JPA German Engineering FAQ
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Each year, the Public Services Department of Malaysia (JPA; Jabatan Perkhidmatan Awam) awards a few selected students the opportunity to study engineering in various disciplines in the Federal Republic of Germany. Currently, up to 50 students who have excellent results in their SPM examinations will be selected to join the programme. They will study for up to 7.5 years(2.5 years preparatory course, 3.5 years Bachelor, 1.5 years Masters) under this programme.
Students will be divided into two groups according to the place where they will be taking their Pre-U courses and subsequently their destination:
- in International Education Centre (INTEC)
- in KBU International College (KBU)
Pre Universities Studies
Scholars send to INTEC will study for 2.5 years to prepare themselves for studies in Germany. After this period of time students will enroll directly into Technical Universities (Fachhochschule) or Universities (Universität) in the state of Baden-Württemberg in Germany.
Students will be studying for:
- A-Levels subjects four semesters
- German language classes for 4 semesters, parallel to the A-levels classes
- Three months of intensive German language classes after the A2-Levels
- Three months of pre-practicals(Vorpraktikum) in German Malaysia Institute(GMI), Bangi
For A-Levels, students are required to study for the following subjects:
- Chemistry (6 Modules)
- Physics (6 Modules)
- Mathematics (6 Modules: 4 Modules of Core Mathematics, 2 Modules of Mechanics)
All of these papers are set by the EDEXCEL Board of Examinations in UK
Students are also required to sit for AS-Level German. This paper is set by the Cambridge Board of Examinations
As a result, students will be taking about 40 hours of classes per week.
Students will have to sit for several examinations for the duration of the course in INTEC:
- Students will be taking the AS-Levels papers after one year of study in INTEC. AS-Level papers here refers to the first three papers of each A-Levels subject.
- At the end of the second year of study, students will take the final three papers of every A-Levels subjects in their A2-Level examinations
- Student are also required to sit for the AS-Level German examinations as part of the requirement set by the state government of Baden-Württemberg for students to be enrolled into the universities.
- At the end of the intensive German language classes after A2-Levels, students will sit for their Deutsche Sprachprüfung für den Hochschulzugang(DSH) examinations. In this test, students will be tested on their listening, comprehension, writing and grammatic skills in German language.
In order to qualify for a place in universities, students are required to:
- get at least 12 points in their A-Levels subjects. This corresponds to at least 3Bs in all three subjects taken.
- surpass the prerequisite points in the DSH examinations. Note that this point will vary by year depending on the decision by Universität Heidelberg for DSH examinations set by them.
- get a pass in A-Levels German. (beginning 2010, the AS English paper has been abolished and AS German introduced)
- obtain the Vorpraktikum certificate from German Malaysia Institute
KBU International College
All JPA scholars to Germany are offered a place in INTEC and are expected to follow the usual course, that is to study A-Level and then enroll into the universities in German state of Baden-Wüttermberg. However, a group of about 20 Students among those will be called by JPA, telling that their course have been changed and that a new offer letter will be issued. As of 2009 this is the only way to enroll into KBU International College (KBU). It is unclear how JPA chooses which students. In addition, Telekom Malaysia sends 2 scholars every year into the course.
This program is relatively new, beginning on 2003. The latest group as of January 2010 is the 6th Batch. There are 20 Students in a batch. Male students are disproportionately higher than female students, just like INTEC's. The course duration in Malaysia is significantly shorter than in INTEC, only 18 Months instead of 30 Months. However students will continue their preparation in Germany for another 6 months, bringing the total of prep length to 24 months.
Carl Duisberg Centren (CDC) is an organisation from Germany which manages the students. CDC takes care of their welfare, admission into the FH and many more after students begin their studies in KBU.
The course begins in July. First, students will learn German and English languages only for 6 months. Teachers for the german language are flown in from Germany. At the end of the course students will sit for IELTS for English and level A2 test for German.
