For physicians: Doing a Master’s or PhD degree in Germany

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• Introduction

In this article, we will discuss the academic options for medical graduates in Germany. Some doctors might find the 10 steps to start medical residency in Germany hard, so they might consider finishing a Master’s or Ph.D. degree. This could be interesting because medical doctors can directly enter a PhD program in Germany without having done a Master’s degree before that.

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• This article is a guide to enhance your understanding of the topic; however, it should not be your sole resource. Always consult official websites for the most accurate and up-to-date information (you can read our full disclaimer here).

• Universities in Germany

Germany has at least 250,000 foreign university students out of at least 2.5 million. Foreign graduates in medical specialties can choose the academic route and do a Master’s or a PhD degree in Germany. The detailed steps for the clinical pathway are explained in the 10-step article.

To know about possible career options for doctors in Germany, read the article “Jobs Other than in Hospitals and Clinics for Doctors in Germany.“

• Master’s or PhD degree?

Medical doctors can, in many universities, directly enter into a PhD program without doing a Master’s degree. Many German universities consider this degree equal to a Master’s degree.

Medical doctors can in most German universities directly do a PhD without doing a Master’s degree before that.

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• What are the requirements?

– Having a bachelor’s degree from a recognized university

It would be best if you simply studied at a recognized university. Do not worry; most universities in the world are recognized. This is something else as applying for a permanent German medical license for non-EU/EFTA graduates (die Gleichwertigkeitsvefahren). The lists of recognized universities are published in an official website called Anabin (link).

The following article explains how to use Anabin: link

– Language

Some Master’s/PhD programs are in English, but most are in German. However, there are many English programs for medical specialties. If your program is in English, you must provide evidence (TOEFL or IELTS, depending on the university). There may be exceptions, so please read the requirements for each university. Write a comment if you found exceptions. Do not worry, learning German is for English programs is not a must. But universities do offer free courses for learning German. You can take advantage of that and save 1500–3000 euros.

If the program is in German, you need to learn German.

– Die Approbation is NOT a requirement

Should I get a permanent German medical license (die approval) before enrolling in a Master’s/PhD program? No! But in rare cases, the research project might include working with patients and examining them. In this case, the medical license is a must. Your application could, therefore, be rejected.

• Scholarships? Are the Master’s/PhD programs paid?

In some cases, yes, because the industry (like pharma companies) and the universities often work hand in hand. You can also apply for a grant/scholarship. We wrote an article about that: link.

However, some of these scholarships require you to return to your home country after getting your degree to help in its development. So please read the conditions of the grants/scholarships.

• How to find a Master’s/PhD topic that you like?

Many websites allow you to search for the topic of the Master’s degree you would like to do (e.g., Public health, immunology, epidemiology, etc.).

Examples of these Websites:

• How can you apply for the Master’s/PhD program?

The above website will explain on each program’s page how you can apply for it. But mostly, they will send you to the universities’ websites. The application requires many documents, and you must do it for each university alone.

• Does continuing a PhD/Master’s program help me avoid a medical knowledge exam?

No!!! You can read this article on how to avoid a medical knowledge exam: Link.

• Does continuing a PhD/Master’s program help me find a job?

– Time invested vs profit

The effect of this in improving your CV is little compared to the time that you will invest. The Master’s programs usually last two years, and the PhD programs 3 to 5 years. Getting a German permanent medical license (🇩🇪 die Approbation) takes much less time: “🇩🇪 Duration of the residency programs in Germany (🇩🇪 die Dauer der Facharztausbildung)”

– Little learning of the German language

You will primarily be working in English and working with foreign students. Moreover, your German colleagues will speak English to you; it is much easier than talking to a beginner in German. So, you will not learn a lot of German.

– No clinical experience

  • A primary disadvantage is that you do not have clinical experience and do not know how to do the routine work that is expected from residents (🇩🇪 die Assistenzärzte/Assitenzärztinnen).

So in total, if your aim from doing the Master’s/PhD program is to get quicker a residency position, then this is
certainly a bad idea!

Facharzt JETZT!

Instead, we recommend that you do the following: “How to get almost any medical specialty in Germany“

Want to learn more? Questions?
Join JETZT (🇺🇸 now) all of our groups & ask what you like
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