Best Courses in Germany & Top Universities to Study Them (2024)

Germany has become a popular destination for international students for various reasons. Some of them are high quality education at low cost, availability of wide range of courses, world class infrastructure, numerous English-taught programs, high employability, etc. which we have discussed in a different article titled “Why pursue Masters in Germany”. There is a huge range of courses in Germany as the country hosts hundreds of universities and colleges. Approximately, 420 higher education institutions in Germany offer over 21,000 different study programs. If you want to do your Bachelor’s or Masters in Germany, you will definitely find a suitable program according to your subject of interest. Whether you want to study medicine, natural science, environmental engineering, robotics, agricultural sciences or peace and conflict, you will find a right course.

Germany is the world-leader in engineering and life science research and has numerous job opportunities in these sectors. Besides, German institutions host some of the best faculties in management, computer science, math, physics, chemistry, humanities, political science, sociology, among other subjects. In this article, we will discuss some of the most popular courses in Germany and the best universities in Germany to study them.

1. Popular Engineering Courses in Germnay

Engineering is the most popular and one of the top courses to study in Germany. It attracts nearly 25% of international students to the country which reflects on the popularity of the course in international circles. Engineering has many specialized subfields, each of which is valuable in the global market.Some of the popular engineering specializations that students choose in Germany are:

1. Mechanical Engineering
2. Automotive Engineering
3. Electrical Engineering
4. Mechanical Engineering
5. Electrical Engineering
6. Computer Engineering
7. Aerospace Engineering

While all universities in Germany are excellent, there are some top-ranked universities in Germany that you should consider for pursuing various engineering degree courses. These include:

1. TU Munich – #66 in Best Universities for Engineering; #79 in Best Global Universities
2. RWTH Aachen – #87 in Best Universities for Engineering; #199 in Best Global Universities
3. Karlsruhe Institute of Technology – #124 in Best Universities for Engineering; #226 in Best Global Universities
4. TU Berlin – #133 in Best Universities for Engineering; #304 in Best Global Universities
5. University of Stuttgart – #263 in Best Universities for Engineering; #629 in Best Global Universities
6. University of Erlangen – #275 in Best Universities for Engineering; #256 in Best Global Universities
7. TU Dresden – #284 in Best Universities for Engineering; #186 in Best Global Universities
8. TU Darmstadt – #320 in Best Universities for Engineering; #615 in Best Global Universities
9. University of Hannover – #382 in Best Universities for Engineering; #487 in Best Global Universities
10. University of Duisburg Essen – #398 in Best Universities for Engineering; #300 in Best Global Universities

2. Popular Natural Science Courses in Germany

Natural Sciences degrees study objects or processes observable in nature, covering subdisciplines such as Biology, Physics, Chemistry, and Geology, etc. Natural Sciences courses in German universities focus on the practical application of theory in specialized laboratories. Germany is one of the leaders in Natural Science Research with tons of funding, strategic international collaborations, state of the art infrastructure and hub of manufacturing technology. No wonder, numerous German scientists have been awarded with the most prestigious Nobel Prize. After completing a degree in Natural Sciences from Germany, you can find careers in Research and Development, Marketing, Biotechnology, and more. Best universities in Germany for natural Science are:

1. Ruprecht Karls University Heidelberg– #27 in Best Universities for Natural Sciences; #57 in Best Global Universities
2. LMU Munich– #42 in Best Universities for Natural Sciences; #47 in Best Global Universities
3. TU Munich– #48 in Best Universities for Natural Sciences; #79 in Best Global Universities
4. University of Wurzburg– #49 in Best Universities for Natural Sciences; #192 in Best Global Universities
5. Frei University of Berlin – #69 in Best Universities for Natural Sciences; #87 in Best Global Universities
6. Humboldt University of Berlin – #69 in Best Universities for Natural Sciences; #61 in Best Global Universities
7. University of Freiburg– #89 in Best Universities for Natural Sciences; #178 in Best Global Universities
8. Eberhard Karls University of Tubingen– #96 in Best Universities for Natural Sciences; #182 in Best Global Universities
9. Goethe University Frankfurt– #121 in Best Universities for Natural Sciences; #236 in Best Global Universities
10. University of Gottingen– #122 in Best Universities for Natural Sciences; #163 in Best Global Universities

