Learning German
If you plan on spending some time in Germany, it might be worth considering to learn German beforehand. While it is possible to study international degree programs in Germany without prior knowledge of the German language, there are some very good reasons for learning German. Just consider some of the following: German is not only spoken in Germany, but also in Austria and Switzerland; it is also a minority language in some neighbouring countries. In fact, among Europeans the approximately 100 million native speakers of German greatly outnumber those of English, French, Italian or Spanish. In business, diplomacy and tourism, German stands second only to English in Western Europe, in Eastern Europe it holds first place in several countries.
The easiest way to learn the German language is, of course, by being in Germany. You could for instance attend one of the international summer or winter courses available at universities in Germany. These courses are designed in such a manner that people of the same age group have a chance to learn German and such provide a fantastic chance to explore Germany and its neighbouring countries.
But there are also other options available: The Goethe-Institutes in Germany as well as abroad offer language instruction at all levels. They also conduct preparatory courses for higher level examinations. To help you decide how best you can learn German, we present hereafter some of the options you have.
