With over 60 universities and colleges, North Rhine-Westphalia is home to more institutions of higher education than any other state in Germany. The cities offering the widest scope of post-secondary education are Cologne and Düsseldorf, but nearly every major metropolis in the region has its own public university. All of the institutions of higher education welcome international students.

German universities are all in the midst of reform as required by the EU-mandated Bologna process. Among other things, this has meant that German universities are gradually introducing the internationally-recognized bachelors and masters degrees (replacing the Diplom) in all academic disciplines. At the same time, both the federal and state governments have increased funding to the universities.

The most dramatic reform was the introduction of 500 euro tuition fees per semester in 2007 in many states, including North Rhine Westphalia. It incited numerous student protests and became an emotionally-charged political issue in the state government. Following a close state election in 2008, the Hessen state government reversed course and rescinded tuition fees. For more information about the university landscape in Germany, consult www.study-in-germany.de

The Düsseldorf Business School (DBS) is associated with the Heinrich-Heine-University in Düsseldorf and its faculty of economics and business administration. DBS offers MBA programs, in-company programs and specialized seminars, most of which are designed for native German speakers. The English-language community has access to a unique Dutch-German MBA designed specifically for managers and executives. The part-time, 21-month program is team-taught by faculty from DBS and the Universiteit Maastricht Business School (UMBS). It currently takes place Monday and Tuesday evenings and on Saturdays, with class time divided between the two universities. The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), European Quality Improvement System (EQUIS) and the UK-based Association of MBAs all lend their accreditation to the program. Classroom instruction takes place in English. The tuition for the program is currently 22,500 euros.

c/o Heinrich Heine Universität
Urdenbacher Allee 6
Düsseldorf
Tel: 0211-71 19 222
Fax: 0211-71 19 244
www.duesseldorf-business-school.de

International School of Management The International School of Management (ISM) in Dortmund is a private, state-recognized university of applied sciences which offers career-focused degree programs with an international orientation. ISM caters to German students but increasingly accommodates international students with a command of English. Nevertheless, knowledge of German is a prerequisite for anyone wishing to access the wide scope of program offerings. Currently, the school offers an English-track Business Certificate, with core courses focusing on project management, operations management, market-oriented management and international business law. Students can then follow a finance, communication, management or tourism track. Other programs require proven proficiency in German. In September 2007, ISM opened a new campus in the Frankfurt/Rhine-Main region. Exchange students do not pay tuition fees. The fee for full-time students is 3,720 euros per semester. For an extra 220 euros, ISM offers international students an intensive German-language course before the start of each semester.

Otto-Hahn-Straße 19, Dortmund
Tel: 0231-975 139 40
Fax: 0231-975 139 39
www.ism.de

A specialist in supported distance learning since its founding by Royal Charter in 1969, the OU offers -- in partnership with the Carl Duisberg Centren in Germany -- approximately 600 undergraduate and postgraduate courses in arts and humanities, business and management, modern languages, social sciences, health and social welfare, science, mathematics, technology and IT, education and law. The OU operates on a large scale: around 210,000 students enroll each year. Some plan to take just a single course; others aim for a full program of study to attain a degree. Teaching materials consist of a blend of traditional printed texts, audio and visual media, and articles and images on subject-specific websites. Support on academic matters comes from a tutor who gives feedback on assignments, and a network of regional representatives provides a local link to the University. A bachelor's degree can be completed in three years, but most students combine a full-time job with part-time study and require six years. The MBA program, offered by the Open University Business School, can be completed in two and a half years of part-time study. The Open University Business School is one of the few schools to have triple accreditation from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), the European Quality Improvement System (EQUIS) and the Association of MBAs (AMBA).

c/o Carl-Duisberg-Centren
Hansaring 49-51; Cologne
Tel: 0221-162 623 5;
Email: Germany-Central@open.ac.uk
www.open.ac.uk/germany