Study in Germany - Universities in Germany

Study in Berlin | European College of Liberal Arts - ECLA

noreply@blogger.com (the one) — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 13:02:00 +0000

Study at European College of Liberal Arts in Berlin Germany
European College of Liberal Arts (ECLA) is a college without departments, dedicated to the integrated study of values. In each academic programme, ECLA students work with faculty from different backgrounds on moral, political, epistemic, religious, and aesthetic questions, with the understanding that such questions are naturally and deeply connected. Possible areas of concentration are Art & Aesthetics, Ethics & Political Theory, and Literature & Rhetoric.
Students are taught in small discussions seminars and one-to-one tutorials by a select faculty from disciplines like philosophy, literature, political theory, art history, and film theory. Philantrophic grants allow the college to have a need-blind admissions policy, so no qualified student is turned away for lack of funding. Students and faculty come from all over the world and work together in English. They share the facilities of a small residential campus and the cultural riches of one of the most vibrant capitals in Europe.

B.A. in Value Studies
European College of Liberal Arts leading to the Bachelor of Arts degree, Students completing the programme receive a B.A. in Value Studies and concentrate in two of the following three areas: Art and Aesthetics, Ethics and Political Theory, Literature and Rhetoric. It is the first degree programme structured around the concept of value.

The Academy Year (AY) ECLA's first one-year programme was introduced in 2002, and continues today in a developed version as the Academy Year Programme. The main structural components of the curriculum are core courses and electives. Students may also study languages for extra credit if time permits. In 2009-10 the core courses are dedicated to Greek Thought and Literature on Education, Forms of Love: Eros, Agape and Philia, and The Values of the Florentine Renaissance. Seminars are usually composed of five to twelve students.

The Project Year (PY) Another one-year programme, The Students spend half their time in core courses, and divide the rest between electives and a year-long individual project after which the programme is named. Supervised by one or two faculty members with relevant expertise, the work culminates with a 25-page essay and an oral presentation of the project to the rest of the school. In 2009-10 the topic of the PY core course is The Idea and Ideal of Objectivity. Usually PY students have 3–5 years of relevant academic experience when they join the programme.

The International Summer University (ISU)
The theme for the 2009 ISU was "Montaigne and the Making of the Modern Self". Because of campus developments there will be no ISU in 2010.
Theodor Paleologu has been an assistant professor and director of the ISU between 2003 and 2006. David Durst, philosophy professor from the American University in Bulgaria was the ISU director from 2007 to 2009.

Study arts In Berlin - University of the Arts (Universität der Künste Berlin)

noreply@blogger.com (the one) — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 12:39:00 +0000

Study fine arts, architecture, media and design, music and the performing arts in Germany.
Universität der Künste Berlin, UdK (Berlin University of the Arts) is a German university founded in 1975 with the merger of the Berlin State School of Fine Arts and the Berlin State School of Music and the Performing Arts. Its root institutions date back to the founding of the Akademie der Künste in 1696.
The teaching offered at the four colleges of Fine Art, architecture, media, Design, Music and Performing Arts as well as at the Central Institute of Further Education encompasses the full spectrum of the arts and related academic studies in more than 40 courses. Having the right to confer doctorates and post-doctoral qualifications, Berlin University of the Arts is also one of Germany’s few art colleges with full university status.

International Networking
As a result of contacts on many levels, Berlin University of the Arts is part of an excellent international network. In all, Berlin University of the Arts cultivates more than 130 international partnerships with other universities, and more than 800 foreign students - corresponding to ca. 20 % of all our students - are currently registered at the university. Annually, more than 100 students from Berlin University of the Arts spend part of their training abroad in the context of exchange programmes. Berlin University of the Arts places the emphasis of international cooperation on the exchange of students and lecturers, but also promotes discourse on further education policies together with leading international universities of art and music.

Teacher Training
In addition to study of fine art and music, Berlin University of the Arts offers the possibility of studying music and fine art with a teaching career in mind. In addition to a main creative subject, the future teachers - within the Bachelor/Master system – study a second academic subject at one of Berlin’s other universities. Berlin University of the Arts is the only institute of higher education in Berlin that trains art and music teachers. Selection is based primarily on entrance examinations in art; teaching takes place in classes made up of students of Fine Art and those training to become teachers.

Study in Germany | Berlin School of Economics and Law

noreply@blogger.com (the one) — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 12:18:00 +0000

Study Economics and Law at Germany (Berlin), Programmes in English, French and German.
Berlin School of Economics and Law (BSEL) was founded on 1 April 2009 through the merger of the Berlin School of Economics (BSE) and the FHVR Berlin, a university of applied sciences for administration and law. The BSEL portfolio provides a wide range of professional qualifications.
The new University forms an academic centre specialised in business and administration skills for the public and private sector, as well as public security, the law and engineering. The majority of programmes lead to a Bachelor or Master degree, have been quality controlled and are accredited by the German state. BSEL has an international approach with close working relationship with over 90 partner universities all over the world.

