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RANKING

These 10 German universities are best at landing you a job

A new Times Higher Education (THE) ranking shows which universities in Germany produce the most employable graduates.

Published: 16 November 2017 10:10 CET
These 10 German universities are best at landing you a job
The opening of a new complex at the Frankfurt School of Finance and Management on October 26th. Photo: DPA.

In the survey published by THE on Thursday, 150 institutions spanning 33 countries across the globe were ranked by top recruitment managers for graduate employability.

Featured in the annual ranking, which is in its seventh edition, are 11 German institutions in total – including three that made it into the top 50, with the Technical University of Munich taking the lead for Germany in eighth place.

Internationally, German universities are getting a better and better reputation, according to THE. But when it comes to “conveying digital competence” there's a bit of room for improvement.

Nevertheless, because professional experience is built into degree programmes in Germany, it is “one of the best represented countries in the employability ranking.”

Here are the best universities across the country in terms of being able to land you a job after graduation.

1. Technical University of Munich (TUM)

Located in the capital of Bavaria, this higher education institute placed eighth worldwide and was rated the best in Germany. It even ranked above prestigious universities such as Yale University and Oxford University – and was placed right behind Stanford at number seven.

Similar to the THE 2016 ranking, TUM is the only institution outside the US, UK or Japan which made it into the top ten.

Wolfgang Herrmann, TUM’s president, credits this success to the deep relationships between the university and industry in Bavaria, such as its connections to companies like Siemens and BMW.

“There is no other technical university that has such a rich economic environment and especially a technical economic environment [as] we do here in Munich,” Herrmann said in a statement.

TUM prides itself on its creativity, scientific innovation and entrepreneurial spirit; its scientists made 165 inventions in 2014, 69 patents were submitted in 2015 and more than 800 startups have been launched by students and staff over the past decade.

So don’t fret if you’re concerned your diploma from this university may not have as well-known a name on it as some of the others on the list; on graduation day, your chances for success are likely equal if not greater.

2. University of Munich (Ludwig Maximilian University)

With a degree in hand from this university, you might be able to increase your chances of finding a job that's right for you.

Similar to the 2016 THE Global University Employability ranking, this institute placed 31st worldwide, beating out the UK's University of Manchester (34th) and Duke University (37th) in the US.

Also known as LMU, the institute dates back to 1472 and traces its roots back to the 15th century.

Famous alumni and professors from LMU include Pope Benedict XVI, Werner Heisenberg and playwright Bertolt Brecht.

According to THE, the university places an emphasis on the natural sciences such as biology and physics, while other top subjects include space science and medicine.

3. Goethe University Frankfurt

 

#goetheuni

A post shared by Gerhard Kotman (@gerhard.kotman) on Oct 13, 2017 at 11:58pm PDT

This leading academic institute in the financial hub of Germany has risen in the global THE ranking compared to last year: whereas it came in 50th place in 2016, this year it was bumped up to 47th place – nudging slightly further ahead than the University of Sydney (48th) and the University of Melbourne (50th).

Named after Germany's most beloved writer, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, the location in the country’s banking centre lends itself to global connections, as part of its “international campus” initiative.

THE notes that Goethe University has a strong commitment to interdisciplinary approaches and is particularly well regarded for its work in physics, medicine, business administration and economics.

4. Heidelberg University

Ranked number 54, Heidelberg University was founded in 1386 and is thus the oldest of Germany’s academic institutions.

Five German chancellors have attended Heidelberg – including Helmut Kohl, who oversaw German reunification – as well as influential thinkers like Hannah Arendt.

Academics at the Baden-Württemberg institute have founded sub-disciplines such as psychiatric genetics, environmental physics and modern sociology, THE report. Further notable subjects offered by the university are space science and neuroscience.

READ ALSO: Why Heidelberg is Germany’s most inspiring city

5. Humboldt University of Berlin

The alma mater of influential thinkers like Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels placed 58th worldwide, meaning that this is Berlin’s best bet for students looking to find meaningful work in the cosmopolitan capital city after graduation.

THE calls Humboldt one of the most prestigious universities in Europe with a “world class reputation in arts and humanities.”