Starting January the following year, students will begin the Australian Matriculation (AUSMAT) course. There are 6 subjects, that is English as a Second language or Dialect (EAL/D), Mathematics, Mathematics: Specialist, Physics, Chemistry, and German. German students will study along with the australian bound JPA and private students. The course is about 11 months long. In the end students will sit for the Western Australian Certificate of Education (WACE). Students had to achieve a minimum score in order to be allowed to continue the preparation study in Germany. The German level acquired by the students at the end of AUSMAT course is equivalent to B2, already an intermediate level. In January the following year students will fly to Germany. Beginning from 2010, the curriculum and grading system will be changed. JPA has changed the minimum TER ranking from 75 to 80 in order to fly. TER ranking system is now changed to the Australian national standard entrance score, the ATAR. Students have to refer to KBU and JPA for more information regarding this change.
Studying in Germany
At the end of their studies in INTEC, students who have met or surpassed the requirements are given a list of Universities and Technical High Schools by the state minister of education. Students then will be able to choose their course and placement preferences. The state ministry of education will then place students based on:
- the institution's own entry requirements
- students' preferences of course and placement
This means that some students might not get the placement that they wanted. However, most if not all of the students will be allocated the course of their choice.
Duration of Study
Bachelor students will usually study for 7-8 semesters in Germany. In this duration, students will be studying for 2-3 semesters in order to gain their Vorbachelor certificate. This will signify that the student has fulfilled the requirement to tackle the challenges that higher semesters will serve to them.
After fulfilling the requirements of a Vorbachelor certificate, students will continue to their Hauptstudium (main studies). At this time, students will be exposed to industrial applications of the things that they learn in their classroom and how to apply them in the best possible way.
Students are required to do at least once industrial internship (usually at 5th semester). In this semester, students are required to take up a project from either a related industrial company or their institutions and complete its requirements in a set period of time. At the time of writing, students are required to clock at least 95 to 110 days in their respective offices in order to be considered to have completed their internship requirements.
At the end of the Hauptstudium, students are required to complete their Bachelorarbeit. During this time, students must research and write up a thesis for a project that is to be provided by a company or their institution.
When all requirements are fulfilled, students are considered to have completed their studies will receive their Bachelorzeugnis (Bachelor Degree).
Students studying for the Bachelor degree in Germany are required to do at least one semester of industrial internship. Placements are up to the student him/herself. However, most technical universities will encourage their students to do their internships in industrial companies in order to familiarize themselves with the working environments. This will help prepare students to face the challenges and policies that are commonly practiced in the industry.
In order to qualify themselves to do industrial internship, students are required to at least pass their Vorbachelor examinations. Exemptions can be applied and given on a case by case basis.
The internship will usually be done over the course of one semester, or at least 5 months, depending on the wording of the course structure document (SPO). For example, the Technical University of Aalen requires students to do at least 95 working days or internship.
Usually, students are given one or several projects to work on over their internship period. They will be given freedom to structure their own project time-line, but they must finish their projects before the end of their agreed period.
Students are required to report to their professor in charge once in a while to give updates on their project and life status. In addition to that, students are also required to hand-in a documentation of the project. Depending on the professor in charge, students may be required to write a minimum amount of pages in order to pass this semester. Usually, students are also required to do a presentation on their activities during the internship semester at a set time during the next semester.
List of Universities/Technical High Schools
List of universities currently under this group (This list is considered incomplete):
- HS Albstadt-Sigmaringen
- HS Biberach
- HS Esslingen
- HS Freiburg
- HS Heilbronn
- HS Karlsruhe
- HS Konstanz
- HS Mannheim
- HS Öffenburg
- HS Ravensburg-Weingarten
- HS Reutlingen
- HS Ulm
- HTW Aalen
In January students will arrive in the city of Cologne (Köln) in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia (Nordrhein-Westfalen). Students will study at the headquarter of CDC. First students will study only German for 2 months. Students will sit for a test. By now the students have acquired the level C1.
Students are now entering the last step of their preparation study: The Studienkolleg. Students will study 4 subjects, that is German level C2, Mathematik, Physik, and Technisches Zeichnen (Technical Drawing/Lukisan Kejuruteraan). In June students will sit for the final exam: The Feststellungsprüfung or University Admission Test.
