Physiotherapy full-time & dual study in Germany: Comparison of all Bachelor's/Master's degrees from Hamburg to Munich

Physiotherapy degree programmes leading to Bachelor's and Master's degrees are designed to improve the salary situation of physiotherapists and to supplement practical knowledge with scientific work, scientific thinking and theoretical knowledge.

A number of private universities offer full-time and dual study programmes in Physiotherapy and Osteopathy in all major cities in Germany. I present all the universities and the degree programmes here.

Which university is the best for physiotherapy studies?

Physiotherapy is offered as both a Bachelor's degree and a Master's degree at a comparatively large number of private universities. Unfortunately, I cannot answer the question of which university is the best for you at this point, but I will give you some hints on factors that should influence your decision for or against a particular university:

• Where is the location of the university or in which cities are the degree programmes offered? Big cities like Berlin are exciting, but in small towns like Idstein or Gera you can study in a more focused way. Some universities also offer their degree programmes at several locations, such as the Fresenius University of Applied Sciences.
• What does it cost to study? The price naturally plays an important role in the choice of study programme. Financing is easier with dual studies, where the practice partner may pay all or part of the tuition fees.
• What are the contents of study? Get an exact overview of the respective study contents and specialisation options of individual study programmes. If possible, request the module handbook for your degree programme.

Here is a brief profile of the most important universities with Physiotherapy study programmes:

Fresenius University of Applied Sciences: Fresenius University of Applied Sciences is a private, state-recognised university of applied sciences located in Idstein near Wiesbaden in Hesse. The history of the university dates back to 1848. With 12,991 enrolled students in the winter semester 2019/2020, Fresenius University of Applied Sciences is the largest private attendance university in Germany. The university offers Physiotherapy study programmes both as campus study programmes in several cities in Germany and as part-time and dual study programmes. In addition, Osteopathy can also be studied at the university.

SRH University of Applied Health Sciences: The SRH University of Applied Health Sciences is a private, state-recognised university of applied sciences located in Gera/Thuringia. The university was founded in 2007, and a total of 1,241 students were enrolled at SRH Gera in the winter semester 2019/2020. In addition to Bachelor's programmes in Ergotherapy and Speech Therapy, the university offers a B.Sc. in Physiotherapy. Special feature: the Bachelor's degree is offered both as a training-integrated and training-accompanying degree programme, as well as full-time.

IU International University of Applied Sciences: IU is a state-recognised, private university of applied sciences based in Erfurt with further campuses in numerous German cities. The university was founded in 1998, and in SS 2023 over 100,000 students were enrolled at IU, predominantly in one of the over 100 distance learning programmes. This makes IU the largest university in Germany. In the field of health & social sciences, IU offers a fast-track Bachelor's degree in Physiotherapy, which can be completed in only 3 semesters full-time as a distance or online study programme.

Dresden International University: DIU is an affiliated institute of Dresden University, i.e. a spin-off of Dresden State University. The private university was founded in 2003 as a continuing education university. In the winter semester 2019/2020, a total of 2,189 students were enrolled at DIU. The university offers a dual Bachelor's degree in Physiotherapy as well as Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Osteopathy and in Chiropractic.

MSH Medical School Hamburg: MSH is a private, state-recognised university located in Hamburg. It is a university of its own type - the Faculty of Health Sciences and the Faculty of Art, Health and Social Science have the status of a university of applied sciences, while the Faculty of Medicine and the Faculty of Human Sciences have the same status as a university. The university was founded in 2009, and a total of 3,023 students were enrolled at the university in WS 2019/2020. The MSH offers a dual Bachelor's degree in Physiotherapy.

University of Applied Sciences for Sport and Management Potsdam: The University of Applied Sciences for Sport and Management Potsdam is a private, state-recognised university located in Potsdam near Berlin. The university was founded in 2009, and a total of 272 students were enrolled in the 2019/2020 winter semester. In addition to a degree programme in Health Sports & Prevention, the university also offers a dual Bachelor's degree in Physical Therapy & Health Sports with a specialisation in physiotherapy.

IB University of Health and Social Sciences: The IB University of Applied Sciences is a private, state-recognised university of applied sciences based in Berlin. The university was founded in 2006; in WS 2019/2020, a total of 762 students were enrolled. In addition to degree programmes in Occupational Therapy and Speech Therapy, the university also offers a full-time degree programme in Physiotherapy.