The institution’s academic clout is evidenced by the fact that it has educated no fewer than 29 Nobel prizewinners, THE writes, including a prize for physics, literature and economics.

6. Frankfurt School of Finance and Management

 

#FSBachelor BSc 2017 Snapchat / Instagram Competition ?This symbolizes Frankfurt for me: @bussesimon ? #ready4fs

A post shared by Frankfurt School (@frankfurtschool) on Sep 13, 2017 at 8:46am PDT

Is it any surprise that an institution dedicated to business and finance located in the country’s banking hub is considered to have highly employable graduates?

At number 64, up from 67 last year, the Frankfurt School is a fairly new institute compared to the other German ones on the list.

Established in 1957, the institution has come to be well regarded in Germany for its business administration and business IT programmes and its overall reputation has grown too.

“Graduates of this programme are also best prepared for starting successful careers,” said professor Udo Steffens when German business magazine Wirtschaftswoche named it the fourth best German university for business administration in 2015.

7. Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)

Photo: Karlsruhe Institute of Technology

Ranking in 80th place, this university in the southern state of Baden-Würtemmberg beat out Michigan State University (81st) just by a nose. The school is also rather young, though it already had a history of research before its founding.

Established in 2009, the institute began as a merger of the University of Karlsruhe and the Karlsruhe Research Center.

Other previous THE world university rankings moreover show that KIT has fared well in areas additional to its likelihood of landing students a job; the university is highly regarded for its computer science programme and it's one of the top global institutions in the 2017 best young universities list.

8. University of Göttingen

Göttingen in Lower Saxony is known for being a historic yet student-friendly town and at number 87, up from 92 last year, it still makes it into the top 100 worldwide.

More than 40 Nobel Prize winners have conducted research, studied or taught at the university, and its prestige has helped to give the town the moniker of “city of science”.

Featuring a wide range of degree programmes, particularly in the humanities, the institute “prioritizes creativity” and students are “encouraged to engage in creative thinking as well as acquiring methodological knowledge,” writes THE.

9. Technical University of Berlin

Founded in 1879, the Technical University (TU) placed 89th in the global ranking.

It has a particular reputation for mechanical engineering and engineering management, as well as mathematics and chemistry.

TU Berlin also has a wealth of programmes on offer that, according to THE, specialize in the technical industry, such as process sciences, electrical engineering and transport systems.

It's also home to two innovation centres from the European Institute of Innovation and Technology, and its science library of three million books and journals gives scholars and guests unlimited access.

10. Free University of Berlin (Freie Universität)

This institution is the only one on the list that has slightly dipped this year compared to last year.

Slipping to 120th place compared to 115th place in 2016, the university is nonetheless deemed one of the best across the country in producing the most employable graduates.

Established in 1948 at the beginning of the Cold War in west Berlin, the Free University boasts having employed professors who have won four Nobel Prizes in fields ranging from literature to economics.

Notable to mention as well is that one of the institution's libraries, the Philological Library, was designed in the shape of a human brain by internationally known Brtitish architect Norman Foster.

RESEARCH

ANALYSIS: Why are Denmark’s politicians criticising university researchers?

The Danish parliament has recently adopted a controversial text asking universities to ensure that "politics is not disguised as science". The Local's contributor Sophie Standen examines why Denmark's politicians are criticising university researchers.

Published: 9 June 2021 17:13 CEST
ANALYSIS: Why are Denmark's politicians criticising university researchers?
Populist politicians have singled out courses at Copenhagen Business School (CBS) for following a so-called 'woke' agenda. Photo: Bjarke MacCarthy/CBS

What has happened? 

On the 1st of June, a majority in the Danish parliament adopted a written declaration that aimed to combat ‘excessive activism in certain humanities and social science research environments’.

The initial debate was led by Morten Messerschmidt from the Danish People’s Party (DF) and Henrik Dahl from Liberal Alliance (LA). The declaration was then voted through, with all of the major parties in favour, including the governing Social Democratic party.

What does the controversial declaration say? 

