MSc. Physics in English at Stuttgart University

[anuragkanase]

Hello Friends,
I have been searching to take my masters in physics in Germany and found Stuttgart Uni. I am looking forward into it. But i have few doubts related to course, fees and city. I have no knowledge of German.
1) How is the reputation to study Physics in Stuttgart Varsity?
2) The fees shown on the website are €500/semister, is this the only fee? I think plus some €200 as taxes and fees.
3) The cost of living show a student expenses reach around €700 a month, is it sufficient? Also, is it easy with the Germans to communicate in English?
What all prerequisites would you suggest for an Foreigner (Indian) to get through the education system in Germany?
Thank You.

 

[Timo]

1) How is the reputation to study Physics in Stuttgart Varsity?

For the reputation: Until a friend of mine moved to Stuttgart a few years ago I didn't even know they have a university there. On the plus side, the differences between universities are much less pronounced than the rumors about differences in US universities, at least at the education level. It's a proper public university and not a dubious private paper mill, so I wouldn't worry.

The fees shown on the website are €500/semister, is this the only fee? I think plus some €200 as taxes and fees.

There are very few places in Germany that actually do have fees, Stuttgart may be among them. 500 Euros per semester is indeed a typical fee, and the plus 200 Euros administrative fees and (probably) public transport ticket are also typical. There shouldn't be any other fees.

The cost of living show a student expenses reach around €700 a month, is it sufficient?

I think that in international comparisons German's spend a large amount of their money on housing, and Stuttgart is not exactly the cheapest town to live in. If you have say 400 Euros per month left after rent, telephone, and Internet then you don't need to worry. You may want to look for housing offered by the university-related institutions ("Studentenwerk") which may be the cheapest way to get a flat in otherwise expensive cities.

Also, is it easy with the Germans to communicate in English?

If you speak about the average person on the street then "somewhat possible" is far more fitting than "easy". At university, I would say "possible" for fellow students and "easy" for more advanced scientific employee's. But be aware that Germans are mostly used to UK and US accent, not to the Indian one, so your own English skills also matter to some extent.

What all prerequisites would you suggest for an Foreigner (Indian) to get through the education system in Germany?

You're going to live there for two years, so I would strongly recommend learning German to some level (really learning a language comes from using it, anyways).

 

[anuragkanase]

Thanks a lot buddy. Going through few more universities i found University of Rostock . As per their website and few other searches Rostock seems to be affordable. It seems to be one of the oldest university And well known for its physics. Also Its physics is taught in english medium. How about the reputation of this university?
Can you suggest better varsities for studying physics in english?
i need The universities to be easily commuted with public transport fro mmajor cities with airport. Referred some websites to check the traveling expenses which happen to be more than 15euros. Just looking on cost saving factors so as to invest my expenses in food rather than needless travel and luxurious life as a student.

 

[Stalafin]

I am currently doing my Master's degree at the University of Heidelberg, which located in the same state as Stuttgart.

In terms of the quality of education you shouldn't worry too much, as the quality of education is pretty much on a comparable level throughout Germany.

Most universities have an enrollment fee of about 150 Euros, which you have to pay at the beginning of every semester. From next year onwards there will no additional tuition fee in most German states (with the exception of Bavaria, I think).

Housing cost can sometimes be expensive, especially in cities such as Heidelberg, Munich, Freiburg, and I guess also Stuttgart. If you don't get student housing I would put the monthly rent at 300 to 400 Euros.Rostock is indeed one of the oldest German universities, but due to Germany's history Rostock is not nearly as strong as its age might suggest.

"Classic" suggestions to study Physics would be Heidelberg, Munich and a few others. But I strongly suggest you look at what the professors' research is involved with at a given institution and then go from there. On a graduate level research is a lot more important than anything else.

 

[Timo]

From next year onwards there will no additional tuition fee in most German states (with the exception of Bavaria, I think).

Bavaria, Lower Saxony, and Hamburg, I think.

But I strongly suggest you look at what the professors' research is involved with at a given institution and then go from there.

I agree, although I think the "liveability" of a city may also be a good point to consider. In that respect cities in the eastern part of Germany may be less attractive for Indian students as they tend to have problems with racism.

 

[physiker_192]

I agree, although I think the "liveability" of a city may also be a good point to consider. In that respect cities in the eastern part of Germany may be less attractive for Indian students as they tend to have problems with racism.

I second this opinion.

Although Rostock is one of the oldest, its not on par with other major universities.

Living in a big city can be more expensive but you have chances of landing a part time job for example as a research assistant at the university (the pay is around 10eur/hour).

FU Berlin has an interesting master programme:

http://www.daad.de/deutschland/studienangebote/international-programmes/07535.en.html?ipid=2843&iplevel=2&ipterm=&ipterm2=&ipterm3=&ipfield=4&ipsubject=360&iptypehei=0&iptownhei=&iphei=0&iplangdistribution=0&iplangtest=0&iptuitionfees=0&ipjointdegree=0&ipparttime=0&ipfasttrack=0&ipcombined=0&studienbeginn=&ipduration=0&ipp=15

 

[anuragkanase]

@Stalafin,
I loved the curriculum of Heidelberg Uni. How is it for indians?
Well is the crowd in the uni friendly? Since, that's what matters when we are going to live for 2 years. Are you german(i don't intend to be racist :) )?
Do they teach masters in English? What are your majors and minors?

