More and more Chinese students are beginning to choose to study in Germany. What majors do they choose to study? Which professions have good employment prospects?
Architecture
German architecture is one of the models of the world’s construction industry. World-class architectural design institutions such as BRT, ARCHITECS, and GMP Architects hire architectural professionals from German universities every year. In China, the rising real estate industry urgently needs construction professionals.
Materials Engineering
Modern technology requires the need for countless materials: metals, such as iron and non-ferrous metals, semiconductors; non-metallic inorganic materials, such as pottery materials, glass, inorganic binders, and organic materials, such as plastics and rubber. There are also composite materials that are increasingly important.
The study of materials science is based on mathematics, natural science, and technology. This field of study introduces connections between raw materials, production/manufacturing processes, material structure/characteristics, and their applications. German universities famous for their materials science departments include Nuremberg University, Technical University of Berlin, and Dresden University of Technology.
Mechanical Engineering
Germany is the world’s automotive powerhouse, and is home to several top car brands, including Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen, BMW, Audi, and Porsche. The automobile industry is a pillar industry in Germany. Due to the many internship opportunities available in this industry, students studying mechanical engineering can often enter the enterprise and get valuable experience. German universities all offer mechanical engineering-related majors. In particular, the Technical University of Munich, Aachen University of Technology, and Karlsruhe Institute of Technology have all become top choices for Chinese engineering students.
German universities are divided into two categories: applied science & technology universities and comprehensive universities. It is recommended that students applying to the applied science universities should pay special attention to their own internship and practical experiences. Most Fachhochschules(FH) require students to have at least 10 weeks of internship. Students applying for comprehensive universities should pay more attention to their grade point average and research experience.
Economics
International certified public accountants, actuaries, financial engineers, sponsors; these are all professional positions of business elites with high salaries.
Germany has a very strong economy and thus, has always been called the “locomotive of the European economy.” Its GDP accounts for one-third of the European Union. Therefore, it only makes sense that economics is a leading subject at German universities. Nine German universities entered the top 200 universities in the 2019 QS Economics and Econometrics rankings, including the University of Mannheim, the University of Munich, the University of Bonn, the Free University of Berlin, Göttingen Root University, Frankfurt University, and Humboldt University of Berlin.
Admissions for economics majors pays great attention to students’ mathematics scores. In addition, in order to improve competitive advantages, when applying as an economics major, students are recommended to provide GRE scores.
Management
Governments and enterprises in developed countries pay great attention to consultation, management strategies, and methods from management professionals in universities. This provides graduate students and doctoral students with many opportunities and experiences.
With the development of China’s economy, companies need a large number of management talents with professional qualities and international perspectives. Therefore, whether it is in terms of employment rate or salary, the future of management majors is guaranteed.
Programs for the Betriebswirtschaftslehre (BWL) and the Volkswirtschaftslehre(VWL) attract many overseas students every year.
Journalism and Communication
With the rapid growth of people’s demand for information in recent years, the media industry has shown a prosperous scene. The rapid development of digital TV, the internet, and mobile phone platforms has given mass media much room for development. Compared with domestic media education, foreign media education has many advantages. Advantages include a long history, complete professional settings, strong research and development capabilities, and a strong international atmosphere.
German media-related majors have a broad vision and are highly motivated to take general education courses. Job prospects for students graduating from a major in journalism or communication include editing or copywriting in major newspapers, or engaging in new media and German-related work.
Jurisprudence
Both China and Germany are civil law countries. Germany is the representative country of civil law, and many civil law countries reference German law to establish their legal codes. If you are a student studying law in China, then studying in Germany is a suitable option. Some German law schools require the national exams, which require relatively high language requirements. Therefore, Du Mei recommends paying attention to the school’s application conditions when choosing a school.
Some universities in Germany offer a master’s degree in law taught in English, requiring the submission of IELTS scores with a score between 6.5 and 7. Universities with masters law programs include the University of Mannheim, the University of Frankfurt, and the University of Hamburg.
Education
Pedagogy is a discipline with a glorious history in Germany. Compared to other countries, the German pedagogy discipline focuses more on consciousness. German as a foreign language is a very common major for Chinese students to select. This major has a separate theoretical system and subject branch. This system emphasizes German teaching practices and is more practical.
After returning to the country, the employment prospects are good, as you have opportunities to work as a teacher in any educational institutions or school. Additionally, the establishment of offices in China by DAAD, German embassies, German universities, institutions, enterprises and foundations are always looking to recruit relevant professional staff.
Songzi Li/Managing Editor