3. Popular ManagementCourses in Germany

While engineering dominates the scene, management studies in Germany are equally popular. In fact, business schools in the country are well known across the world offering one of the top courses to study in Germany. The best universities in Germany for MBA feature among the top 200 business schools in the world according to major rankings like FT and QS. Interestingly, it is not just the full-time MBAs that German universities are known for. Many German universities also rank among the top for their executive MBA programs as well.Some of the top universities for Business and Economics in Germany are:

1. University of Mannheim– #43 in Best Universities for Business & Economics; #776 in Best Global Universities
2. LMU Munich – #126 in Best Universities for Business & Economics; #47 in Best Global Universities
3. University of Bonn– #152 in Best Universities for Business & Economics; #138 in Best Global Universities
4. University of Gottingen– #181 in Best Universities for Business & Economics; #163 in Best Global Universities
5. TU Munich– #187 in Best Universities for Business & Economics; #79 in Best Global Universities
6. Humboldt University of Berlin – #214 in Best Universities for Business & Economics; #61 in Best Global Universities
7. University of Hamburg– #222 in Best Universities for Business & Economics; #149 in Best Global Universities
8. University of Cologne– #235 in Best Universities for Business & Economics; #244 in Best Global Universities
9. WHU (Otto Besiheim)– #59 in Best Universities for Business & Economics
10. EU Business School– #141-150 in Best Universities for Business & Economics

4. Popular Humanities & ArtsCourses in Germany

Humanities implies the field of research belonging to the human culture, primarily literature, anthropology, history, arts, music and philosophy. Some of the specializations in humanities are:

• History: Historical Theory, World History, Roman History, Medieval History, etc.
• Philosophy: Philosophical Ethics, Metaphysics and Epistemology, Human Rights, etc.
• Literature: Medieval Literature, Renaissance Literature, Contemporary Fiction, etc.
• Languages: Applied Modern Languages, Cultural Translation, Speech Analysis, etc.
• Religious Studies: Interreligious Studies, Sacred Texts, Foundations of Worship, etc.

Humanities and Arts might not be fields you might associate with Germany given its huge popularity in engineering studies. However, the country has quite a number of reputed universities in these fields. In fact, 5 universities from Germany are ranked among the top 100 humanities colleges in the world. The good news is that international students have the option of pursuing their program in English. If you are planning to study Arts or Humanities course in Germany, then you may start by looking at programs offered by the following universities:

1. LMU Munich – #31 in Best Universities for Humanities & Arts; #47 in Best Global Universities
2. Humboldt University of Berlin – #51 in Best Universities for Humanities & Arts; #61 in Best Global Universities
3. Eberhard Karls University of Tubingen– #69 in Best Universities for Humanities & Arts; #182 in Best Global Universities
4. Frei University of Berlin– #76 in Best Universities for Humanities & Arts; #87 in Best Global Universities
5. University of Postdam– #97 in Best Universities for Humanities & Arts; #452 in Best Global Universities
6. Ruprecht Karls University Heidelberg– #119 in Best Universities for Humanities & Arts; #57 in Best Global Universities
7. Ruhr University of Bochum– #124 in Best Universities for Humanities & Arts; #346 in Best Global Universities
8. University of Cologne– #127 in Best Universities for Humanities & Arts; #244 in Best Global Universities
9. University of Munster– #141 in Best Universities for Humanities & Arts; #219 in Best Global Universities
10. Goeth University Frankfurt– #145 in Best Universities for Humanities & Arts; #236 in Best Global Universities

