The Highest-paying Degrees in Germany | expatrio.com (2024)

The decision to pursue a college degree is probably the best one you can make after high school. There are many benefits of continuing your education and maybe the most obvious one is that a university degree will help you to live a better life. Simple as that.

With higher education, you will have more chances to find a great job with a better salary. Even though there is more to happiness than just having money, we can all agree that our general well-being is significantly impacted by our work lives.

It is not a secret that the education system is not equally good in all parts of the world. While many students believe that the best options for international students are in the UK or the USA, there are more great countries to study abroad.

One of the destinations that are becoming more and more popular is Germany.

International students are drawn to Germany because of the excellent education opportunities, exciting and rich urban and cultural life, and reasonable living costs. On average, students can get by on €800 per month.

If you decide to study in Germany it would be wise to learn which degrees are opening the best job opportunities, or in other words what are the highest-paying degrees in Germany. Keep reading and discover some of the best ones.

Medicine and Dentistry

A degree in the medical or dental field can be very rewarding. It’s an important profession with a wide range of high-paying careers. According to Academics, the average salary of a medical or dentistry graduate is around €80,000 per year.

It is important to point out that physicians earn more than any other degree course right from the beginning of the career - with salaries of around €50,000 annually.

Of course, the salary in the field highly depends on people’s experience and expertise and it can go up to six digits numbers. For example, surgeons can earn up to €22,500 per month due to the high demands of the job.

Computer science

It is no secret that developing and improving software today is a skill that is highly valued and marketable. Experts in the field can find jobs in different industries since technology is becoming an essential part of all things.

The digital transformation is changing the business world and job opportunities for computer science graduates are increasing from day to day.

It is no wonder that a computer science degree pays around €65,000 per year!

Law

People who decide to become lawyers or judges in Germany are bound to have a high-paying job. The average salary of lawyers and judges in Germany is around €74,000 per year which puts them in the category of high-earners.

One of the reasons for that is the very demanding process of becoming a lawyer or a judge in Germany. The first step for future legal practitioners is to pursue a university degree in law. After that, the candidate must complete a two-year apprenticeship and take the state exam or the German bar exam.

High standards in German law education can be the reason why Germany is one of the countries with the best justice system in the world.

Business & Economics

Business & Economics is a broad field with a wide variety of job opportunities. If you decide to pursue a bachelor's degree in business & economics you are building a strong foundation that can forward your career in multiple different ways.

Depending on your personal interests and skills there is a whole set of possible job opportunities. You could become a business consultant, financial analyst, sales manager, or start your own business.

Either way, your business skills will be rewarded, and depending on the job position, people with a bachelor’s of business can earn around €70,000 per year in Germany.

Marketing

Getting a bachelor's degree in marketing also brings many job opportunities. In today’s world job opportunities for aspiring marketers are bigger than ever before.

Digital marketing is on the rise and on the job market there is a high demand for skilled professionals. Two decades ago we didn’t know “content marketers”, “SEO specialists” and “Social media managers”. Today companies highly rely on their skills and knowledge.

According to Salary Explorer, a person working as a marketing manager in Germany earns around €6,880 per month. Salaries range from €37,000 per year for entry positions to €130,000 for experienced marketers.

Industrial Engineering

Industrial engineers are focused on determining more efficient production processes in factories.

With a degree in industrial engineering, these professionals are known for maximizing productivity and reducing production issues in factories.

All businesses strive to be as efficient as possible so this is maybe why people with a degree in industrial engineering get paid from €38,400 to €60.960 per year in Germany.

Human resources

A career in human resources could also be very rewarding. It is an area with great earnings potential and creativity.

The profession has dramatically evolved in the last two decades - from a purely administrative role to becoming the driving force in different organizations. HR managers are managing the most valuable capital of every company - their people.

This is why their role is crucial for the overall business success of each company. To gain skills required in such a demanding environment HR managers must pursue formal education.

Getting at least a bachelor's degree in human resource management will be crucial to kickstart a career in the sector. The average yearly salary in the sector is around €63,000 and with years of expertise in the sector that salary can grow up to €120.000 per year.

Final Thoughts

Germany is a large economy offering a lot of opportunities to its citizens but also to international workers.

As one of the biggest EU economies, Germany is struggling to maintain the current number of employed people in Germany due to demographic conditions. So there is a real need to attract international workers. The unemployment rate for graduates is the lowest in Europe and the country employs a lot of international workers in all fields - from healthcare to marketing.

If you plan to study in Germany there is a big possibility you will find a job here. Whatever of the mentioned degrees you choose - there is no question that you will quickly find a stable and well-paid job in your field.