 

[Stalafin]

@Stalafin,
I loved the curriculum of Heidelberg Uni. How is it for indians?
Well is the crowd in the uni friendly? Since, that's what matters when we are going to live for 2 years. Are you german(i don't intend to be racist :) )?
Do they teach masters in English? What are your majors and minors?

The curriculum is indeed great! I did see a couple of Indians here and there, but none of them in my program, but since the city is crazy international (feels like you have more tourists at any given time than actual inhabitants) you should be perfectly. Physics Masters are definitely dominated by Germans students (I would put the number at 95%), but all the lectures are thaught in English.

And people definitely are friendly. Although the general international understanding is that Germans are gravely serious people, I can assure you that this is not the case. Virtually everybody speaks English. :)

There really isn't a Minors/Majors system here. You simply take the courses you like (which has to be a mixture of a couple of "core" courses and specializations/seminars), finish your first year with an oral examination in two courses you feel you want to specialize in, and after that you have another yearlong research phase, which culminates in your Master's Thesis. Pretty straight forward. :)

The only real downside in Heidelberg is that it can be a pain to find proper accomodation. But since you are an international student the university might actually help you with that.

 

[anuragkanase]

In my opinion I always adored Germans and that wasn't a problem for me until I looked upon toytown german website. It talked about issues with non germans... So just felt a need to enquire about it.
Thanks a lot for your clear reply.
In our curriculum can we take bio-physics as a part of our subject without biology bachelors? Like without biology back ground? I am much interested in some course like bio-nano physics to gain the knowledge during my masters.
Would €1000 be enough for a lavish student life in Heidelberg? By lavish I mean all the student expenditure, mobile bills, broadband, food... I can compromise with rooms but would like to have better food. And guess Heidelberg must be having studentwerk too? That would allow cheap traveling passes and theatre offers etc.
Which place would you suggest to study, like In above post Berlin too had nice courseware... So Berlin would be good for affording expenses or some other place with good reputed uni. I did checked out LMU Munich but they say, lifes too difficult in terms of expenses and laws in Munich.
also as you said in first two term we are supposed to take the core courses, and the second year is like masters by research? In which you write a thesis based on your research?
well one more thing,
How is the holiday system in Germany? You have hoidays on sats and suns? And when do you have a vacation or some break during the masters courseware? Or in masters we have to enrolled for complete 24months in college itself? Being an Indian, we have too many holidays and vacation. So this is outofo curiosity to plan my trip back and forth to homeland.
thhanks buddy for helping me out so far. As I am going more and more through different uni's finding more new courses. But afterall I have be in limits with respect to my pocket. :)

 

[physiker_192]

1000eur/month is more than sufficient even if you live in Munich, typically 700-800eur/month but this depends on the accommodation cost.
I think there is a problem with students housing all over Germany due to the change of educational system and a few other factors.
Expect to pay up to 400eur for accommodation in the expensive cities.Regarding holidays (this is common among all public universities), the official duration of the winter (1st Oct. - 31st March) and summer (1st April - 30th Sept.) semesters cover the whole year.
However the lectures duration is around 3 and half months. So the rest is more like a holiday/preparation for exams. Sat,Sun are off days.
You have to be enrolled at the university for the whole duration of your master programme.

Bare in mind that some stuff might be over exaggerated at toytown forums, and some of the stuff is plainly useless written by whining people.

 

[anuragkanase]

physiker_192
Thank you for your suggestions.
By full time enrolment you mean to say I have to daily register to the college on working days even after the coaching is finished?
Like in meanwhile during the preparation leave, I can go back to homeland for week? This isn't allowed?
About toytown you are much right, it's a place for antique ideas and empty vessels.
once I made up my mind, I will be in contact with you guys sooner. Maybe, we'll meet somewhere around there someday. Thanks mate. :)
it's pleasure to be informed from you guys.

 

[physiker_192]

You're welcome.

There is a lot of flexibility to the extent that there is no attendance monitoring system, so if you don't have an exam or similar during the off-lectures period then you're free to do what you want (e.g. travel home).
Some students organize their lectures to cover only 3 days of the week so that they can work during the 2 days left.


Good luck.

 

[anuragkanase]

Wow that seems to be more easy. :)
Well i will study to get good grades in my Bachelors and will be present in Germany Sooner. :)

 

[starfinder]

Wow, this topic was more than helpful. :)

I could really use some information on transition from Bachelor to Master degrees taught in English in Germany. Under admission requirements for all programs I've checked, it stated simply - Bachelor degree or equivalent. I happen to study in Croatia where some departments of The university of Zagreb, including mine, still haven't fully applied the Bologna system. In short words, we use the ECTS system, but we don't obtain a diploma after three years of studying (180 CP). The program is called "integrated Master program". This is the case at mine and very few other faculties in Zagreb.

As I can get a detail transcript of my grades at any time for any purpose, I was wondering if this could serve as an equivalent for the Bachelor degree. After gaining 180 or a few more CP, naturally. What are my options?

 

[physiker_192]

You better contact the physics department of the university which you want to join. There can be some special arrangements for cases such as yours. As the diplom degrees are being phased out, you might be asked to fill some requirements (courses and/or exams) in order to award you a bachelor degree or so in a short period of time.

 

[starfinder]

Thanks for the reply! I should do that, definitely. I wasn't sure if these degrees were called "diplom" in German. Wish me luck. ;)