Planning for Your Master’s Programme

Possible reasons for doing a master’s degree

Enjoyment of study
The wish to expand on certain topics
An interest in the subject
A master’s is necessary to achieve certain career goals, e.g. teaching
The wish to progress on to a PhD
Ambitions for a career in research
Good grades
Affordability
Supposedly better employment prospects with a master’s degree

Possible reasons for not doing a master’s degree

A lack of interest in the subject
Little enjoyment of study
Difficulties at university
Desire for hands-on experience
A lack of alternatives
“Everyone does a master’s.”

When choosing which master’s degree to take, it is important to develop criteria that are important to you.

These questions may help you to develop your personal strategy:

What is important to me?
What are the key factors for me at university and in my private life?
What am I keen to change, and what should stay the same?
Do I want to (continue) specialising through my master’s programme or would I prefer to acquire a wealth of global knowledge as a generalist?
Do I feel very strongly about certain key areas?
What role does my place of residence play (for the next two years)?
Is internationalisation relevant to me?
Should my master’s degree open up specific career prospects for me?
Are integrated practical stages at university important to me?
How much do various master’s programmes cost?

If you want to explore the different options available at master’s level, go to www.hochschulkompass.de, where you can find information about every single master’s programme offered in Germany.

Ein Strichmensch denkt darüber nach, was für die wahl eines Masterstudiengangs wichtig ist. Gedankenblasen enthalten: spezialisierung?, neuer Studienort?, Studiendauer?, Forschungs- oder Praxisorientierung?, Schwerpunkte?, neue Fachrichtung?

QUALITY CRITERIA

Once you know which master’s programme you are looking for, you will probably find a number of higher education institutions (HEI) that offer such a programme, or at least a similar one. When choosing an HEI, you should focus on a number of different quality criteria:

Formal criteria: accreditation is important
Accreditation: state-organised quality control of bachelor’s and master’s degree programmes. Various quality standards are examined, such as:

assessment of the development of the degree programme and of the educational objectives

assessment of the examination system

assessment of the feasibility of the programme

The Accreditation Council (the Foundation for the Accreditation of Study Programmes in Germany) authorises accreditation agencies (e.g. ACQUIN; ASIIN; FIBAA; ZeVA); for more information, go to www.akkreditierungsrat.de
Individual quality criteria: What is important to me with regard to my new degree programme?
Course content and programme structure

Information and advisory services

Study abroad options

Establishment of the master’s programme

Composition of the teaching staff and student body

Examination regulations / course regulations

Course catalogues

Number of applicants and selection criteria

Fees

The university’s (technical) facilities

Library resources

Practical stages

….

Go and visit the university!

Tip: consider several different regions

Infografik zu Aspekten des passendnen Masterstudiengangs: Inhalt, Perspektiven, Kosten, Ort.

There might not be a perfect master’s programme to suit all your needs. But you may have found a suitable master’s if you can say that you are satisfied with the course content, with your career prospects and with the study location (and any other individual criteria that may be important to you), and that you can finance your degree.

Applications

When it comes to applying, read up about the application process well ahead of time. That way you will have enough time to organise and obtain any documents required without getting stressed. These may include evidence of language skills, a letter of motivation, letters of recommendation, an aptitude test, etc. To find out what exactly your chosen master’s programme requires of its applicants, take a look at the admission regulations for the programme. Information about the procedure for applying for a master’s programme at Leibniz University Hannover is available under Applications.

Questions about a master's programme?

It is best to contact the specialist advisor for your chosen master’s programme directly if you have any technical questions regarding course content. For any other questions concerning the master’s programme, or if you are uncertain about which programme to take, feel free to contact Student Advisory Services.