Berlin School of Economics and Law (BSEL) has three campuses. The main campus is located in Berlin-Schöneberg and is home to the University administration, the Faculty of Business and Economics and the IMB Institute of Management Berlin. The Faculty of Company-Linked Programmes is near Ostkreuz station in Berlin-Friedrichshain. The campus with the Faculty of Administration and Law, Faculty of Law, Faculty of Police Training and Management and the Institute for Distance Learning is part of the educational complex in Berlin-Lichtenberg. Since 2010, BSEL also has an experimental virtual campus in the 3D virtual world of Second Life, established and supervised by BSEL's Head of E-Learning, Marcus Birkenkrahe.

Berlin School of Economics and Law (BSEL)
Programmes offered in English
* B.A. International Business Management
* B.A. International Security Management
* M.A. Chinese-European Economics and Business Studies
* M.A. Financial & Managerial Accounting
* M.A. International Economics
* M.A. International Marketing Management
* M.A. Labour Policies and Globalisation
* M.Sc. International Finance
* MBA European Management
* MBA European-Asian Programme
* Certificate Macroeconomic Policy Studies

Programmes offered in English and German
* B.A. Business Administration (German-British or German-Dutch)
* B.A. Economics
* B.A. International Business (German/British)
* B.A. International Business Administration (company-linked programme)
* B.A. Security Management
* M.A. Nonprofit-Management and Public Governance
* M.A European Administrative Management
* MBA Entrepreneurship
* MBA General Management - Dual Award

Programmes offered in French and German
* B.A./ M.A. International Management / Management International (Franco-German Track in cooperation with ESCE Paris)

Berlin Institute of Technology - Study in Germany = Technical University of Berlin

noreply@blogger.com (the one) — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 15:35:00 +0000

Study in German, Engineering University in Berlin
The Berlin Institute of Technology (Technical University of Berlin, TUB, TU Berlin, German: Technische Universität Berlin) is a research university located in Berlin, Germany. It was founded in 1879 and, with nearly 30,000 students, is one of the largest technical universities in Germany. It also has the highest proportion of foreign students out of universities in Germany, with 20.9% in the summer semester of 2007, roughly 5,598 students. The university alumni and professor list include eight Nobel Prize winners.

The TU Berlin is a member of Top Industrial Managers for Europe network, which allows for student exchanges between leading European engineering schools. It also belongs to Conference of European Schools for Advanced Engineering Education and Research (CESAER) . TU Berlin is ranked 62nd in the world in the field of Engineering/Technology according to Times Higher Education-QS World University Rankings. Top Study Links University Rankings 2010 ranks Technische Universität Berlin as the 7th best university in Germany. The university is ranked 137th in the World.
Berlin Institute of Technology (Campus)
The TU Berlin covers ca. 600,000 m², distributed over various locations in Berlin. The main campus is located in the borough of Charlottenburg. The seven schools of the university have some 28,200 students enrolled in more than 50 subjects (January, 2009).

Program
Since April 4, 2005, the TU Berlin has consisted of the following schools:
1. Humanities
2. Mathematics and Natural Sciences
3. Process Sciences and Engineering
4. Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
5. Mechanical Engineering and Transport Systems (including Aerospace engineering, Automotive engineering, naval and ocean engineering, and the planning and operation of transport systems)
6. Planning - Building - Environment (merge of former schools of "Civil Engineering and Applied Geosciences" and "Architecture - Environment - Society")
7. Economics and Management

Study engineering at university in Berlin city Germany

A Engineers

noreply@blogger.com (the one) — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 15:23:00 +0000

About Engineers (engineering)
Engineers are those who develop devices that serve as solutions to practical problems, by applying mathematics, scientific knowledge and ingenuity while considering technical, safety and cost constraints. The term is derived from the Latin root "ingenium," meaning "cleverness". The industrial revolution and continuing technological developments of the last few centuries have changed the connotation of the term slightly, resulting in the perception of engineers as applied scientists. The work of engineers is the link between perceived needs of society and commercial applications.

Engineers are responsible for everything that has been built that serves a practical purpose. This stands in contrast to scientists, who perform systematic research toward a better understanding of nature, and artists, who create things with a focus on aesthetics with little regard to utility. When the engineering of practical devices is combined with artistic aesthetics, it is called 'design'. When science is done with a goal toward practical utility, it is called applied science (short of the creation of new devices that fall into the realm of engineering).

Engineer - engineering degree - Technical Universities or Fachhochschulen.

noreply@blogger.com (the one) — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 15:12:00 +0000

In Germany, the engineering degree is either delivered by Universities, Technical Universities or Fachhochschulen. German engineers, Study Engineering in Germany.
Engineering Technical Universities or Fachhochschulen.
Students receive first a baccalaureate degree (3–4 years of studies) followed by a Master's degree (1–2 years of studies) according to the principles of the Bologna declaration, though traditionally, the degree received after completing an engineering education was the German Diplom-Ingenieur - the German language has adopted the French noun. Using the title Ingenieur is legally regulated and limited to the according academic graduates. The engineering doctorate degree is the Doktor-Ingenieur.

