Degree

The range of courses, even if the number of undergraduate distance and online courses as well as part-time courses is growing - mostly from full-time attendance courses.It is therefore assumed that the student is fully dedicated to the chosen course of study and can attend courses at any time of the day. Part-time courses are mainly offered by the universities as continuing education and extra-occupational courses (or as a supplement to a main course of study), some of which do not require a formal degree. However, the current higher education legislation (e.g. in Hesse) increasingly contains provisions or recommendations to design undergraduate courses in such a way that they can be completed in parallel with part-time employment or in addition to care tasks (such as caring for children or the sick).

The range of vocational courses is also increasing. If the student\'s living situation requires flexibility and the university of his choice does not yet offer an undergraduate part-time course or a suitable course that integrates or works alongside a job, distance learning can also be considered. However, the choice of subjects is limited. Multimedia-supported degree courses and attendance courses also allow a certain degree of flexibility.

For anyone who wants to combine business practice and theory, universities of applied sciences, and occasionally universities, offer a special study model, especially in business administration, computer science, business informatics and engineering. This reads \"Apprenticeship plus study in one\", which means that the student not only receives the university degree but also the certificate of completion for the respective vocational training. University and company form an interlinked learning system in which the students are prepared for their later professional activity in a targeted and application-oriented manner. Thus, the graduate has good chances in the professional world due to the combined theoretical and practical knowledge. Another advantage is that the relatively long total training time of 2 vocational training courses is shortened by the special structure and organization of a dual study program. This type of study also requires mobility and flexibility, as the university and company may not be in close proximity. Numerous universities - mostly technical colleges - now offer this special type of course.

Professional studies

Anyone who has completed in-company training after graduating from high school and then finds that the desire for professional advancement cannot be fulfilled because they do not have an academic degree or if their professional activity cannot be interrupted because of a degree, a job-integrated degree may be interesting. Here, the course is usually combined with a part-time job from the start, which is carried out on a daily basis or in longer blocks. Another option is to agree part-time employment, which alternates between studying and working. The company release of the students for study-related activities is agreed in a cooperation agreement (between the university, student and company). The regulations range from temporary leave of absence with continued payment of wages to additional work as part of a flextime regulation to corresponding reductions in working hours and wages. The duration of the course is between 8 and 10 semesters, depending on the study and work components. Courses that integrate work (BIS courses) are offered in particular in the areas of business administration, engineering, nursing/health and social work. BIS courses differ from conventional courses only in the way they are structured; the degrees correspond to those in conventional courses.

Part-time study

The extra-occupational course is another way of combining work and study.This can be completed in addition to working in self-study with accompanying seminars. In addition to the compatibility of work and studies, there is also the opportunity to take care of family responsibilities or to look after relatives during your studies

distance learning

Personal circumstances often stand in the way of face-to-face studies, which prevent the realization of the desired course of study in its classic form. Distance learning offers an interesting alternative for target groups such as B. Working people, parents in the family phase, those doing military and community service or people in prison. In contrast to face-to-face studies, distance students receive the teaching and learning material in the form of learning media such as B. printed study letters, online courses on the Internet or so-called learning software, etc. delivered directly to your home. Access to an Internet-enabled PC is usually the prerequisite for taking up distance learning. The learning success during the semester is mostly checked by self-control tasks and submission tasks, at the end of the semester with an exam. The subject matter can also be deepened in supplementary face-to-face events at the universities or at regional learning and study centers. Specially trained specialist mentors are available here to inform and advise students and to support them in their specialist studies.

Senior Studies

A special form of study is the so-called senior study, which can be completed by seniors at universities and technical colleges. 50 German universities offer educational opportunities specifically for the older generation. These include the University of the Third Age (U3L) at the Goethe University in Frankfurt and the senior college at the Martin Luther University in Halle-Wittenberg.

Most seniors take advantage of the guest student course, since \"regular studies\" take a lot of time and require a corresponding university entrance qualification. However, guest auditor studies are integrated into everyday university life and are therefore part of the regular teaching program for regular students. The generation over 60 makes up almost half of the approx. 40,000 guest students at German universities, which means that the proportion has almost doubled since 1997. The guest auditor or senior course is not geared towards exams or degrees, the students can put their subjects together themselves.

There is no uniform model for studying for seniors in Germany; this term includes various additional educational offers geared to the special range of interests of seniors. The first German university for senior citizens has been in Bad Meinberg near Bielefeld since 2006 - the European Center for University Studies for Senior Citizens Ostwestfalen-Lippe (EZUS) - where students are issued certificates after a 2-year \"Studium Generale\".