What should I study in college? Use our degree finder

What should I study? Tips for choosing the right degree programme.

It is easy to get lost in the wide range of degree programmes and finding a suitable degree programme can be quite tricky. Maybe you're still asking yourself "Which degree programme is right for me?" or "What should I study in college or university?

Take some time and try out our Degree Finder! It will take you just few clicks to find the degree programme that matches your profile, and you can find out more about the content of the degree programmes directly on our website. The results will help you get an overview so you can make a better choice of the degree programme for your studies. Above all, you should avoid choosing a degree programme that sounds good on paper but is not in demand in the professional world.

Whether Bachelor's, Master's, full or part-time, in German or English - there is something for everyone here at CBS in Germany. Discover our study programmes at our eight campuses all over Germany and find the course that suits the best for you and your career aspirations. We want to shape the future for you and with you - are you in?

Where should I study?

When you are studying on campus, there is always the question of where to study. The most convenient option is to live at home and commute to the university. This has many advantages, but you get to see less of student life on campus, there is less interaction with fellow students and you will not be living in your first apartment or shared flat. Statistics show that around one in two 24-year-old students live with their parents. Therefore, for one half of students, the choice of where to study is a question of proximity to their parents' home. When studying full-time or part-time, proximity is pleasant. With a dual study program, proximity can be doubly important because you not only study on campus but also regularly travel to your corporate company.

8 campuses throughout Germany

The largest CBS campus is located in Cologne. This is where the university was founded and is now the home of all study models in our portfolio. Here you can study full-time, dual or part-time and even gain admission to the Bachelor's degree program for foreign educational qualifications with Prep4Uni. Cologne is a city of millions with a large metropolitan area and many attractive employers.

The CBS campuses in Mainz, Neuss & Potsdam have a focus on dual and part-time programs. Mainz is perfectly connected to the Rhine-Main region and Potsdam stands out due to its proximity to Berlin. In Neuss, you will study and work near Düsseldorf - an exciting location for global companies. If you would like to discover a new city while studying, CBS offers many attractive alternatives with the Cologne/Düsseldorf metropolitan region, the student city of Mainz or the diverse Potsdam.

The 4 smaller campuses in Aachen, Hamburg, Hanover and Solingen, with their focus on dual study programs, are particularly interesting because they are close to many exciting corporate companies. The student city of Aachen has a large catchment area with the Euregio, Hamburg is a very popular metropolis on the waterfront, Hanover, as the state capital of Lower Saxony, offers good connections to the greater region and the Solingen campus opens up the Bergisches Land region. This large number of locations makes it easy to commute from your home to the campus and to your corporate company.

finance-and-management-studentin-am-whiteboard

Where should I study abroad?

Deciding where to study abroad can be tough There is always the question of where to study. With so many amazing options how can you narrow down the location that might be the best for you. The most convenient option of course is to stay in your country of origin and live with your parents and commute to a local university. But then you miss out on the multiple advantages that studying abroad at international universities offer. Before making that choice, it's important to ask your self few questions:

What do you want to study?
What is your major?
Where would you like to live?
What would you like to do in your free time?

Germany is the fourth most popular country among students for their international abroad studies. More than 13% of students at German schools come from all over the world. Germany is an attractive destination for your international studies and it offers many advantages for your future career. With 20 percent of our students coming from across the world, internationalism is the focus at CBS. Internationally oriented and English-taught study programmes, as well as students from 78 different nationalities and cultures, make our campus diverse and colorful. CBS has campuses in Cologne, Mainz, and Potsdam. These are 3 attractive locations, for an international business school. Cologne has a huge trading area; Mainz is perfectly connected in the Rhine-Main region and Potsdam is very close to Berlin. Therefore for your international studies abroad, CBS offers you 3 attractive alternatives: The megacity of Cologne, the student city of Mainz, or the fascinating Potsdam.

How do I find the right university?

You can either first decide on a field of study and then start looking for a university - or vice versa. A middle course is ideal: first, decide on a rough field of study and then look at university rankings, for example, in the Wirtschafts Woche 2020 ranking, CBS is the best private university of applied sciences for Business Studies in NRW and Rhineland-Palatinate. Then look for the degree programmes that interest you at the universities and analyse the course content. Study programmes are not standardised down to the last detail, and the soft skills offered vary greatly from university to university.

Types of Universities: Which one is right for you?

You have to choose between a public university or a private university of applied sciences. At public universities, the focus is on research and science, but the practical relevance sometimes plays a very subordinate role. At private universities of applied sciences, teaching content tends to be more practice-oriented, so the focus is on comparing academic findings with implementation and application in practice. The focus is different at every university. So the question is public or private university. At a private university, the lectures and seminars are held in smaller groups. You also study in small groups where you quickly get to know your fellow students and can ask questions at any time. Overall, the supervision is much more individualised because the ratio of lecturers and professors to students is much higher thus ensuring that students have more exchange and support from teaching staff than at a public university.) The chances of starting a career quickly are usually higher because the university is interested in training you in a practical way and you will already make valuable contacts in the working world during your studies. This is why private universities are often even more demanding when it comes to selecting students: At CBS, admission is regulated by a separate selection procedure instead of the Numerus Clausus ("NC"). For example, you can only enroll in an English-language degree programme if we determine that you can keep up with it in terms of language and subject. Your advantage: If you have passed the entrance examination, you can be sure that you are exactly right for CBS. This pre-selection increases the success rate: out of 20 students, 18 to 19 will graduate.

Most CBS study programmes also include a semester abroad, for which a large network of partner universities is available. The interlocking of theory, practice, and soft skills is also an important advantage.

Should I follow my interests when choosing a course of study?

There are around 20,000 degree programmes in Germany alone. Theoretically, you will find several degree programmes for every possible interest, from generalist to highly specialised. So, don't succumb to the temptation to focus only on your present interests when choosing a degree programme. Firstly, interests can change in the course of a lifetime - or even within a year. Secondly, choosing a degree programme purely on the basis of inclinations and interests ignores the important issues of the labour market situation, earnings, and career opportunities as well as flexibility. A healthy mix of interests and perspectives is ideal. So, it's important to ask yourself: "Which degree programme suits me?" and not just "Which degree programme suits my current interests?" or "Which degree programme will bring me a lot of money later on." This is why business studies are so popular: You can use your studies to discover new interests and specialise in the course of your studies. At CBS in particular, you will gain many insights into industries and companies that can permanently shift your current interests.

What should I study in college quizzes & tests: How good are they really?

You can find many study selection tests & assessments online. They are at least entertaining, and often a lot of work goes into them. But they are rarely really good advisors for the important life decision of choosing a degree programme. The reason lies in the question systems, which can have weaknesses. If a study choice test spits out at the end of the questions that Business Studies, Egyptology, and Physics could be equally interesting for you, then the test design is probably questionable. Above all, important consequences of the choice of study are not addressed: Salary prospects, working hours, and career opportunities. So be skeptical about such tests..