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Is it possible to work part-time and finish the master’s degree in 4 semesters?

Experience shows that it is close to impossible to graduate from our master’s program within the standard period of studies of 4 semesters if you need to work a significant amount of hours (~20 hours per week) alongside your studies. This is due to the fact that study programs in Germany are designed to be a “full-time job”, meaning that you will only be able to pass your exams and fulfill the standard workload of 30 credits per semester if you actually make your studies your main priority and dedicate most of your time to them. A regular full-time job is defined as a time commitment of 35 to 40 hours per week, which you spend attending classes and preparing/revising your course material at home.

Studying with a low time commitment (due to work obligations etc.) will either result in your eventual deregistration from the program (due to failed last exam attempts) or in the need to extend your study period to 5, 6 (or, in justified cases, even more) semesters. Please be aware that this extension will affect your planned financial budget significanty! Unfortunately, we have seen many, especially international, students drop our of our study program because they were unable to handle the double burden of work and our highly demanding study system. Please take care of yourself and assess your financial possibilities as well as you mental and physical health before you take on this challenge.