Masters in Automotive Engineering in Germany: Top Universities, Admissions, Cost of Studying, Scholarships, and Jobs

Offered by top Universities, Masters in Automotive Engineering in Germany is usually a 1.5-2 year duration program. For students seeking higher studies in Germany, the program is available mostly as an MSc in Automotive Engineering. A Masters in Automotive Engineering deals with an extensive study involving Automotive design principles.

The total program fee for Masters in Automotive Engineering at top German universities ranges from as low as 500 EUR to as high as 30,000 EUR. This for an Indian student ranges between 42,330 to 25.39 lakhs INR. With an investment so high, the returns one expects from the world’s largest automobile producer also increases. Where an automobile engineer in India earns around 6 lakhs INR average annual salary, one can expect to earn around 54,000 to 1.4 Cr INR annually with a Masters in Automotive Engineering degree in Germany.

Highlights

Masters in Automotive Engineering in Germany: Top Universities

There are a number of universities in Germany that offer Masters in Automotive Engineering. The table below shows the top-ranking German universities according to QS for Engineering & Technology in 2023 that offer Masters degree in Automotive Engineering with programs they offer, admission deadlines and annual fees.

As per the above details, an important take away for international students is to understand that many German universities offer education with German as their primary mode of education. Hence, before applying to any of these universities you must ensure that you have certain German language proficiency. In some cases, you can also opt for a preparatory language course which can be studied before the classes for Masters in automobile Engineering begin.

What is Masters in Automotive Engineering?

Masters in Automotive Engineering in Germany deals with all aspects involved in vehicle manufacturing such as design, manufacturing & distribution processes, and sales. A Master's in Automotive Engineering provides students with a basic understanding of Engineering sciences and provides specialisations in Automotive fields such as Environmental Effects of Vehicle Powertrain, Advanced Automobile Electronic Systems, Vehicle Acoustics, Vehicle Integration, Crash Simulation, Powertrain, and Transmission Calibration or Global Automotive Homologation.

Why Study Masters in Automotive Engineering in Germany?

• Higher education at public universities in Germany is offered for free. However, international students are required to pay the semester fee and the other administrative costs and living expenses.
• Although most of the Masters in Automotive Engineering programs in Germany are offered in the German language, there are a few English-taught study programs as well.
• Germany is referred to as the world’s Automotive hub of innovation. It is recognized for its outstanding Automotive industry and excellence in Engineering.
• According to the German Association of Automotive Industry, more than 800,000 people are employed directly and almost 2 million people are indirectly employed by the Automotive industry. This makes it one of the biggest industries in Germany.

• The Automotive industry accounts for one-third of the R&D expenditure in Germany. The expenses on R&D peaked at roughly 28.25 billion EUR in 2021. By 2025, Germany aims at spending an annual 3.5% of its GDP on research and development.
• According to reports, the estimated revenue of the industry in Germany was 579.9 billion EUR with 71.1% of the revenue generated by the manufacture of motor vehicles in Germany.
• Automotive professionals in Germany observe a salary increase of approximately 8% every 15 months.
• Three of Germany’s largest carmakers- Volkswagen, Daimler, and Audi, pay an average of over 60,000 EUR (50.75 lakhs INR) annually to their employees.

Masters in Automotive Engineering in Germany Admissions

Applying at universities in Germany for admissions is open for the summer or the winter semesters. Students can visit the official website of DAAD for a list of universities and the courses. Admission applications at most universities are available through the uni-assist portal. Some universities might also require an international student to get preliminary review documentation or Vorpüfungsdokumentation (VPD) issued by uni-assist.

Basic Admission Requirements:

To be eligible for a Masters in Automotive Engineering in Germany, international students must have:

• A bachelor's degree in Automotive Engineering, mechanical Engineering, or a related field of study.
• Degrees must be from a recognized university.
• Scores of standardised tests such as GRE are mandatory for international students to submit (for a few programs)
• Meet the language requirements-
  • English: IELTS: | TOEFL:
  • German: Goethe Institut C1 | TestDaF 4 | Telc C1 Hochschule | DSH2

Check out: Exams to Study in Germany

Documents Required

While applying for Masters in Automotive Engineering in Germany, applicants are required to complete their admission application online and submit the following documents-

• Completed admission application form
• Copy of academic transcripts from all educational institutions with their English or German translations
• Scores of standardised tests
  • GRE
  • Language Proficiency Scores- German or TOEFL or IELTS or equivalent
• CV/ Resume
• Letter of Motivation or statement of purpose for Germany
• Preliminary Documentation (VPD) (for required universities)
• Additional documents such as internship certificates, job references, recommendation letters for Germany (if required)
• Copy of passport

Also Check: Letter of Motivation vs Statement of Purpose

Student Visa to Germany

For studies in Germany, it is mandatory for an international student to have a student visa. The visa application cost is around 75 EUR (6,349 INR). The visa permits you to obtain a resident permit to stay in Germany. The checklist for a German student visa includes:

• An application form with a cover letter stating the purpose and duration of stay
• A valid passport
• Two recent photographs
• Acceptance letter from a German university
• Academic transcripts and certificates
• A German language proficiency certificate or proof that you intend on pursuing a language course in Germany
• Proof of a valid private or public health insurance
• Proof of economic status to study in Germany with the availability of about 8,700 EUR (7.33 lakhs INR) per year.

