Information for Parents

Nowadays, finding the right study programme for your daughter or son is not easy: more than 9,000 courses of study at just under 400 universities are competing for school leavers. Sometimes, the choice of a suitable discipline is really a matter of luck.

We would like to explain to you on this page why studying at the PFH Private University of Applied Sciences Göttingen is different from studying at a state university and what advantages studying at the PFH gives your child.

The problem for many parents wishing to assist their child in choosing a suitable course of study is that they studied at a time when there were not only much fewer courses on offer but the qualifications were called Diplom and Magister or State Examination. For many, the currently applicable study regulations involving bachelor's and master's qualifications are new or in need of explanation.

Diplom and Bachelor's qualifications differ, first of all, in the structure of the study programme. While a Diplom study programme is divided into a basic and main course of studies, there is no such arrangement in the case of a Bachelor's study programme. On the contrary, a Bachelor's degree has a modular structure, which means that individual modules with a certain number of credits (ECTS) need to be completed. There is no final examination at the end of the study programme. The Bachelor's study programme is usually shorter (often 6 semesters) than a Diplom or Magister study programme and is an initial professional qualification. It also entitles students to take a Master's study programme.

The Master's qualification is an intermediate academic qualification between a Bachelor's and a doctorate. It is equivalent to a Diplom or Magister qualification. One major advantage for students under the new system is that the qualifications are internationally recognised and corresponding courses of study can be compared much more easily. This makes it easier to switch between universities at home and abroad and also facilitates a goal-oriented, continuous study programme at several study locations. Standardisation of study programmes also becomes an entrance ticket to the international labour market.

Reducing the differences between studying at a state and a private university merely to the tuition fees charged by the latter is too limited because studying at a state university also involves high costs for you as parents. Rather, we, PFH Private University of Applied Sciences Göttingen, follow a completely different concept, which a mass university would not be able to implement in this form.

All our activities and study programmes have one aim: fostering and developing our students into highly qualified and committed individuals. We work closely together with business here, giving our courses of study a practical orientation so as to train our students in line with demand and to prepare them optimally for the labour market. The success rate proves that this concept works: our graduates are in very high demand with companies, with a job offer even prior to completion of a study programme being the rule rather than the exception.

All courses of study at the PFH are accredited and state-recognised, which means that, at this point, there is no qualitative difference from a state university. There is, however, a qualitative difference in terms of our didactic concept, which is geared to the personal supervision and advancement of each individual student. Apart from up-to-date teaching content, provision is made for individual coaching and small learning groups. Contact with professors and lecturers is close and based on partnership, and dialogue with the teaching body not tied to lectures and consulting times. Moreover, we attach great importance to extracurricular events and activities, in which students also develop their social skills. Our declared aim is to send fully developed individuals out into the world of work following a successful study programme.

If you have any questions about studying at PFH Private University of Applied Sciences Göttingen, please do not hesitate to contact us. Or take advantage of one of our Information Events to get to know us in person and to see that a study programme at PFH is a sensible investment in your child's professional future. We look forward to meeting you!