Which qualification should I aim for?

By deciding on a study programme, you determine which degree you can obtain. Barring Law, Medicine, Teacher Training and some diploma courses, almost every course starts with a Bachelor’s degree. Depending on the university and subject, it takes six to eight semesters for students to receive their Bachelor’s degree as their first professional qualification. They can then pursue their Master’s or start a professional life straight away.

Bachelor

Your ticket to more. The Bachelor's and Master's degrees are internationally recognised and are available at all universities. The Bachelor's degree is the basis – giving you a first academic degree after three or four years. After that, a Master's degree is possible – or a break. You can also start your professional life with a Bachelor's degree. You can obtain a Bachelor's degree at universities, art colleges, universities of applied sciences and at the Berufsakademie Sachsen.

Master

You want to continue your academic work, specialise or take your professional knowledge to a new level? Then a Master's degree at a university, art college or university of applied sciences is the right choice for you.

State/bar exam

Some degree courses always conclude with a Staatsprüfung/Staatsexamen (state/bar exam): Human medicine, veterinary medicine, dentistry, pharmacology, food chemistry, law – and in Saxony also teacher training. After the first state examination, you complete a preparatory service (Referendariat) lasting several months, which you conclude with a second, practical, state examination.

Diploma

A classic with a good reputation. In Saxony, you can complete your studies at almost all universities with a Diploma (comparable to a Master's degree). An area where Diplomas have a real advantage over Bachelor's and Master's degrees is in the technical fields. The Diploma has always enjoyed an excellent reputation here. All Diploma programmes are compatible within the European Higher Education Area and with the Bologna Declaration.

Doctorate

Those who wish to continue with academic work after successfully completing their Master’s degree, Diploma or state examination, can work on a dissertation, usually at a university. Artists may also pursue a doctorate at a university of fine arts, but only in fields with a particularly academic focus. For graduates from technical colleges, Saxony offers a special option by way of the cooperative doctoral procedure. A professor from a university and a professor from a technical college together supervise their doctoral students, who also need to take up additional university courses. The reward for the effort, which often requires several years, is the doctorate. The next step on the academic career ladder is habilitation. The only thing that tops this is a professorship.