The declaration stated that the Danish parliament expects that university managements will ensure the self-regulation of scientific research, so that ‘politics is not disguised as science’.

However, it also asserted that Danish parliament has no right to determine the method or topic of research in Danish universities, and stressed the importance of free and critical debate in the research community.

Who is upset by it? 

The adoption of this position by Danish parliament has proven extremely controversial for many academics and researchers, with over 3,200 Danish and international researchers signing an open letter denouncing the stance adopted by the Danish government.

The authors of the letter stated that ‘academic freedom is under increasing attack’, and described the developments as ‘highly troubling’.

Furthermore, in another open letter to the Minister for Higher Education and Science, Ane Halsboe-Jørgensen, published in the Politiken newspaper, 262 Danish university researchers complained that they were facing increasing occurrences of personal intimidation and harassment due their research.

What is concerning university researchers and professors? 

Professor Lisa Ann Richey, a professor at Copenhagen Business School, told The Local that the parliament’s move was “illiberal” as “it doesn’t support freedom”. 

Richey, who has been a professor in Denmark for more than 20 years, was one of co-organisers of the open letter, and a co-signatory of the letter published in Politiken.

“I am one of the international recruits who finds the Danish research environment a great place to work,” she said. “We have a strong university system and good research environments. One of the things we are risking here is that reputation, and also the possibility of recruiting internationally.”

She said that in her opinion, academia in Denmark was self-policing due to the exhaustive peer-review process and oversight by university authorities. 

“There are lots of checks and balances within academia, and sometimes it doesn’t seem like that because they [the politicians] have no idea how many evaluations we go through,” she said. “We have peer reviews, student reviews, and university assessments to ensure quality in research.” 

Is there a populist campaign behind the statement? 

Richey complained that long before the parliamentary statement, prominent populist politicians “came out on social media calling out particular courses”. 

“They did this to a course I taught in, saying now even CBS has become part of this ‘woke agenda’,” she complained. “This statement about politics dressed up as science, it’s meant to intimidate. We need university leadership to support us and we need everyone to recognise that this is a threat towards academic freedom and also to make sure that we don’t expose individuals”

Anders Bjarklev, the rector of the Danish Technical University (DTU), and president of the rector’s college for Danish universities, echoed this sentiment. Writing on social media, he has called the position adopted by parliament, ‘an attack on research freedom’. 

“When subjects are singled out by politicians, such as gender studies or post-colonial studies, then academics get worried because much of our funding is from the government,” he told The Local. 

“I am also worried that academics will be scared to take part or publish research in these subjects”.  As rector of DTU, he says he is “not sure what we could do differently”, as academics at the university “always want to ensure the highest quality standard of research”.

What has the government said to defend itself? 

In an interview with the Politiken newspaper, Bjørn Brandenborg, the Social Democrat’s spokesperson for higher education and science, insisted that despite the statement, there was “no general distrust of universities” on the part of the government. 

“The Danish parliament has a right, like all other citizens, to have an opinion on research results”, he continued, while stressing that “the Danish parliament will not become involved in decisions over what is researched in Danish universities”.

In his view, he said, the text voted on by the parliament was “completely unproblematic”, as  “all it says is that universities should take responsibility for the quality of their research”.

This adopted stance by the Danish government has shaken the arms-length principle of trust between Danish research institutions and the Danish government. Many have denounced the politicians who have singled out specific researchers on social media as examples of political activism within research in Denmark.

In a statement to Politiken, the minister responsible for Higher Education and Science in Denmark, Ane Halsboe-Jørgenson, remarked that the 3,241 researchers that had signed the open letter had “reached the wrong conclusion” about the adopted declaration.

She insisted that the Danish government is “fighting for research freedom”, while also remarking that she thinks “we politicians must stay far away from judging individuals and individual research areas”.

What will happen next? 

For Professor Lisa Ann Richey, “now, when major political parties are part of this, making a ‘non-problem’ a problem, then it’s really time that we [academics] have to respond.”

“Our work is important and it is not acceptable behaviour to try and bully individual researchers and to police research environments,” she continued. “This is something that will be moving forward now that universities have spoken out officially”. 

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