Germany’s higher education system is characterized by a wide range of various institutions. However, in terms of quality the situation is much more balanced compared to the United States’ higher education system. From the practice-focused universities of applied sciences (Fachhochschule) to traditional universities, from modern campus locations outside the cities to universities full of history in old city centers, from small to large – there’s something to be found for everybody’s needs.

There are approximately 350 universities and universities of applied sciences in Germany – from the small specialized school of about 1,000 students to large full comprehensive universities with some 50,000 students. Leibniz Universität Hannover (LUH) and Clausthal University of Technology (CUT) are both universities and therefore represent the classical form of a higher education institution. German universities are well known for their unity of teaching and research as well as providing students with an all-round humanist education (“universitas litterarum”). Freedom of research and teaching has always been a very important objective of German universities.

Most of the universities are so-called full universities which offer the whole spectrum of academic programs. Normally, these include law, arts and humanities, natural sciences, economics, teacher training and often medicine. Some universities have a strong technical/engineering focus and consequently call themselves technical universities or universities of technology, even though students can also study arts, humanities and social sciences subjects there today – Hannover and Clausthal are examples for that.

Since the implementation of the Bologna process LUH and CUT have been undertaking efforts in transforming their degree programs into Bachelor and Master programs. The traditional German degrees “Diplom” and “Magister” do still exist but will be discontinued by the year 2010. A German Bachelor usually takes 3 years, a Master program 2 years.