Germany: F+U, HTWK launch HE pathway
German language school F+U Academy of Languages and HTWK – University of Applied Sciences have established a joint pathway programme for international students looking to study economics at tertiary level in the country.
F+U’s campus in Heidelberg.The International Prep School will take place on F+U’s campus in Heidelberg, and will prepare students to take the Feststellungsprüfung – the entrance exam required to study at universities of applied science in Germany.
“We have state pathway programmes and they have limited numbers of spaces, so students like to come to private institutions to prepare,”
The course was developed based on growing demand for the Feststellungsprüfung, according to Carolin Kemen, coordinator of international projects at F+U, who said more and more students are taking the entrance exam that will allow them to study on preparatory courses for higher education.
Keen said limited capacity in state-run pathway programmes is driving growth in the private sector.
“Right now there is a growing number of students who actually pass the entrance exam to the state institutions, but there is no space, so they like to come to private institutions to prepare,” she told The PIE News.
The Feststellungsprüfung is mandatory for students whose high school leaving qualifications are not deemed to be equivalent to the German diploma.
The school expects to see high levels of interest for the programme among students from the Middle East and Japan, along with Azerbaijan, Russia, and Ukraine.
“Usually students who come to our school from these areas still have to attend this kind of course in our experience,” Kemen said.
The nine-month course, beginning in September 2016, will be the first pathway programme delivered by F+U, and will prepare students to study economics-related majors.
The first class of 12-20 students will begin their studies this autumn, and the school plans to add more classes in subsequent years.
There are also plans to extend the pathways to other specialist subjects, including medicine.
Students who complete the 36-week course and pass the exam will be guaranteed admission to a degree programme at HWTK in Berlin or Baden-Baden, though they will be able to use the exam to apply to other universities.
[Source:- pie news]