Which subject carries your goal?
Twenty-six fields of study, each with what actually matters before you enrol: who gets in without A-levels, what your work experience is worth, and what the qualification opens professionally. And where it runs into limits.
The order that prevents wrong decisions
Most people pick the subject first. The other way round works better.
A subject is not an end in itself, it is a tool for a goal. Which is why this order pays off:
- The goal first. Do you want a position that requires a formal qualification? Do you want to change field? Or do you need the evidence for an admission requirement?
- Then the level. Sometimes a university certificate is enough, sometimes it takes a bachelor's, sometimes only a master's opens the door. The differences are set out in academic degrees explained.
- Then the subject. And via the module handbook, not the programme name. Names are marketing, modules are content.
- The provider last. Choosing the university first means giving away the credit transfer lever.
What that means in detail is covered in choosing a degree and choosing a university. For comparing specific providers across Germany, Austria and Switzerland there is the Hochschulnavigator, where distance learning universities are set side by side with sources.
26 subjects in distance learning
Each with admission, credit transfer, workload and the routes that follow.
Civil Engineering
Admission via building technician, credit transfer, duration, and why chamber registration has its own rules.
Controlling
How it differs from finance and accounting, admission without A-levels, credit for prior learning and career paths.
Data Science
Admission without A-levels, how much maths is really involved, credit for prior learning and where it leads.
Design
Portfolio and aptitude tests, admission without Abitur, credit for your training, realistic workload and career paths.
Electrical Engineering
Admission via technician and master craftsman, credit transfer, lab workload and what it does not replace.
Finance
How it differs from business studies and controlling, admission without A-levels and credit for prior work.
Early Childhood Education
Early childhood education by distance learning: what your educator training is worth, how admission works without Abitur.
Real Estate
Admission without A-levels, credit for prior learning, workload and why the trade licence does not come with it.
Cyber Security
The technical or the organisational route, admission without A-levels, credit for prior learning and job profiles.
Communications
How it differs from marketing and journalism, admission without Abitur, credit transfer, workload and careers.
Logistics
How it differs from supply chain management, access via Meister and Fachwirt, credit transfer and where the degree leads.
Marketing
How it differs from communications and design, admission without Abitur, credit transfer and when a certificate is enough.
Mechanical Engineering
Admission without A-levels, credit for technician and master craftsman, lab attendance and realistic duration.
Media
Admission without Abitur, credit for training and practice, realistic workload and where the degree actually leads.
Education Studies
Why it does not lead into school teaching, how admission works without Abitur, and where the degree takes you.
HR Management
How it differs from business psychology, admission without Abitur, credit transfer and which HR role really suits you.
Nursing Management
Admission without A-levels, credit for your nursing training, realistic workload and where the degree leads.
Public Management
How German career law really works, admission without Abitur, and what your administrative qualification is worth.
Security Management
How it differs from IT security, admission without Abitur, funding for soldiers and the limits of the field.
Social Management
How it differs from social work, admission without Abitur, credit for prior learning and where the degree leads.
Sport management
How it differs from sport science and business, admission without Abitur, credit transfer and where it leads.
Tourism
Admission without Abitur, credit from hotel and travel careers, realistic workload, career paths and an honest word on pay.
Environmental Management
Environmental management by distance learning: how it differs from environmental engineering and sustainability management.
Business Information Systems
Business information systems by distance learning: how it differs from computer science and business studies, admission without Abitur.
Industrial Engineering
How it differs from mechanical engineering and business studies, admission, credit transfer and the title.
Business Law
Why the LL.B. is not a fully qualified lawyer, admission without Abitur, credit transfer and where the degree leads.
What works the same in every subject
Regardless of what you decide on.
However different the subjects are, two things hold everywhere. First, access: in almost every field there is a route through your profession rather than through A-levels, usually via completed vocational training with work experience or via an advanced vocational qualification. Second, credit transfer: what you have already earned in a qualified form, you should not have to study twice.
The second point is the strongest lever there is, and the least used. It does not reduce your weekly workload, it reduces the total: if sixty of 180 ECTS are credited, 120 remain, and nine years become six. How the procedure works is set out in ECTS credit transfer. For an initial estimate, use the credit transfer check.
Unsure which subject carries your goal?
That is exactly what the initial consultation is for, and it costs you nothing but thirty minutes.