents disagree, in some Länder, admissions tests determine if a student can take the education tracks of Realschule or Gymnasium.

NOTE: There are different types of secondary schools, some combining Hauptschule and Realschule (for reporting purposes this type is referred to as Schule mit mehreren Bildungsgängen). The secondary school a student in Germany attends is determined by a combination of factors, depending on the Länder: admissions tests, previous grade point average, teacher recommendations, and parents' wishes. The degree of flexibility that parents have in choosing which educational track their child enters also varies between Länder.

However, the type of school a student attends is sometimes less important than the chosen track: at the end of lower secondary, all students who meet the requirements receive a leaving certificate. At the Hauptschule it is generally the Hauptschulabschluss. In some Länder, students who excel may receive a Qualifizierter Hauptschulabschluss at the end of grade 9. In some Länder, students may obtain a Realschulabschluss on completing grade 10. (At the Realschule, students typi- cally receive the Realschulabschluss (also called the Mittlere Schulabschluss), and at the Gesamtschule, both types of diplomas are offered). All students attending Gymnasium who advance to the upper secondary level automatically receive the Realschulabschluss.

Some Länder also have an orientation phase during the first 2 years of lower secondary school, which gives parents and teachers 2 more years to decide a child's educational path. In Länder with a 6-year primary school, lower secondary school is 2 years shorter.

Upper secondary:

  • Common name:
    • Übergangssystem: 3- to 4-year vocational full-time instruction for young people who do not have a training contract, helping them to choose a career and providing them with vocational basic training or with an introduction to one or two occupational fields. It does not lead to a vocational school qualification.
    • Berufsschule: 3- to 4-year vocational school, which regularly includes an apprenticeship; students at this school attend part time while also doing an apprenticeship.
    • Berufsfachschule: 1- to 3-year full-time basic vocational school
    • Fachoberschule: 2-year advanced vocational school Gymnasiale Oberstufe: Academic upper secondary school. May continue from lower secondary Gymnasium or
    • Gesamtschule. Comprises grades 11 to 13 or 10 to 12.
  • Ages: Generally 16 to 18 (graduation at 18 or 19)
  • Number of years: 1 to 4
  • Universal enrollment: Through age 18
  • Compulsory: Until age 18
  • Entrance/exit criteria: Students must pass the Abitur, the general higher education entrance qualification for university entrance. Through certain courses of vocational education at upper secondary level, students may pass the Fachabitur and obtain a qualification entitling the holder to study particular subjects at a higher education institution.

NOTE: Gymnasiumand Gesamtschuleare generally combined lower and upper secondary schools, although students concentrate their studies on fewer subjects during the Gymnasiale Oberstufe. In most Länder there is currently a gradual conversion from a 9-year to an 8-year Gymnasium course of education. Additionally, a few Länder offer the Berufsoberschule, a vocational upper secondary school for those who have completed vocational training or have 5 years of work experience.

Postsecondary and tertiary:

  • Common name: Berufsakademie, Fachhochschule, Universität
  • Ages of attendance: Varies
  • Number of years: Varies according to degree
  • Universal enrollment: No
  • Entrance criteria: Students must pass the Abitur(general higher education entrance qualification) in order to enter university. Students must have at a minimum the Fachabitur (vocational upper secondary diploma) in order to enter the tertiary sector.

Common degree programs:

  • Diplom BerufsakademieBA: 3-year program of academic training combined with work experience. Offered at a Berufsakademie.
  • Diplom FachhochschuleFH: 4-year degree program in applied fields such as engineering, administration, social services, and design. Admission to a Fachhochschule is competitive because of restricted numbers of available spaces. Within the framework of the Bologna process, study programs in tertiary education move from Diplom to Bachelor and Master programs.
  • Diplom Universität: Master's degree equivalent usually requiring a minimum of 4 to 5 years of study. Universität offers this degree in academic fields as well as scientific, technical, and engineering fields. Within the framework of the Bologna process, study programs in tertiary education move from Diplom to Bachelor and Master programs.
  • Bachelor: First university degree obtained after 3 to 4 years of study.
  • Master: Second degree obtained after 1 to 2 years of study.
  • Entrants must have obtained a Bachelor degree. Moreover, in some universities students must pass oral or written entrance examinations.
  • Doktor: Doctoral degree program, focused on research and taken at university. Normally requires at least 2 years beyond the Diplom or Master.

Sources:

Autorengruppe Bildungsberichterstattung. (2010). Bildung in Deutschland 2010. Ein indikatorengestützter Bericht miteiner Analyse zu Perspektiven des Bildungswesens im demografischen Wandel. Bielefeld: WBV. [Education in Germany 2010. An indicator-based report including an analysis of demographic challenges for the education system]

Avenarius, H. & Füssel, H.-P. (2010) (8. ed.). Schulrecht. Ein Handbuch für Praxis, Rechtsprechung und Wissenschaft. Kronach: Carl Link. [School laws. A handbook for practice, law and research]

Eurybase. (2007). The Information Database on Education Systems in Europe: The Education System in Germany, 2006/2007. Brussels: Eurydice. Retrieved December 15, 2008, from http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/ressources/eurydice/eurybase/ pdf/0_integral/DE_EN.pdf.

German Education Server (Deutscher Bildungs Server). (2006). Glossary for the Education System in the Federal Republic of Germany. Chiefly compiled by the Standing Conference of the State Ministers of Education and the Arts in the Federal Republic of Germany (KMK). Retrieved October 31, 2006, from http://www.eduserver.de/glossare.html?sp=1.

Marlow-Ferguson, R. (Ed.) (2002). World Education Encyclopedia: A Survey of Educational Systems Worldwide, Vol. 1 (2nd ed.). Farmington Hills, MI: Gale Group.

Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. (1996). Education at a Glance: OECD Indicators. Paris: Author.

Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. (1999). INES Network A Newsletter, Issue 10. Paris: Author.

Robitaille, D.F. (1997). National Contexts for Mathematics and Science Education: An Encyclopedia of the Education Systems Participating in TIMSS. Vancouver, Canada: Pacific Educational Press.

Secretariat of the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Educa- tion and Cultural Affairs of the Länder in the Federal Republic of Germany. (2010). Glossary on Education. Institutions, Examinations, Qualifications, Titles and other Specialist Terms. Bonn: KMK. Retrieved April, 7, 2011, from http://www.kmk.org/fileadmin/doc/Dokumentation/Glossary_dt_engl.pdf.