The Highest-paying Degrees in Germany | expatrio.com (2024)

FAQs

The Highest-paying Degrees in Germany | expatrio.com? ›

Medical & Healthcare: Doctors, surgeons, medical practitioners, and pharmacists are few in this category, and they earn the badge of the highest-paying medical jobs in Germany. Other high-demand fields: Pilots, Lawyers, Judges, and Tax advisors are also the highest-paying jobs in Germany.

Which degree pays the most in Germany? ›

đź’° Highest paid jobs in Germany 2024
DegreeAverage Annual Salary in USD đź’˛
1.Medicine and Healthcare$71,356
2.Engineering profession$71,770
3Law$82,339
4.Information Technology$61,384
4 more rows
Feb 1, 2024

Which field has the highest salary in Germany? ›

Medical & Healthcare: Doctors, surgeons, medical practitioners, and pharmacists are few in this category, and they earn the badge of the highest-paying medical jobs in Germany. Other high-demand fields: Pilots, Lawyers, Judges, and Tax advisors are also the highest-paying jobs in Germany.

What is the top 1% salary in Germany? ›

To reach the top 1 percent of earners, you would need a monthly take-home salary of 7.190 euros. This is equivalent to an annual net income of almost 86.000 euros, after taxes, or an annual gross salary of around 150.000 euros.

Is 7000 euros a good salary in Germany? ›

A salary between €64,000 and €70,000 gross a year is considered a good salary in Germany. For a single person, this means roughly €40,000 to €43,000 euros net a year or between €3,300 and €3,600 euros net a month.

Which degree is best for future in Germany? ›

The Highest-paying Degrees in Germany
  • Medicine and Dentistry.
  • Computer science.
  • Law.
  • Business & Economics.
  • Marketing.
  • Industrial Engineering.
  • Human resources.
  • Final Thoughts.
Feb 15, 2024

Which field is in demand in Germany? ›

Germany's rapidly growing STEM sectors include engineering, information technology, biotechnology and life sciences, data science and analytics, as well as robotics and automation. These fields attract top talent, with competitive average salaries ranging from €57,506 to €121,666 per year.

What is a wealthy salary in Germany? ›

Data published by the Institute for German Economy found that any single person earning 3.700 euros per month after taxes is considered part of Germany's rich, in the top 10 percent of earners. For a couple without children, earning a combined net salary of 5.550 euros will place them in the top 10 percent.

What salary is needed to live comfortably in Germany? ›

The cost of living in Germany is quite reasonable compared to other European countries. As a single person, you will need a minimum of €934 per month (around $1,018 US dollars) or €11,208 per year (around $12,217 US dollars) to cover your living expenses in Germany as of 2024.

How much is rent in Germany? ›

The general, rough costs of living in Germany per month for a single person are as follows: Rent: from €300 (student halls or room in a shared flat) to €700+ (one-bed flat in city) Utilities: €220 (inc. internet, mobile & TV)

How much is a house in Germany? ›

The average price of detached and duplex houses in the biggest cities in Germany varied between approximately 5,000 euros and 10,000 euros per square meter in the second quarter of 2023. Housing was most expensive in Munich, where the square meter price of houses amounted to 9,931 euros.

What salary is considered middle class in Germany? ›

As defined by the Cologne Institute for Economic Research (IW), a person living alone in 2014 was considered middle class in the narrow sense of the word if he or she had a monthly net disposable income between 1,410 and 2,640 euros.

What is the average income in Germany in US dollars? ›

In Germany, the average household net-adjusted disposable income per capita is USD 38 971 a year, more than the OECD average of USD 30 490 a year. In terms of employment, about 77% of people aged 15 to 64 in Germany have a paid job, above the OECD employment average of 66%.

Which field of study is Germany best for? ›

Popular Courses in Germany
  • Mechanical Engineering.
  • Automotive Engineering.
  • Electrical Engineering.
  • Mechanical Engineering.
  • Electrical Engineering.
  • Computer Engineering.
  • Aerospace Engineering.

Which degree earns the highest salary? ›

Table of Contents
  • The top 11 degrees with the highest starting salaries in the UK.
  • Dentistry.
  • Medicine.
  • Veterinary Medicine.
  • Economics.
  • General Engineering.
  • Mathematics.
  • Physics & Astronomy.
4 days ago

What is the highest working student salary in Germany? ›

In Germany, the average salary for working students is usually between 10 and 15 euros per hour (as of 2023). In certain industries such as IT, engineering or consulting, hourly rates can also be higher, sometimes up to 20 euros per hour or more, depending on the specialization and demand for these skills.

Which master's degree is most in demand in Germany? ›

Data Science and Big Data. Dive into the vast universe of Data Science and Big Data! From analysing massive datasets to uncovering hidden patterns, these fields are all about making big data useful and understandable. Germany being the most popular destination for Master's in Data Science and Big Data.

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