The quality of German engineering expertise has long been much vaunted, especially in the field of mechanical engineering. This is supported by the degree to which the various theories governing aerodynamics and structural mechanics are named after German scientists and engineers such as Ludwig Prandtl. German engineers have also been praised at being very practical (i.e. skilled at physical work related to their discipline), ascribed to the high quality of the apprenticeship courses many German engineers go through as part of their education

Engineer - Engineering - The title

noreply@blogger.com (the one) — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 15:06:00 +0000

About Engineering
European Engineer (Eur Ing, EUR ING) is an international professional qualification for engineers used in many European countries. The title is granted after successful application to a national member of the European Federation of National Engineering Associations (FEANI) which includes representation from many European countries, including much of the European Union. It allows a person who has an engineering degree and usually an engineering professional qualification in one of the member countries to use the qualification in others, but this depends on local legislation.

Academic qualifications alone have limited value. In providing an acceptable common and highly professional standard, the European Engineer requires proven experience in the application of knowledge, level of skill, safety and environmental consciousness, sense of responsibility, ability to communicate and level of supervision received.

The title Eur Ing is "pre-nominal", i.e. it is placed before rather than after the name as in the case of a post-nominal title such as that for academic degrees (however, in some EU countries, academic degrees are also pre-nominal). Names are also placed on the FEANI Register maintained by FEANI in additional to national member registers.

A minimum total period of seven years training, consisting of an accredited engineering degree, further training and responsible experience is required by FEANI for the Eur Ing title.

The title is equivalent to national engineering qualifications such as the Chartered Engineer title. In countries where the title of a Chartered Engineer is used, the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom, the Chartered Engineer title is a prerequiste requirement for an application for the Eur Ing title.

Recognition of the qualification and title are generally not specifically incorporated into national law, however in the United Kingdom the Privy Council has approved the use of the title. In all cases approval is only after peer review by the appropriate national engineering society. The EU Directive 89/48/EEC generally exempts a bearer from additional examination in the Union.

Engineering

noreply@blogger.com (the one) — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 14:29:00 +0000

About Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art and profession of acquiring and applying technical, scientific, and mathematical knowledge to design and implement materials, structures, machines, devices, systems, and processes that safely realize a desired objective or invention.

One who practices engineering is called an engineer, and those licensed to do so may have more formal designations such as Professional Engineer, Chartered Engineer, Incorporated Engineer, or European Engineer. The broad discipline of engineering encompasses a range of more specialized subdisciplines, each with a more specific emphasis on certain fields of application and particular areas of technology.

The American Engineers' Council for Professional Development (ECPD, the predecessor of ABET) has defined engineering as follows:
The creative application of scientific principles to design or develop structures, machines, apparatus, or manufacturing processes, or works utilizing them singly or in combination; or to construct or operate the same with full cognizance of their design; or to forecast their behavior under specific operating conditions; all as respects an intended function, economics of operation and safety to life and property.

Bachelor of Engineering

noreply@blogger.com (the one) — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 18:45:00 +0000

In Germany, the Bachelor of Engineering was introduced as part of implementation of the Bologna process. However, this degree is in fact only offered by German Fachhochschule-institutions. German technical universities award a Bachelor of Science in engineering rather than the BEng degree. A German BEng is somewhat unusual since it generally lasts for three and a half years.

University-Collage study program

Bachelor's degrees in Germany

noreply@blogger.com (the one) — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 17:59:00 +0000

in Germany Bachelor's degrees, called Bakkalaureus, originally existed in Germany, but were abolished up until 1820 as part of educational reforms at this time. The Magister degree, originally a graduate degree, became the new first degree after five years of study. In 1899 a second first degree, the Diplom, was introduced when the Technische Hochschulen received university status.
However, in 1998 a new educational legislation reintroduced the Bachelor's degree (first degree after 3 years of study) in Germany. Today these degrees can be called either Bakkalaureus or Bachelor (in accordance with federal law) but the English term is more common. The traditional degrees will be abolished by 2010. University-Collage study program

Master of Science

noreply@blogger.com (the one) — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 16:28:00 +0000

university-Collage study program

Master of Science (M.Sc.) academic degree has been recently introduced in Germany, as the once common Diplom programs typically lasting five years were replaced by separate three-year bachelor and two-year master programs. It is awarded in the natural sciences, mathematics and computer science fields, and depending on the focus of studies also in engineering or economics. The completion of a scientific thesis is required. All Master's degrees in Germany are designed to certify an equal level of education and qualify for a doctorate program. A master's degree is equivalent to the corresponding traditional Diplom and Magister degree.
The degree Master of Science is often awarded in English form, but institutions can alternatively award it in the German form, Magister der Wissenschaften. The graduate needs to use it as awarded and cannot choose which form to use.

College & university Germany

noreply@blogger.com (the one) — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 21:06:00 +0000

