Saxon universities are expanding English-language courses

Saxony's universities have expanded their range of English-language courses. More will be starting in the new winter semester. The number has risen continuously over the past 10 to 20 years - a trend that is continuing, the University of Leipzig informed dpa in response to a query. She now has 28 of them in her program. The natural sciences in particular are actively expanding the offering, while there are no English-language courses in theology and veterinary medicine, for example.

The people of Leipzig are not alone in this development. At the Bergakademie Freiberg, students have been able to study entirely in English since the winter semester of 1999/2000. The subject “International Management of Resources and Environment” started with seven students. Today there are 14 English-taught courses at the Technical University. Chemnitz University of Technology also reports growth: from 9 courses with 1,268 students to 13 courses with 2,177 students in the past ten years. This means that a quarter of students are now studying in English.

Attracting foreign students to the German job market

At TU Dresden, almost every fourth degree program is taught in English, with new offerings primarily in mathematics, natural and environmental sciences. “As a globally oriented university of excellence, we also want to attract the world’s best talent for us and our research priorities,” is the reason.

And English is the most widely spoken language in the world. “Through English-language study programs and targeted collaborations with industrial partners, we can attract foreign students to the German job market, especially in the MINT subjects.” The abbreviation stands for mathematics, computer science, natural sciences and technology.

The other universities give similar reasons for expanding this offer. In addition to recruiting international applicants, it is also about giving German students international skills or specifically preparing them for an international career. Such courses are often organized together with partners abroad. The Bergakademie offers a master's program in “Responsible Consumption and Production” with the Montanuniversität Leoben (Austria) and the University of León (Spain). Individual phases are completed at all three locations.

More English-language degree programs are starting

According to information from the universities, English-language courses are primarily available as advanced courses of study, i.e. with the aim of obtaining a master's degree. There are no foreign language courses other than English in Freiberg and Chemnitz. The TU Dresden refers to courses in Russian, French or Italian in linguistics. The University of Leipzig also has such offerings, some of which are bilingual, for example in translation studies.

The English-language degree programs that are being offered this winter semester include the master’s programs “Japan in the Asia Pacific” and “Evolutionary Anthropology” at the University of Leipzig. The Faculty of Electrical and Information Technology at Chemnitz University of Technology is offering a new master’s degree in “Automation, Robotics and Control”. The registration period runs until the end of the month.