Study PhD Programmes in Berlin, Germany

Berlin at a glance

Berlin, Germany’s capital and cultural centre, is one of the world’s most engaging places to pursue an academic degree. There are a number of good reasons to study in Berlin: excellent higher education and research activity;lower costs;high quality of living;great diversity;fantastic nightlife;a lot of green space to relax in. In Berlin, you can complete your Bachelor’s and Master’s in almost any subject field you can imagine, advance your German language proficiency, and make international friends. Berlin is located in northeastern Germany, on the banks of Rivers Spree and Havel, and it’s Germany’s largest city, with over 3.5 million inhabitants.

3.5M

Population
836 - 1340 EUR/month

Living Costs
8

Universities

Studying

Studying in Berlin

Public higher education in Berlin is financed by the state and just a small amount of the universities’ money comes from tuition fees, which are quite low, compared to other countries. International students come to study in Berlin in part due to the great provision of courses in English, particularly at postgraduate level.

Universities in Berlin cover all types of undergraduate and graduate degrees. There are mono-Bachelors and dual Bachelor’s degrees (with career-related qualifications), taught and research Master’s, vocational Master’s courses, postgraduate certificates, professional diploma studies, and doctoral (PhD) programmes. International programmes are fully or partially taught in English, and there are also a number of summer school courses organized for foreign students.

Education in Berlin offer a complete range of study subjects, including international business, management and organization, finance, accounting, law, medicine, architecture, humanities, social sciences, journalism, agriculture to name only a few. Engineering degrees provided by universities in Berlin are highly appreciated, especially design and manufacturing, cyber-physical systems, energy systems and sustainability, infrastructure and mobility, and communication systems.

Studies are in some aspects more theoretical and they consist of many lectures from experienced professors.

Career

Career opportunities in Berlin

Berlin is considered Europe’s startup capital, having a highly active entrepreneurial scene. Berlin’s economy is based on high-tech firms and the service sector. Other significant industries include IT, pharmaceuticals, biomedical engineering and biotechnology, construction, electronics, and tourism.

If you intend to start working in Berlin, you will greatly benefit from learning German, as it will widen you career progression. Some universities and colleges collaborate with local employers for internships or jobs for students, and offer helpful career services.

Berlin’s largest employers include companies such as: Charité, the Vivantes clinics, Siemens, Bombardier, Nokia, Herlitz, Kaufland, T-Mobile, Mercedes-Benz, Allianz, Axel Springer AG, the German Red Cross (DRK) etc.

Life

Berlin city life

Berlin provides endless recreation and entertainment opportunities. The city is well known for its diverse festivals, famous museums and art galleries, cheery nightlife, hundreds of parks, and numerous bars, clubs, restaurants and shops that cater for any taste.

Things to do in Berlin include:

see the city’s skyline form the TV tower (Fernsheturm),
stroll the East Side Gallery sites (the longest section of the Berlin Wall),
have a picnic in Tiergarten,
take a boat tour on Spree river,
spend a day on Museum Island,
go shopping on Friedrichstrasse,
explore the Grunewald forest and meet your friends in Alexanderplatz.

Other major tourist attractions include: Brendenburg Gate, Cahrlottenburg Palace, the Reichstag Building, Checkpoint Charlie, Potsdamer Plaz, the Holocaust Memorial, Berlin Zoo (has the largest range of species in the world), or Berliner Dom.

Over half a million Berliners participate in amateur sports in the State Sport Association's 2,000 clubs. Berlin is a great town for watersports as well, due to its many rivers and lakes.

Clubs range from very underground, jazz, and electro to posh. Berlin has great public transportation, and during weekends the subway is open the entire day.

International atmosphere in Berlin

With 190 different international communities, it is as though Berlin cracked the wall between nationalities. There is a long history of migration into Berlin and foreign-born residents make up around 28% of the city’s population. Large communities in Berlin include expats from Turkey, Poland, Italy, Serbia, Russia, France, U.S., Spain, U.K. and Greece.

The most-commonly-spoken foreign languages in Berlin are Turkish, English, Russian, Arabic, Polish, Kurdish, Vietnamese, Serbian, Croatian and French.

Weather Berlin

In the summer, the temperature average is around 20-24°C (68-75°F) and you can expect some rainy days, so visit Berlin equipped with a waterproof jacket or an umbrella. During the coldest months, December, January and February, the average temperature can drop to -1°C (30°F).

Universities in Berlin

ESMT Berlin

ESMT Berlin was founded by 25 leading global companies and institutions. The international business school offers a number of degree programs: an Executive MBA, a Full-Time MBA, a Part-Time MBA, a Global Online MBA and 3 Master degrees for recent graduates, the Master in Global Management, Master in Innovation & Entrepreneurship, and Master in Analytics & Artificial Intelligence. 

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Freie Universität Berlin

Freie Universität is a full-spectrum university, comprising twelve departments and three Central Institutes that together offer more than 150 different academic programs in a broad range of disciplines. Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin is the joint medical school of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin.

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Hertie School Berlin

The Hertie School is Berlin's university of governance. It is an independent graduate school in Germany that specialises in Public Policy and International Affairs, with highly regarded Masters programmes in each. If you have a background in Law, Economics, Political Science or International Relations and want to further your understanding and career in Berlin, Europe's political center, read on…

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TU Berlin

The internationally renowned Technische Universität Berlin is located in Germany’s capital city at the heart of Europe. Our academic activities are focused on achieving sharply-defined goals: building a distinctive profile for our university, ensuring exceptional performance in research and teaching, providing our graduates with excellent qualifications.

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