....All courses at the roughly 250 classic universities and universities of applied sciences used to be free - like any school in Germany. One might also say the government offered a full scholarship to everyone. However, students that took longer than the Regelstudienzeit ("regular length of studies", a statistically calculated average that is the minimum amount of time necessary to successfully graduate) did have to pay Langzeitstudiengebühren ("long-time study fees") of about 500 EUR per semester, in a number of states. Today there are a few private institutions (especially business schools) that charge tuition fees, but they don't have high recognition and high standards as public universities have. Another negative impact of the private institution in Germany is that they usually have only one or few subjects so that they can't get high recognition in international competition.
One does have to pay for one's room and board plus one's books. After a certain age, one must obtain obligatory student health insurance (50 EUR per month), and one always has to pay for some other social services for students (40-100 EUR per semester). Students often enjoy very cheap public transport (Semesterticket) in and around the university town. There are cheap rooms for students built by the Studentenwerk, an independent non-profit organization partially funded by the state. These may cost 150 EUR per month, without any food. Otherwise an apartment can cost 500 EUR, but often students share apartments, with 3 or 5 people per apartment. Food is about 100 EUR (figures for 2002). Many banks provide free accounts to students up to a certain age (usually around 25).
The German Constitutional Court recently ruled that a federal law prohibiting tuition fees is unconstitutional, on the grounds that education is the sole responsibility of the states. Following this ruling, several state governments (e.g. in Bavaria and North Rhine-Westfalia) proclaimed their intention to introduce tuition of around €500 per semester within the next year. Many state legislatures have passed laws that allow, but do not officially force, universities to demand tuition up to a limit, usually €500. In preparation to comply with several local laws aiming to give universities more liberty in their decisions but requiring them to be more economical (effectively privatising them), many universities hastily decided to introduce the fees, usually without any exceptions other than a bare minimum. As a direct result, student demonstrations in the scale of 100 to 10000 participants are frequent in the affected cities, most notably Frankfurt in Hesse, where the state officially considered introducing universal tuition fees in the €1500 range.
There are no university-sponsored scholarships in Germany, but a number of private and public institutions hand out scholarships, usually to cover the cost of living and books. Moreover, there is a law (BAFöG or Bundesausbildungsförderungsgesetz) that sees to it that needy people can get up to 550 EUR per month for 4-5 years if they or their parents cannot afford all the costs involved with studying. Part (typically half) of this money is given as an interest-free loan and has to be paid back. Many universities planning to introduce tuition fees have announced their intention to use a part of the money to create scholarship programmes, although the exact details are mostly vague.
Most students will move to the university town if it is far away. Getting across Germany from Flensburg to Konstanz takes a full day (1000 km or 620 miles). But, as mentioned above, there is no university-provided student housing on campus in Germany, since most campuses are scattered all over the city for historical reasons. Traditionally, university students rented a private room in town, which was their home away from home. This is no longer the standard, but one still finds this situation. One third to one half of the students works to make a little extra money, often resulting in a longer stay at university.
Figures for Germany are roughly:
1,000,000 new students at all schools put together for one year
400,000 Abitur graduations
30,000 doctoral dissertations per year
1000 habilitations per year (qualification to become a professor)
Degrees: Most courses lead up to a diploma called Diplom or Magister and these are equivalent to the Masters degree in other countries (after a minimum of 4 to 5 years). The doctoral degree usually takes another 3-5 years, with no formal classes, but independent research under the tutelage of a single professor. Most doctoral candidates work as teaching- or research assistants, and are paid a reasonably competitive salary.
Recently, changes related to the so-called Bologna-Agreement have started taking place to install a more internationally acknowledged system, which includes new course structures - the (hitherto unknown) Bachelor degree and the Master degree - and ETCS credits. These changes have not been forced on the universities and the hope has been that they will develop them from the bottom up. So far, students have been reluctant to start these new courses because they know that within Germany, employers are not used to them and prefer the well-known system. In the winter semester of 2001, only 5% of all students aspired to complete either a bachelor or master degree, but this has changed as many universities and universities of applied sciences change their course offerings to exclusively provide only bachelor or master degree certificates (e.g. Bremen or Erfurt).
In addition, there are the courses leading to Staatsexamen (state examinations), e. g. for lawyers and teachers, that qualify for entry into German civil service, but which are not recognized elsewhere as an academic degree (although the courses are sometimes identical).
On the whole though, Germany universities are internationally recognized. This is demonstrated by their positioning in international university rankings. Ten German universities were listed in the top 200 universities in the world in the 2006 THES - QS World University Rankings. back 1 , 2

College and university : Germany

noreply@blogger.com (the one) — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 20:57:00 +0000

