Higher education in Germany is changing fast – as a result of numerous reforms and the Initiative for Excellence. The quality of research and teaching is benefiting from this – and so are students.
From Konstanz to Kiel, from Aachen to Dresden, things are changing in higher education all over Germany – and colleges and universities are boldly taking up the challenge of reform. Professors’ pay is becoming more strongly performance-oriented, universities are being transformed into independent foundations, courses are being made more international and in some Länder students are now paying – relatively moderate – tuition fees. Furthermore, Germany’s 383 institutions of higher education have been immersed in a new competitive spirit signaling a mood of change and renewal. More than ever before, students and professors are discussing excellence and performance. Buzzwords like “institutional strategies”, “clusters” and “graduate schools” are being heard throughout the country’s 103 universities.
But what what prompted this change? A unique competition within German higher education – the Initiative for Excellence. Established by the Federal Government and the Länder, it aims to promote top university research and to create beacons of scholarship in Germany that will also radiate abroad. A total of 1.9 billion euros is being allocated between 2006 and 2011 to achieve this goal. This money is being distributed through the competition in three categories: graduate schools, excellence clusters and institutional strategies.
Graduate schools are considered one of the special strengths of German higher education institutions. They offer PhD students a well-structured training oriented towards the latest state in research. They only recently evolved in their current internationally innovative form within the framework of the Initiative for Excellence. Whether the Bielefeld Graduate School in History and Sociology or the Graduate School of Computer Science at Universität des Saarlandes, the 39 graduate schools distinguished by the Initiative for Excellence – which receive some one million euros of financial support a year – offer young academics ideal conditions for launching a career in research. The same goal is being served by the talent initiative organised by universities and the Max Planck Society that has already established 49 International Max Planck Research Schools. Helmholtz Graduate Schools are also offering PhD programs of the highest quality.
In the case of excellence clusters, support is being awarded to internationally oriented research centers at German universities that collaborate with extra-university research institutes, universities of applied sciences and industry. Some 6.5 million euros a year are going to 37 excellence clusters. For example, climate research is the central focus of work by natural scientists, economists, social scientists and humanities researchers at Universität Hamburg who are cooperating with the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology and the German Weather Service (DWD).
The third and final category of the Initiative for Excellence brings the most prestige: institutional strategies are intended to strengthen the research profile of German universities. The precondition for support is that a university has at least one excellence cluster, one graduate school and a convincing overall strategy. Institutions that meet all three criteria are considered outstanding and receive the sought-after title “elite university”. A panel of international researchers from the German Research Foundation (DFG) and the German Science Council made the selection.
In the first two rounds, in autumn 2006 and 2007, the panel selected nine outstanding universities in Aachen, Berlin, Freiburg, Göttingen, Heidelberg, Karlsruhe, Konstanz and Munich. Elite status gives a university an additional 21 million euros a year for research – and a priceless boost to its prestige. More enquiries from international universities and companies about research partnerships, increased interest from abroad in PhD posts and a significant rise in the demand for undergraduate places are the initial results registered by Professor Horst Hippler, Rector of the elite university in Karlsruhe.
Germany is preparing itself for the international competition for the best minds. Already, boasting some 250,000 foreign students, Germany is the world’s favorite study destination after the United States and Great Britain. The Initiative for Excellence is just one of a number of strategies aimed at making Germany a more attractive higher education landscape. And with the introduction of the internationally recognised Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in place of German Diploma and Magister qualifications, Germany is well-placed to continue the upwards trend.
Studying in Germany becomes the dream destination of all the students in the World. If you are interested in studying in Germany please visit the German Information Centre where you will get lots of information related to study in Germany.
From Konstanz to Kiel, from Aachen to Dresden, things are changing in higher education all over Germany – and colleges and universities are boldly taking up the challenge of reform. Professors’ pay is becoming more strongly performance-oriented, universities are being transformed into independent foundations, courses are being made more international and in some Länder students are now paying – relatively moderate – tuition fees. Furthermore, Germany’s 383 institutions of higher education have been immersed in a new competitive spirit signaling a mood of change and renewal. More than ever before, students and professors are discussing excellence and performance. Buzzwords like “institutional strategies”, “clusters” and “graduate schools” are being heard throughout the country’s 103 universities.
But what what prompted this change? A unique competition within German higher education – the Initiative for Excellence. Established by the Federal Government and the Länder, it aims to promote top university research and to create beacons of scholarship in Germany that will also radiate abroad. A total of 1.9 billion euros is being allocated between 2006 and 2011 to achieve this goal. This money is being distributed through the competition in three categories: graduate schools, excellence clusters and institutional strategies.
Graduate schools are considered one of the special strengths of German higher education institutions. They offer PhD students a well-structured training oriented towards the latest state in research. They only recently evolved in their current internationally innovative form within the framework of the Initiative for Excellence. Whether the Bielefeld Graduate School in History and Sociology or the Graduate School of Computer Science at Universität des Saarlandes, the 39 graduate schools distinguished by the Initiative for Excellence – which receive some one million euros of financial support a year – offer young academics ideal conditions for launching a career in research. The same goal is being served by the talent initiative organised by universities and the Max Planck Society that has already established 49 International Max Planck Research Schools. Helmholtz Graduate Schools are also offering PhD programs of the highest quality.
In the case of excellence clusters, support is being awarded to internationally oriented research centers at German universities that collaborate with extra-university research institutes, universities of applied sciences and industry. Some 6.5 million euros a year are going to 37 excellence clusters. For example, climate research is the central focus of work by natural scientists, economists, social scientists and humanities researchers at Universität Hamburg who are cooperating with the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology and the German Weather Service (DWD).
The third and final category of the Initiative for Excellence brings the most prestige: institutional strategies are intended to strengthen the research profile of German universities. The precondition for support is that a university has at least one excellence cluster, one graduate school and a convincing overall strategy. Institutions that meet all three criteria are considered outstanding and receive the sought-after title “elite university”. A panel of international researchers from the German Research Foundation (DFG) and the German Science Council made the selection.
In the first two rounds, in autumn 2006 and 2007, the panel selected nine outstanding universities in Aachen, Berlin, Freiburg, Göttingen, Heidelberg, Karlsruhe, Konstanz and Munich. Elite status gives a university an additional 21 million euros a year for research – and a priceless boost to its prestige. More enquiries from international universities and companies about research partnerships, increased interest from abroad in PhD posts and a significant rise in the demand for undergraduate places are the initial results registered by Professor Horst Hippler, Rector of the elite university in Karlsruhe.
Germany is preparing itself for the international competition for the best minds. Already, boasting some 250,000 foreign students, Germany is the world’s favorite study destination after the United States and Great Britain. The Initiative for Excellence is just one of a number of strategies aimed at making Germany a more attractive higher education landscape. And with the introduction of the internationally recognised Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in place of German Diploma and Magister qualifications, Germany is well-placed to continue the upwards trend.
Studying in Germany becomes the dream destination of all the students in the World. If you are interested in studying in Germany please visit the German Information Centre where you will get lots of information related to study in Germany.
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