Students would be required to appear for a visa interview at the German Embassy in respective home countries. Usually, the German student's Visa takes about 25 days for processing. Students must make sure to submit all the required documents with the visa application.

Masters in Automotive Engineering in Germany: Cost of Studying

Studying abroad in Germany is way more pocket friendly as compared to other destinations such as the UK and USA. The costs that are to be paid for studying in Germany include the pre-arrival costs, program fees, and the cost of living. The section below discusses these estimated costs.

Pre-arrival Costs to Germany

The pre-arrival costs to Germany usually include one-time expenses. These include expenses such as registration fees for standardised exams required for admissions, application fees for a student visa to Germany, airfare, etc. The table below shows the estimated pre-arrival expenses to Germany.

Tuition Fee

The below table shows the annual program fees which include the tuition fees for some universities along with other mandatory expenses such as semester fees, administrative fees, etc.

As visible, TU Munich has the lowest program fee, 516 Euro (~43,517 INR) while the University of Stuttgart has the highest program fees, 6000 Euro (~5.06 lakhs INR) among the top universities offering Masters in automobile Engineering in Germany.

Cost of Living in Germany

The cost of living comprises expenses such as travel and accommodation in Germany, meals, books & supplies, and other personal expenses. The estimated cost of living in Germany are:

Masters in Automotive Engineering in Germany with Scholarships

Since many public German Universities do not charge the tuition fees, there are other expenses that are to be paid by the student. The universities or DAAD offers certain international scholarships to study in Germany. Students can apply for these scholarships to help with the costs while studying Masters in Automotive Engineering.

For more scholarships to study in Germany, Click Here.

Masters in Automotive Engineering in Germany: Jobs

Germany is one of the top 4 automobile manufacturers in the world alongside the United States, China, and Japan. Germany is home to global Automotive companies like Volkswagen, BMW, Daimler, Continental, or Bosch. The combined market capitalization of these automobile companies exceeds 200 billion EUR making the automobile the main driver of the German economy.

The below graph displays the salary of Automotive engineers based on experience:

An Automotive engineer in Germany generally earns an average salary of 54,000 EUR (45.71 lakhs INR) per annum. The annual base salary of an Automotive engineer ranges between 39,000 EUR to 95,000 EUR (32.99 lakhs - 80.25 lakhs INR) per year according to payscale.

Some of the top jobs in Germany for Master in Automotive Engineering graduates are:

The average salaries of Automotive Engineering graduates in Germany vary drastically not only on the basis of Automotive careers but also depending on the city of residence. The chart below depicts a few of the German cities with the average annual salary of Masters in Automotive Engineering graduates.

Masters in Automotive Engineering in Germany: University Comparison

Comparing top universities in Germany for Masters in Automotive Engineering programs on the basis of language of instructions, duration and language proficiency requirements:

Furthermore, students with a Master's in Automotive Engineering can also apply for the doctoral-level of studies. They can apply for Ph.D. in Germany in areas of automobile Engineering, vehicle Engineering, etc. Germany’s expenditure on R&D makes it a popular option among students.

As a global industrial powerhouse, Germany is a hotspot among various popular automobile producers. To ensure that their graduates are able to meet the professional demands, the Engineering schools in Germany maintain a strong cooperation with these automobile production companies.

Ingolstadt has the base camp of Audi, Stuttgart has the central command of Daimler/Mercedes, Wolfsburg has VW and there is BMW in Munich. Colleges in every one of these urban areas have affiliations with the enormous automakers.

While numerous universities abroad offer top Automotive Design and Engineering courses, German Universities appear to be the top choice among students. This is why studying a Master's in Automotive Engineering in Germany is one of the best options.

FAQs

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Ques. Is it mandatory to have German language proficiency for pursuing Masters in Automotive Engineering in Germany?

Ques. What is required to apply for Masters in Automotive Engineering in Germany?

Ques. How much would a Masters in Automotive Engineering from Germany cost?

Ques. How much can I make after Masters in Automotive Engineering in Germany?