Upon leaving school, students may choose to go on to university; however, most (male) students will have to serve nine months of military or alternative service (Zivildienst) beforehand.
The Gymnasium graduation (Abitur) opens the way to any university; there are no entrance examinations. The Abiturdurchschnittsnote (similar to GPA in the US, or A-Level results in the UK) is the deciding factor in granting university places; an institution may quote an entry requirement for a particular course. This is called numerus clausus (literally "restricted number"), but it generally only applies to popular courses with very limited places; for example a medical course could require an Abiturgrade of between 1.0 to 1.5.
While at Gymnasium a student cannot take courses that result in university credits. This might also have to do with the fact that the credit system is unknown in Germany so far, although it is being introduced with the Bologna process that is intended to unify education and degrees for all EU states. What counts at the end of one's studies is a bundle of certificates ("Scheine") issued by the professors proving that the required courses (and/or exams) were successfully taken. With a few exceptions students may not receive certificates for courses they attend before officially matriculating at the university (i.e. while at Gymnasium), although their attendance may sometimes be counted as such. Usually there are few required specific courses, rather students choose from a more or less broad range of classes in their field of interest, while this varies greatly upon the choice of subject. Once a student has acquired the needed number of such certificates and can (if he or she is a Magister student) verify his or her regular attendance at a minimum number of optional courses, he or she can decide to register for the final examinations. In many cases, the grades of those certificates are completely discarded and the final diploma grade consists only of the grades of the final exams and master thesis. This can potentially impair the student's motivation to achieve excellence during their studies, although most students try to aim for higher scores in order to comply with requirements for BAFöG or scholarships, or, simply, for vanity.
At Gymnasium, students are under strict observation by teachers, and their attendance at all courses is checked regularly. At German universities, however, class attendance is only checked for courses in which the student requires a certificate, and attendance checks are usually a lot more liberal (usually a signature or sign is considered proof of attendance, even if the signing is not supervised) and sporadic, although repeated failure to attend a course without a proper excuse (i.e. sick note) usually results in the loss of the chance to get a certificate. Life at German universities may seem anonymous and highly individual at first, but most students find a group of fellow students with common interests in their first year, and then often take courses together and study in this group up to the final exam studies.
While there are curricula for the first two or three years in the sciences, in the liberal arts, every student picks the lectures and seminars he or she prefers (usually admission to the Zwischenprüfung requires three certificates, which may each be earned in one of several different seminars), and takes the exams at the end of the study period. Each student decides for him- or herself when he or she feels ready for the final exam. Some take the minimum 4 years, most take 5-6 years, some may even spend 10 years at university (often because they changed subjects several times). After 13 years at school plus maybe 1 year in the military, graduates may sometimes be almost 30 years old when they apply for their first real job in life, although most will have had a number of part-time jobs or temporary employments between semesters.
If they have successfully studied at university for two years (after a Zwischenprüfung/Vordiplom), students can transfer to other countries for graduate studies. Usually they finish studies after 4-6 years with a degree called the Diplom (in the sciences) or Magister (in the arts), which is equivalent to a M.Sc. or M.A., or a Magister Artium.
A special kind of degree is the Staatsexamen. It is a government licensing examination that future doctors, teachers, lawyers, judges, public prosecutors and pharmacists have to pass to be allowed to work in their profession. Students usually study at university for 4-8 years before they take the first Staatsexamen. Afterwards teachers and jurists go on to work in their future jobs for two years, before they are able to take the second Staatsexamen, which tests their practical abilities in their jobs. The first Staatsexamen is equivalent to a M.Sc., M.A, LL.M. or J.D.
However, there is another type of post-Abitur university training available in Germany: the Fachhochschulen (Universities of Applied Science), which offer similar degrees as classic universities, but often concentrate on applied science (as the English name suggests). While in classic universities it is an important part to study WHY a method is scientifically right that point is not so important to students at Universities of Applied Science. There it is stressed to study what systems and methods exist, where they come from, their pros and cons, how to use them in practice and last but not least when are they to use and when not. Students start their courses together and graduate (more or less) together and there is little choice in their schedule (but this must no be at several studies). To get on-the-job experience, internship semesters are a mandatory part of studying at a Fachhochschule. Therefore the students at U-o-A-S are better trained in transferring learned knowledge and skills into practise while students of classic Universities are better trained in method developing. But as professors at U-o-A-S have done their doctorate at classic universities and classic universities have regarded the importance of practice both types are coming closer and closer. It is nowadays more a differentiation between practice orientation and theoretical orientation of science.
After about 4-5 years (depending on how a student arranges the courses he or she takes over the course of his studies, and on whether he or she has to repeat courses) a Fachhochschule student has a complete education and can go right into working life. Fachhochschule graduates received traditionally a title that starts with "Dipl." (Diploma) and ends with "(FH)", e.g. "Dipl. Ing. (FH)" for a graduate engineer from a Fachhochschule. The FH Diploma is roughly equivalent to a Bachelor degree. An FH Diploma does not usually qualify the holder for a Ph.D. program directly -- many universities require an additional entrance exam or participation in theoretical classes from FH candidates. The last point is based on the history. When FHs or U-o-A-S were set up the professors were mainly teachers from higher schools but did not hold a doctorate. This has completely changed since the end of the eighties, but professors of classic universities still regard themselves as "the real professors", which indeed is no longer true. Due to the Bologna process the bachelor and master degrees are introduced to classic universities and universities of applied sciences in the same way.back 1 next 3

College and university | Germany

noreply@blogger.com (the one) — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 20:49:00 +0000

Universities in Germany are part of the free state education system, which means that there are very few private universities and colleges like Munich Business School for example. While the organizational structure claims to go back to the university reforms by Wilhelm von Humboldt in the early 19th century, it has also been criticized by some (including the German-born, former Stanford University president Gerhard Casper) for having an unbalanced focus, more on education and less on research, and the lack of independence from state intervention. Many of today's German public universities, in fact, bear less resemblance to the original Humboldt vision than, for example, a typical US institution.
German university students largely choose their own programme of study and professors choose their own subjects for research and teaching. This elective system often results in students spending many years at university before graduating, and is currently under review. There are no fixed classes of students who study together and graduate together. Students change universities according to their interests and the strengths of each university. Sometimes students attend two, three or more different universities in the course of their studies. This mobility means that at German universities there is a freedom and individuality unknown in the USA, the UK, or France. next 2, 3

Germany and Education

noreply@blogger.com (the one) — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 20:39:00 +0000

