Horticulture
Non-University Higher Education (Fachhochschulen)
Admission Requirements
- Fachhochschulreife (special technical education qualification
or
Fachabitur (special higher education exam)
or
Abitur (general higher education exam)
and
- pracital training or experience of between three and twelve months,
depending in the institution.
Length and Structure of courses
Length of studies is six or eight semesters depending on whether
the practical training of about one year is integrated into the course
of studies. Students may add an extra semester for completion of experimental
work for their thesis before taking the final examinations.
The studies are partitioned into the phases: Grundstudium (basic
studies) and Hauptstudium (main studies).
Depending on the institution the Grundstudium may take two or
four semesters and is concluded by the mid-examination, the Vordiplom.
In the Hauptstudium of four semesters, students choose special courses
for intensification and specialisation to prepare their thesis and the
final examinations.
Practical Training
Many students go through an apprenticeship or a practical training
of two or three years in horticultural enterprises before registering in
Fachhochschulen, although the requirements are only three to twelve months,
sometimes offered as an integrated practical training period during main
studies.
Contributory Research Work
The Diplomarbeit (thesis) and its preparation are most essential
contributions to the students´ qualification. As a general rule,
the period for the Diplomarbeit is twelve weeks.
European Dimension
Optional courses for foreign languages are available for the
students. Quite a number of Fachhochschulen maintain close relations to
institutions of higher education both within the EU and outside, in order
to promote student exchange and proficiency in foreign languages.
Grade / Title of Diploma / Degree
Upon graduation the Fachhochschulen confer the degree of Diplomingenieur
(Dipl.Ing.) für Gartenbau (Horticulture) with the letters FH (Fachhochschule)
added in some of the federal states and indication of the area of specialisation.
Further Study
Graduates of the Fachhochschulen have earned the allgemeine Hochschulreife
(General University Entrance Qualification) and are therefore entitled
to start studies at university level. When continuing in the same field,
credits may be transferred from Fachhochschulen to University and thereby
length of studies as well as number of subjects may be considerably reduced.
The best students may even enrol in a doctoral programme at a University
under the supervision of their advisor.
Employment Market
Graduates of Fachhochschulen enjoy a good professional image
and have good chances on the employment market. This results from their
strong practical experience and study orientation in applied subjects.
In the field of horticulture, graduates of Fachhochschulen work
mostly in extension services, administration, research, practical enterprises
and industry. They also fill positions as managers in professional and
management federations, cooperatives, consulting offices or the media and
in development organisations.
Addresses of Fachhochschulen
Technische Fachhochschule Berlin
Fachbereich 11, Landespflege und Gartenbau
Königin - Luise - Str. 22
14195 Berlin
Tel.: 030/ 832 70 46 Fax: 030/ 832 92 22
Fachhochschule für Technik und Wirtschaft Dresden
Fachbereich Pillnitz
Friedrich-List-Platz 1
01069 Dresden
Tel.: 0351 / 4622761 Fax: 0351/ 4662267
Fachhochschule Osnabrück
Fachbereich Gartenbau
Am Krümpel 31
49090 Osnabrück
Tel.: 0541 / 9695161 Fax: 0541 / 9695050
Fachhochschule Weihenstephan
Fachbereich Gartenbau
85350 Freising
Tel.: 08161 / 713378
Fachhochschule Wiesbaden-Geisenheim
Fachbereich Gartenbau
Von-Lade-Str. 1
65366 Geisenheim
Tel.: 06722 / 502714 Fax: 06722 / 502710
Addresses of Former Students´Association
Bund der Ingenieure des Gartenbaues und der Landespflege (BIG) e.
V.
Vorsitzender: Jörg Freimuth
Godesberger Allee 142 - 148
Tel.: 0228/ 8100232 Fax: 0228/ 8100248
Universities
Admission Requirements
- Fachabitur (special higher education exam)
or
Abitur (allgemeine Hochschulreife, general higher education exam)
and
- practical training of six to twelve months in horticultural enterprises,
which may also be taken between study periods.
Length and Structure of Courses
Studies cover in general nine semesters, practical periods excluded,
but including the final examinations. The studies are partitioned into
Grundstudium (basic studies) of three semesters concluded by the Vordiplom
(mid exam) and Hauptstudium (main studies) of five semesters concluded
by the Diplom examination and are structured very much like agricultural
study programmes. The Diplom examination constitutes the first state examination
for future state officers.
In the first year students take courses in natural sciences, mathematics,
statistics and national economics. In the second year, horticultural sciences
are introduced along with extensive studies of biology and economics. In
the Hauptstudium (years three and four) the student deals extensively with
the subject he has opted for. He has also to write a thesis to pass the
final examinations in the ninth semester.
Practical Training
The student must have completed six months (Berlin, Hannover)
or twelve months (München-Weihenstephan) of practical training before
his final examination. Since for state officers a practical training period
of one year is required, it is also the recommendation for the students
to complete a one-year period.
Contributory Research Work
The Diplomarbeit (thesis) is a most essential part of the final
examination and relates to a chosen field of research. The period of its
preparation is restricted to six months.
European Dimension
Optional courses in foreign languages are available. In the Hauptstudium
(main studies) some courses deal with aspects of the European agricultural
policy.
Grade /Title of Diploma/Degree
The students graduating in horticulture earn the degree of Diplom-Agraringenieur
für Gartenbau (Dipl.-Ing. agr.), corresponding to a Master of Science
in Horticulture.
Further Study
The graduates of a horticultural study programme may continue
in a doctoral programme and after doing their thesis work and their examinations
get the degree of Doktor der Gartenbauwissenschaften (Doctor of Horticultural
Sciences, Dr. rer. hort: in Berlin und Hannover) or Doktor der Agrarwissenschaften
(Doctor of Agricultural Sciences, Dr. sc. agr: in München-Weihenstephan).
For state officers in horticulture a special training course is
necessary (Referendariat). It takes usually either two years or two and
a half and leads to the second state examination, which is a prerequisite
for higher level horticultural officers in public administration.
Employment Market
Most career openings for Diplom-Agraringenieure für Gartenbau
are in the public sector. As in the agricultural fields, the reduced horticultural
production leads also to a reduction in number of positions. So, in this
sector the prospects are not too bright.
There are, however, also possibilities for work in the still growing
commercial sector, in research, in cooperatives or federations, as managers
of enterprises and in industry. Some also find jobs in consulting services,
in extension, in specialised journalism or in development organisations.
Addresses of Universities
Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
Landwirtschaftlich-Gärtnerische Fakultät
Invalidenstr. 42
10115 Berlin
Tel.: 030 /2897 2208 Fax: 030/ 2897 2203
Universität Hannover
Fachbereich Gartenbau
Herrenhäuser Str. 2
30419 Hannover
Tel.: 0511 / 7622685
Technische Universität München-Weihenstephan
Fakultät für Landwirtschaft und Gartenbau
85350 Freising
Tel.: 08161 / 713258 Fax: 08161 / 713900
Addresses of Former Students´Association
Bundesverband der Diplom-Ingenieure Gartenbau und Landespflege e.V.
BDGL
Godesberger Allee 142 - 148
53175 Bonn
Tel.: 0228 / 37 67 11 Fax: 0228 / 37 32 60
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