5. Popular Computer Science & ITCourses in Germany

This is another field where Germany scores high. One of the best things about studying computer science in the country is that Germany being a technologically strong nation, international students pursuing the subject have access to high tech labs and computer stations to explore their passions. Out of all EU countries, Germany is one of the most developed when it comes to business digitization, people’s digital skills, and digital public services. This is also the reason why German universities and colleges are keen on receiving students and graduates for internships and traineeships in order to train future employees early. Germany is an excellent place to work as a computer engineer, as its companies invest heavily in development and research, maintaining the country’s results as the biggest economy in Europe and the third in the world. It has lots of start-ups and medium-sized tech companies, alongside large multinational corporations which organise subsidiaries throughout Europe and the world. Thus, obtaining a degree in Computer Science from Germany’s excellent universities is a convincing way of finding a good job anywhere in Europe and far beyond. Some of the top universities in Germany for Computer Science are:

1. TU Munich – #17 in Best Universities for Computer Science; #79 in Best Global Universities
2. Technical University of Berlin – #111 in Best Universities for Computer Science; #304 in Best Global Universities
3. Karlsruhe Institute of Technology– #141 in Best Universities for Computer Science; #226 in Best Global Universities
4. LMU Munich– #145 in Best Universities for Computer Science; #47 in Best Global Universities
5. Technical University of Darmstadt– #162 in Best Universities for Computer Science; #615 in Best Global Universities
6. RWTH Aachen– #174 in Best Universities for Computer Science; #199 in Best Global Universities
7. Humboldt University of Berlin– #237 in Best Universities for Computer Science; #61 in Best Global Universities
8. University of Freiburg– #252 in Best Universities for Computer Science; #178 in Best Global Universities
9. TU Dresden– #273 in Best Universities for Computer Science; #186 in Best Global Universities
10. University or Erlangen– #314 in Best Universities for Computer Science; #256 in Best Global Universities

6. Popular Social SciencesCourses in Germany

Social sciences consist of an array of disciplines which explains differently their subjectivity into their studies to understand the various aspects of human actions and interaction through its methodology in its studies. These subjects are as follows:

• Anthropology: Social Thought, Writing Cultures, Social and Cultural Theory, etc.
• Economics: Statistics, Microeconomics, Macroeconomics, Economic Methods, etc.
• Political Science: Comparative Politics, Political Theory, Conflict and Power, etc.
• Psychology: Personalities Theory, Cognitive Psychology, Psychology Ethics, etc.
• Sociology: Quantitative and Qualitative Methods, Social Research Strategies, etc.

Studyingsocial sciences in Germanyprovides a student a good opportunity to understand and analyze deeply the reasons and effects of industrial revolution in the west and how society has changed through the technological advances.Best universities in Germany for Sociology Courses are:

1. LMU Munich – #101 in Best Universities for Social Sciences; #47 in Best Global Universities
2. Humboldt University of Berlin – #112 in Best Universities for Social Sciences; #61 in Best Global Universities
3. Ruprecht Karls University Heidelberg– #125 in Best Universities for Social Sciences; #57 in Best Global Universities
4. Frei University of Berlin– #173 in Best Universities for Social Sciences; #87 in Best Global Universities
5. University of Hamburg– #177 in Best Universities for Social Sciences; #149 in Best Global Universities
6. TU Munich– #206 in Best Universities for Social Sciences; #79 in Best Global Universities
7. Eberhard Karls University of Tubingen– #236 in Best Universities for Social Sciences; #182 in Best Global Universities
8. Technical University Berlin– #253 in Best Universities for Social Sciences; #304 in Best Global Universities
9. University of Mannheim– #258 in Best Universities for Social Sciences; #776 in Best Global Universities
10. University of Freiburg– #277 in Best Universities for Social Sciences; #178 in Best Global Universities
11. University of Cologne– #290 in Best Universities for Social Sciences; #244 in Best Global Universities