Responsibility for German education system lies primarily with the states while the federal government only has a minor role. Optional kindergarten education is provided for all children between three and six years old, after which school attendance is compulsory for nine or ten years. In Germany, students are graded on a scale of one through six, one being high and six being very low, or failing. Home-schooling is not permitted in any of the German Bundesländer except if a child is suffering from an illness that prevents school attendance. There are also rare cases where foreign families living for a short time in Germany have been granted exemption from compulsory schooling in order to home-school their children in their own language. Primary education usually lasts for four years (6 in Berlin) and public schools are not stratified at this stage. In contrast, secondary education includes four types of schools based on a pupil's ability as determined by teacher recommendations: the Gymnasium includes the most gifted children and prepares students for university studies; the Realschule has a broader range of emphasis for intermediary students; the Hauptschule prepares pupils for vocational education, and the Gesamtschule or comprehensive school combines the three approaches. There are also Förderschulen (schools for the mentally challenged and physically challenged). One in 21 students attends a Förderschule In order to enter a university, high school students are required to take the Abitur examination; however, students possessing a diploma from a vocational school may also apply to enter. A special system of apprenticeship called Duale Ausbildung allows pupils in vocational training to learn in a company as well as in a state-run school. Although Germany has had a history of a strong educational system, recent PISA student assessments demonstrated a weakness in certain subjects. In the test of 43 countries in the year 2000, Germany ranked 21st in reading and 20th in both mathematics and the natural sciences, prompting calls for reform.

Psychology & Biological

noreply@blogger.com (the one) — Wed, 28 May 2008 21:09:00 +0000

Germany's achievements in Psychology, Biological and earth sciences:

Psychology (Wirtschaftspsychologie): Wilhelm Wundt is credited with the establishment of psychology as an independent empirical science through his construction of the first laboratory at the University of Leipzig in 1879.

Biological and earth sciences

Two out of the three founders of micro biology were from Germany ; these are Ferdinand Cohn and Robert Koch.

Alexander von Humboldt's (1769 – 1859) work as a natural scientist and explorer was foundational to biogeography. Wladimir Köppen (1846-1940) was an eclectic Russian-born botanist and climatologist who synthesized global relationships between climate, vegetation and soil types into a classification system that is used, with some modifications, to this day. Alfred Wegener (1880-1930), a similarly interdisciplinary scientist, was one of the first people to hypothesize the theory of continental drift which was later developed into the overarching geological theory of plate tectonics.
Loof Lirpa is a not very well known botanist because his findings tended to be reached after they have been concluded by others. In 1958 he publicly declared that that reason why plants can live so far from teh ground is because they have systems in their stems that is able to draw water and other nutrients throughout the plant. Yet, this was discovered after Carl Adolph Agardh has already discovered what we call the xylem and phloem.

Physics (Physik), Chemistry & Mathematics

noreply@blogger.com (the one) — Wed, 28 May 2008 20:59:00 +0000

Germany's achievements in science & technology: Ingenieurwissenschaft, Physics (Physik): Chemistry, Mathematics Engineering (Ingenieurwissenschaft):

Physics (Physik):

The work of Albert Einstein and Max Planck was crucial to the foundation of modern physics, which Werner Heisenberg and Erwin Schrödinger developed further. They were preceded by such key physicists as Hermann von Helmholtz, Joseph von Fraunhofer, and Gabriel Daniel Fahrenheit, among others. Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen discovered X-rays, an accomplishment that made him the first winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1901 and eventually earned him an element name, roentgenium. Heinrich Rudolf Hertz's work in the domain of electromagnetic radiation were pivotal to the development of modern telecommunication.

Engineering (Ingenieurwissenschaft)

Germany has been the home of many famous inventors and engineers, such as Johannes Gutenberg, who is credited with the invention of movable type printing in Europe; Hans Geiger, the creator of the Geiger counter; and Konrad Zuse, who built the first computer.[6] German inventors, engineers and industrialists such as Zeppelin, Daimler, Diesel, Otto, Wankel, Braun and Benz helped shape modern automotive and air transportation technology.

Chemistry

At the start of the 20th century, Germany garnered fourteen of the first thirty-one Nobel Prizes in Chemistry, starting with Hermann Emil Fischer in 1901 and until Carl Bosch and Friedrich Bergius in 1931. Otto Hahn is considered a pioneer of radioactivity and radiochemistry.
Mathematics

Numerous important mathematicians were born in Germany, including Gauss, Hilbert, Riemann, Weierstrass and Weyl.

Science & Technology

noreply@blogger.com (the one) — Wed, 28 May 2008 20:31:00 +0000

Science and technology (Wissenschaft & Technologie) : Germany's achievements in science and technology have been significant and research and development efforts form an integral part of the country's economy. Germany has been the home of some of the most prominent researchers in various scientific disciplines, notably physics, mathematics, chemistry and engineering. Scientific research in the country is supported by industry, by the network of German universities and by scientific state-institutions such as the Max Planck Society and the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft. The raw output of scientific research from Germany consistently ranks among the world's best.

