Study Agricultural Sciences in Germany

The agricultural sciences cover a whole range of different areas of study:

• Agricultural economy
• Agrobiology
• Aquaculture, fisheries
• Horticulture
• Agriculture
• Husbandry
• Viticulture

Almost all courses of study cover crop production and some also deal with animal production. They equip you with knowledge of the fundamentals of natural sciences, e. g., from biology or zoology. This can include, e.g., agricultural land use and welfare-oriented animal husbandry. You will also deal with content from the economic sciences in your course of study, such as marketing, corporate management, or product quality. Aspects from the social sciences are also taught. After you graduate, you will be expected to factor major global problems such as climate change, food security, and environmental protection into your decision-making.

For almost every degree programme, obligatory internships are also built into the curriculum, both at universities and at universities of applied sciences. Especially if you do not have an agricultural background yourself, it is best to do an internship before you start your studies or try to gain concrete insights into agriculture in another way, e.g. with an apprenticeship. In this way, you can learn to understand connections in advance and thus later correctly comprehend the contents of your studies. Depending on what kind of internship you do and which degree programme you choose, you may be able to get credit for it. This can shorten your studies accordingly by substituting the practical units.

Even though – as already mentioned – a pre-study internship is strongly recommended, it is usually not compulsory in order to be admitted to a degree programme in this field. The most important prerequisite is an interest in agriculture and related fields such as environment, nature, agricultural policy, etc. In addition, you must be able to present your higher education entrance qualification, which you could substitute for by having subject-specific vocational training.

Further admission restrictions such as an NC, i.e. a minimum grade in your last degree, are rather rare.

Regardless of whether you choose to study at a university or a university of applied sciences, you will probably graduate with a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree. Programmes leading to a German “Diplom” are not currently offered in agricultural sciences.

A Bachelor’s degree usually has a duration of six or seven semesters, and a Master’s degree takes four semesters. Depending on the length of the practical phases or whether you have already completed them prior to your studies, the study time can be shortened or extended.

If you are interested in certain areas of agricultural sciences, such as agricultural management, you can also study a dual studies programme. The advantage of dual studies is that you can earn money at the same time. Also, you gain much deeper insights into practice and can increase your chances of being taken on in a permanent position immediately after graduation.

If you choose a degree programme at a public higher education institution, you will probably not have to pay tuition fees. This is rarely the case in Germany, and if so, only for very specific Master’s programmes. There may be exceptions if you do not come from an EU country or if you have been studying for a very long time. However, offers from private higher education institutions are also always subject to a fee. The best thing to do is to inform yourself thoroughly in advance at the higher education institution of your choice – you can initiate the contact right here via My GUIDE!

While there are practically no tuition fees, you have to pay the so-called semester contribution to your higher education institution every semester. This is usually between 100 and 400 euros, which is very little by international standards. Sometimes your semester contribution covers a ticket for local public transport or you can purchase a discounted ticket. Depending on where you study, this may be valid for the city, the region or even for all of Germany. Ask your higher education institution whether such an offer is currently available.

There is one thing you should keep in mind when choosing your degree programme: The cost of living in Germany varies depending on which city you study in. Rent can be very high in big cities. In any case, student halls of residence are usually your cheapest option. As soon as you have decided on where you want to study, you should start looking, as halls of residence can fill up quickly. Here, you can find information on local halls of residence and the respective application process for most cities. Going to a café or restaurant can also be more expensive in a big city than in a small town.

To finance your studies in Germany, you should also find out about scholarships. There are many different scholarship programmes and excellent grades are not the only deciding factor. You can learn more about scholarships here and find suitable programmes directly on My GUIDE.

Your course of study does not exclusively prepare you for a career as a farmer. A wide variety of career paths are open to you, depending on the specialisation you have chosen in your studies. Of course, you can go directly into agricultural practice and work for an agricultural or horticultural company. But you can also choose a sector upstream of agriculture, such as fertilisers or plant breeding, or a downstream sector, such as trade or the food industry. Sectors that only marginally overlap with agriculture can also offer you interesting fields of activity. These include, for example, banks or insurance companies. Graduates also work in research, teaching, consulting or in public administration, development cooperation or specialised journalism.

Since your career paths can be very different, it is difficult to estimate your starting salary.