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OVERVIEW

Bavaria offers widespread educational opportunities in a diversified formal education system, which includes vocational education.

KINDERGARTEN
Kindergartens are generally run by communities, private or non-profit organisations, and have to follow state-set Standards. Attendance is from 3 years to the beginning of compulsory education at 6 years. The educational aims at kindergarten level are personal development and to provide the first learning experience.

PRIMARY EDUCATION
Grundschule is normally attended by all children who have attained their 6th birthday by a given deadline in the year. In grade 4, parents wishing their children to be enrolled in a Gymnasium or Realschule apply for a Transfer Report.

SPECIAL EDUCATION
Preparatory measures for school entrance are followed by special primary, secondary and vocational education. In as far as the child's handicap permits, Integration in general schools and respective certificates can be achieved.

GENERAL SECONDARY EDUCATION
Secondary education offers streams for different educational aspirations and personal abilities. These streams are organized as separate schools with different educational approaches. Each stream features various subject group options internally.

Hauptschule (grades 5 - 9 or 5-10 with Option M) is the compulsory stream of secondary education. Pupils with vocational orientation reach the Dual System through grade 9. Those attaining the Intermediate School Certificate through course M (7 -10) enjoy the same educational mobility as Realschule graduates.

Realschule (grades 5 -10) aims at the Intermediate School Certificate. It has an important distribution function for upper secondary education, especially for the Fachoberschule. Students entering the work force with this certificate often prefer office-related careers.

Gymnasium (grades 5 -12, outphasing course 5 -13) aims at the General Higher Education Entrance Certificate (Allgemeine Hochschulreife), which provides access to higher education, normally without further entrance exams. The upper secondary level (grades 11 -12, outphasing 12 -13) allows students to set individual priorities when selecting their courses.

VOCATIONAL EDUCATION
First stage:
Part-time Vocational School (Berufsschule) and part-time Company training complement each other in the Dual System. It mainly provides two corresponding learning locations: the school for job-related theory, and the Company for on-the-job-training. Trainees come from every type of school, including the Gymnasium. They graduate as skilled workers and are free to choose an employer.

The Berufsfachschule offers full-time courses as an alternative to the Dual System. The Wirtschaftsschule prepares students in particular for Office careers.

Technical schools:
Further professionalization
Fachschule and Fachakademie lead to middle management (e.g. as state-licensed technician or master craftsperson), to free-lance occupations or advanced careers in the social Services.

Access to higher education
The Intermediate School Certificate is required for the Fachoberschule and for the Berufsoberschule (for this school, a Vocational Certificate is also necessary). Access to higher studies is also open to Fachschule and Fachakademie graduates through additional examinations.

HIGHER EDUCATION
(Under the responsibility of the State Ministry of Science, Research and the Arts)

Bavaria's dynamic tertiary sector features international comparable Standing through-out all its institutions. There are 11 universities (9 state-run, 2 private). 19 universities of applied sciences (2 of them private) cooperate closely with the private sector. Academies of the arts and various other Colleges (for philosophy, theology, political science etc.) complete the academic institutions. Bachelor's and Master's degrees are gradually being introduced, as well as courses of study offered in the English language.