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:
NOTE: Students may attend preprimary programs from age 1.
Primary:
NOTE: In two Länder (the German equivalent of states), Grundschule covers 6 grades.
Lower secondary:
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:
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 degree programs:
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.