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Medicine, Health Sciences

Study Health and Nursing Sciences in Germany

Explore 698 programmes.

The health and nursing sciences constitute a relatively young field of study. In this field, you will be trained as a specialist for the organisation of care services and healthcare. While you will acquire some medical knowledge during your degree programme, it is important to note that a health and nursing sciences degree does not qualify you for medical work. As our society continues to age, you will be in high demand on the job market.

Facts

161 Higher Education Institutions

Bachelor, Master, Final Examination

German, English, Danish

1-11 Semesters

What content can I expect?

Before you decide on a course of study in the health and nursing sciences, you should consider the following questions: Do you want to deal with healthcare in general or more specifically with nursing? Do you want to manage healthcare and health services, or do you want to deal with their theoretical design?

If you are more interested in the economic/management aspects, the following fields of study may be most suitable for you:

  • Health management
  • Health economics
  • Nursing management

In these subject areas, you will acquire business skills and knowledge of social law in addition to medical basics. This will allow you to take on a management position in a healthcare facility after completing your degree.

If, on the other hand, you would prefer to approach healthcare and nursing from a more scientific perspective, you should consider the following fields of study:

  • Health pedagogy
  • Health science
  • Nursing pedagogy
  • Nursing science
  • Rehabilitation sciences

Here, too, you will learn the basics of medicine, but you will also cover subjects such as ethics and the social sciences. After graduating, you can work in healthcare facilities or in research, and you will deal primarily with the structures and processes of healthcare and care services.

The demand for qualified healthcare and nursing staff is high and will continue to rise due to demographic change.

To successfully study in the health and nursing sciences, you should have very good people skills. Qualities such as empathy and patience are important for a course of study that deals a lot with people (in need of care). But you should also have a good command of the English language: A lot of the academic literature is only available in English.

Since health and nursing sciences are applied fields of study, you can expect many practical units during your studies. Completely practice-integrated and part-time degree programmes are not uncommon. In general, Bachelor’s programmes are scheduled for six to eight semesters, and Master’s programmes for three to five semesters. Depending on the content and planned practical units, however, you will also find many degree programmes with shorter or longer standard study durations.

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Are you interested in an in Medicine, Health Sciences? Run a non-binding eligibility check now.

What are the requirements for studying health and nursing sciences?

To be eligible to enrol in health and nursing sciences, you need a general or subject-specific higher education entrance qualification, a university of applied sciences entrance qualification or a comparable qualification. In some cases, completed vocational training plus work experience is also accepted as a substitute for a higher education entrance qualification. Please note, that there are also degree programmes that require relevant training and sometimes additional work experience in addition to the higher education entrance qualification.

Further admission restrictions can be a minimum grade point average (a numerus clausus, NC), pre-study internships, selection interviews, aptitude tests or other admission procedures. In addition, most higher education institutions expect you to provide proof of your health (e.g. in the form of a medical certificate) and a clean criminal record. In some cases, legally required vaccinations must also be proven.

But if you search for them, you can also find degree programmes that are completely free of admission requirements.

What does it cost to study health and nursing sciences?

The costs of studying depend on many factors and are determined by tuition fees or semester contributions, rent and your personal budget and preferences, among other things.

Tuition fees: There are only rarely tuition fees to pay at public higher education institutions, so almost all degree programmes are free of charge. However, there are some exceptions in the field of health and nursing sciences and tuition fees may be charged at some public higher education institutions, especially for part-time courses. Tuition fees are actually always charged for courses offered by private higher education institutions.

In most cases, you will have to pay semester contributions at public higher education institutions. By the way, when you pay the semester contribution, you often automatically get a semester ticket. Depending on the higher education institution, you can expect to pay between 100 and 400 euros per semester.

Tip: Since degree programmes in health and nursing sciences are not only available at public and private higher education institutions, but also at ecclesiastical institutions or as a dual programme, there are big differences in how much they can cost. It is best to enquire directly at your higher education institution if you are unsure about what you will be expected to pay.

Rent: Another financial burden for most students is rent. How much you will need to spend on accommodation can vary depending on the city. However, student halls of residence and shared flats are always good and inexpensive options. Not only do you get to know people quickly, but you also save money!

Living costs: Here, you should think about how much money you spend on food, clothing or drugstore items on average. Costs for smartphones and the internet, for example, or expenses for health insurance should also be taken into account.

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  and find suitable programmes directly on My GUIDE.

What career options do I have with a degree in health and nursing sciences?

Depending on your degree programme and specialisation, you can choose from very different positions. For example, you can find a job in social and health management, health promotion and counselling as well as in nursing care or social counselling. Possible employers include hospitals, maternity homes, doctors‘ surgeries, nursing homes and rehabilitation clinics. However, health and long-term care insurance companies as well as the pharmaceutical industry or companies in the healthcare sector also offer jobs. Of course, you can also work in public administration, in associations or at agencies (e.g. in the Ministry of Health) or gain a foothold in research and teaching.

Many in the health and nursing sector are paid according to the public service pay scales. As a manager, e.g. of a care facility or in the pharmaceutical industry, you have even better salary opportunities. By the way, for managerial positions, an advanced degree, e.g. a Master’s degree, is often expected.

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Check your eligibility to study at German higher education institutions (non-binding)

Run a quick and non-binding check to determine whether your certificates make you eligible to study at German higher education institutions. Depending on which educational certificates you provide, you may qualify for all degree programmes or only for certain subjects or types of higher education institutions. It is possible that you do not currently meet the requirements to be eligible to apply to a German higher education institution. In such a case, you may be able to attend a Studienkolleg. Please note that the eligibility check results apply exclusively to undergraduate programmes and are not legally binding.

Once you have completed the non-binding check, degree programmes that match your eligibility will be marked with a corresponding icon.