Next, students will do practical in German companies. The place depends on the availibility and the application is managed by the CDC. The minimum duration depends on the requirement of the FH where the students applied for. Usually the practical can take as short as 5 weeks and as long as 13 weeks. Usually students are placed in a big factory or a small workshop. These give students experience on learning the work culture of Germans, how to communicate with them, in addition of learning new skills. The curriculum, that is, what to learn in a vorpraktikum, is set by the FH and depends on which course students want to take.
KBU-CDC Students can enroll into any Fachhochschule of their choice except FHs in state of Baden-Wüttermberg due to an agreement signed between the state government and Malaysian government. CDC will advise students on which course and FH to choose. They also will handle the bureaucratic process such as filling the forms and communicating with the FH. However, certain FH have more place restrictions than the others and students may not be admitted. CDC asks students to name 3 FHs and courses of their choice, just in case the 1st FH rejects the application.
To be enrolled into the FH, students have to pass the Feststellungprüfung, meaning, at least an average grade of "4" out of 5 (1 is the best, 5 is a failure). Certain popular courses in some FH may be restricted. Therefore students have to obtain even higher grade for it. This restrictions is called Numerus Clausus (NC). Malaysian students have the advantage however, because SPM and AUSMAT results are also taken into considerations in calculating the minimum grade, altough results of Feststellungsprüfung is given higher weight. All students of Batch 3 and 4 have been able to enroll into the 1st FH and courses of their choices.
Finally students will begin their studies in FHs on September or October, depending on which FH their chose.
In short, the requirement for FH: AUSMAT/WACE: Minimum grade set by JPA in order to fly Feststellungsprüfung: Average grade at least 4 or higher (Until 1) Vorprakrikum, length depends on the FH
After admission into the FH CDC will no longer manage the students; they are free on their own.
The programs and durations in University of Applied Science or its German name Fachhochschule/ Hochschule/ Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaft is more or less same for the KBU and INTEC students. There are Internship and Bachelor thesis and there are Vorstudium and Hauptstudium.
List of some FH/HS/HAW outside Baden-Wüttermberg
- HS Bremen
- HS Bremerhaven
- FH Emden
- HAW Hamburg
- FH Osnabrück
- FH Hannover
- FH Münster
- FH Gelsenkirchen
- FH Krefeld
- FH Düsseldorf
- FH Köln
- FH Bingen
- FH Rüsselsheim/Wiesbaden
- FH Frankfurt
- FH Friedberg
- FH München
Recognition of Bachelors' degree in Malaysia
As part of the scholars' education in Germany, they are now encouraged to take up Masters' degree in Germany. The reason to do this is because the Board of Engineers Malaysia (BEM) do not grant recognition to the Bachelors' degrees from Germany as such. The full text of the letter stating this is inserted below:
Prog Diplom 4 tahun keatas tidak lagi wujud. Germany ditawarkan menyertai WA sekiranya mereka bersetuju dengan pengiktirafan peringkat Master, namum tidak dipersetujui. WA menetapkan sekurang-kurangnya 4 tahun (tidak termasuk internship). BEM menerimapakai WA. Dimasa lepas memang prog Diplom 4 tahun keatas diterimapakai. Semua kelulusan dari negara WA mestilah 4 tahun keatas. BEM menerima MSc sebagai syarat pelengkap jika BEng tidak memenuhi syarat.
As stated in the quote, Bachelor's degrees from Germany will only be recognized as diploma in Malaysia instead. Because of this, JPA will continue to fund students' studies if they intend to continue their studies in Masters.
A normal Masters' degree education in Germany will last 1.5 or 2 years.
Students will usually be required to attend a minimal amount of lectures during the course. In this time, students are also required to complete a few projects, either in groups or individually.
The last semester will usually have no classes, and will be used to create a thesis instead. As with the thesis of a Bachelor's degree in Germany, it can be done either with the FH itself, or outside with a company from a related industry.
Selection of Fh's/Universities
Unlike the bachelor studies', students are not bound by region(state) for the masters' studies. This means that the students are free to apply for any university or Fachhochschule within Germany, and may accept any offer, as long as they are located within Germany.
Further information about the universities/Fachhochschules in Germany and the courses that they can offer are available at Studienwahl.