Culture | Kultur

noreply@blogger.com (the one) — Wed, 28 May 2008 20:22:00 +0000

Culture of germany (Kultur) , this country is often called Das Land der Dichter und Denker (the land of poets and thinkers). Germany culture began long before the rise of Germany as a nation-state and spanned the entire German-speaking world. From its roots, culture in Germany has been shaped by major intellectual and popular currents in Europe, both religious and secular. As a result, it is difficult to identify a specific German tradition separated from the larger framework of European high culture. Another consequence of these circumstances is the fact, that some historical figures, such as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Franz Kafka and Paul Celan, though not citizens of Germany in the modern sense, must be seen in the context of the German cultural sphere to understand their historical situation, work and social relations.
Germany claims some of the world's most renowned classical music composers, including Ludwig van Beethoven, Johann Sebastian Bach, Johannes Brahms and Richard Wagner.
Numerous German painters have enjoyed international prestige through their work in diverse artistic currents. Hans Holbein the Younger, Matthias Grünewald, and Albrecht Durer were important artists of the Renaissance, Caspar David Friedrich of Romanticism, and Max Ernst of Surrealism. Architectural contributions from Germany include the Carolingian and Ottonian styles, which were important precursors of Romanesque. The region later became the site for significant works in styles such as Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque. Germany was particularly important in the early modern movement, especially through the Bauhaus movement founded by Walter Gropius. Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, also from Germany, became one of world's most renowned architects in the second half of the 20th century. The glass facade skyscraper was his idea.

Germany Economy | Wirtschaft

noreply@blogger.com (the one) — Wed, 28 May 2008 20:14:00 +0000

Germany is one of the world's most advanced market economies & largest national economy in Europe, the third largest by nominal GDP in the world.
The German economy is heavily export-oriented, with exports accounting for more than one-third of national output. As a result, exports traditionally have been a key element in German macroeconomic expansion. Germany is a strong advocate of closer European economic and political integration, and its economic and commercial policies are increasingly determined by agreements among European Union (EU) members and EU single market legislation. Germany uses the common European currency, the euro, and its monetary policy is set by the European Central Bank in Frankfurt, Germany.
Since the age of industrialisation the country has been motor, innovator and beneficiary of an ever more globalized economy. The export of goods "Made in Germany" is one of the main factors of the country's wealth. Germany is the world's top exporter with $1.133 trillion exported in 2006 (Eurozone countries are included) and generates a trade surplus of €165 billion . The service sector contributes around 70% to the total GDP, the industry 29.1% and agriculture 0.9%. Most of the country's products are in engineering, especially in automobiles, machinery, metals, and chemical goods.

Languages | Sprachen

noreply@blogger.com (the one) — Wed, 28 May 2008 19:49:00 +0000

The German language (deutsche Sprache), German is the official and predominantly spoken language in Germany. The standard German is a West Germanic language and is closely related to and classified alongside English, Dutch and Swedish.
German language, it is one of 23 official languages in the European Union, and one of the three working languages of the European Commission, along with English and French. Recognized native minority languages in Germany are Danish, Sorbian, Romany and Frisian. They are officially protected by the ECRML. Most used immigrant languages are Turkish, Polish, the Balkan languages and Russian.
Most German vocabulary is derived from the Germanic branch of the Indo-European language family. Significant minorities of words derived from Latin, Greek, and a smaller amount from French, and most recently English (known as Denglisch). German is written using the Latin alphabet. In addition to the 26 standard letters, German has three vowels with Umlaut, namely ä, ö and ü, as well as the Eszett or scharfes S (sharp s) ß.
German is spoken by approximately 100 million native speakers and also about 80 million non-native speakers, and Standard German is widely taught in schools, universities, and Goethe Institutes worldwide.

Law | Stammesrechte

noreply@blogger.com (the one) — Wed, 28 May 2008 19:28:00 +0000

The Judiciary of Germany is independent of the executive and the legislative branches. Germany has a civil or statute law system that is based on Roman law with some references to Germanic law. The Bundesverfassungsgericht (Federal Constitutional Court) , located in Karlsruhe, is the German Supreme Court responsible for constitutional matters, with power of judicial review. It acts as the highest legal authority and ensures that legislative and judicial practice conforms to the Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany (Basic Law). It acts independently of the other state bodies, but cannot act on its own behalf.Germany's supreme court system, called Oberste Gerichtshöfe des Bundes, is specialized. For civil and criminal cases, the highest court of appeal is the Federal Court of Justice, located in Karlsruhe and Leipzig. The courtroom style is inquisitorial. Other Federal Courts are the Federal Labour Court in Erfurt, the Federal Social Court in Kassel, the Federal Finance Court in Munich and the Federal Administrative Court in Leipzig.
Criminal law and private law are codified on the national level in the Strafgesetzbuch and the Bürgerliches Gesetzbuch respectively. The German penal system is aimed towards rehabilitation of the criminal; its secondary goal is the protection of the general public. To achieve the latter, a convicted criminal can be put in preventive detention (Sicherheitsverwahrung) in addition to the regular sentence if he is considered to be a threat to the general public. The Völkerstrafgesetzbuch regulates the consequences of crimes against humanity, genocide and war crimes. It gives German courts universal jurisdiction if prosecution by a court of the country where the crime was committed, or by an international court, is not possible.

Politics | Politik

noreply@blogger.com (the one) — Wed, 28 May 2008 19:15:00 +0000

Politics of Germany : Germany is a federal, parliamentary, representative democratic republic. The German political system operates under a framework laid out in the 1949 constitutional document known as the Grundgesetz (Basic Law). By calling the document Grundgesetz, rather than Verfassung (constitution), the authors expressed the intention that it would be replaced by a proper constitution once Germany was reunited as one state. Amendments to the Grundgesetz generally require a two-thirds majority of both chambers of the parliament; the articles guaranteeing fundamental rights, the separation of powers, the federal structure, and the right to resist attempts to overthrow the constitution are valid in perpetuity and cannot be amended.
The Bundeskanzler (Federal Chancellor), currently Angela Merkel, is the head of government and exercises executive power, similar to the role of a Prime Minister in other parliamentary democracies. Federal legislative power is vested in the parliament consisting of the Bundestag (Federal Diet) and Bundesrat (Federal Council), which together form a unique type of legislative body. The Bundestag is elected through direct elections, yet abiding proportional representation. The members of the Bundesrat represent the governments of the sixteen federal states and are members of the state cabinets. The respective state governments have the right to appoint and remove their envoys at any time.
The German head of state is the Bundespräsident (President), elected by the Bundesversammlung (federal convention), an institution consisting of the members of the Bundestag and an equal number of state delegates. The second highest official in the German order of precedence is the Bundestagspräsident (President of the Bundestag), who is elected by the Bundestag and responsible for overseeing the daily sessions of the body. The third-highest official and the head of government is the Chancellor, who is nominated by the Bundespräsident after being elected by the Bundestag. The Chancellor can be removed by a constructive motion of no confidence by the Bundestag, where constructive implies that the Bundestag simultaneously elects a successor.

Germany Climate

noreply@blogger.com (the one) — Wed, 28 May 2008 19:04:00 +0000

Climate : Most of Germany has a temperate in which humid westerly winds predominate. The climate is moderated by the North Atlantic Drift, which is the northern extension of the Gulf Stream. This warmer water affects the areas bordering the North Sea including the peninsula of Jutland and the area along the Rhine, which flows into the North Sea. Consequently in the north-west and the north, the climate is oceanic; rainfall occurs year round with a maximum during summer. Winters there are mild and summers tend to be cool, though temperatures can exceed 30 °C for prolonged periods. In the east, the climate is more continental; winters can be very cold, summers can be very warm, and long dry periods are often recorded. Central and southern Germany are transition regions which vary from moderately oceanic to continental. Again, the maximum temperature can exceed 30 °C in summer.

West & East reunification

noreply@blogger.com (the one) — Wed, 28 May 2008 18:51:00 +0000

The war resulted in the death of nearly ten million German soldiers and civilians; large territorial losses; the expulsion of about 15 million Germans from its former eastern territories and other countries; and the destruction of multiple major cities. The national territory and Berlin were partitioned by the Allies into four military occupation zones. The sectors controlled by France, the UK, and the USA were merged on 23 May 1949, to form the Federal Republic of Germany; on 7 October 1949, the Soviet Zone established the German Democratic Republic. They were informally known as "West Germany" and "East Germany" and the two parts of Berlin as "West Berlin" and "East Berlin". The eastern and western countries opted for East Berlin and Bonn as their respective capitals. However, West Germany declared the status of its capital Bonn as provisional,in order to emphasize its stance that the two-state solution was an artificial status quo that was to be overcome one day.

West Germany : established as a liberal parliamentary republic with a "social market economy" , was allied with the United States, the UK and France. The country eventually came to enjoy prolonged economic growth beginning in the early 1950s (Wirtschaftswunder). West Germany joined NATO in 1955 and was a founding member of the European Economic Community in 1958. Across the border, East Germany was at first occupied by, and later (May 1955) allied with, the USSR. An authoritarian country with a Soviet-style command economy, but many of its citizens looked to the West for political freedoms and economic prosperity. The Berlin Wall, built in 1961 to stop East Germans from escaping to West Germany, became a symbol of the Cold War. However, tensions between East and West Germany were somewhat reduced in the early 1970s by Chancellor Willy Brandt's Ostpolitik, which included the de facto acceptance of Germany's territorial losses in World War II.
In the face of a growing migration of East Germans to West Germany via Hungary and mass demonstrations during the summer of 1989, East German authorities unexpectedly eased the border restrictions in November, allowing East German citizens to travel to the West. Originally intended as a pressure valve to retain East Germany as a state, the opening of the border actually led to an acceleration of the reform process in East Germany, which finally concluded with the Two Plus Four Treaty a year later on 12 September 1990 and German reunification on 3 October 1990. Under the terms of the treaty, the four occupying powers renounced their rights under the Instrument of Surrender, and Germany regained full sovereignty. Based on the Bonn-Berlin-Act, adopted by the parliament on 10 March 2004, the capital of the unified state was chosen to be Berlin, while Bonn obtained the unique status of a Bundesstadt (federal city) retaining some federal ministries.
Since reunification, Germany has taken a leading role in the European Union and NATO. Germany sent a peacekeeping force to secure stability in the Balkans and sent a force of German troops to Afghanistan as part of a NATO effort to provide security in that country after the ousting of the Taliban. These deployments were controversial, since after the war, Germany was bound by law to only deploy troops for defence roles. Deployments to foreign territories were understood not to be covered by the defence provision; however, the parliamentary vote on the issue effectively legalised the participation in a peacekeeping context.