DAAD
The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) is an organisation which represents institutions of higher education in Germany. The DAAD promotes international academic relations and cooperation, particulary through exchange programmes for students and academics. The DAAD London office administers the DAAD programmes and activities for the UK and Ireland providing information about German universities, Fachhochschulen and colleges of art and music. It distributes publications about study, research and scholarship opportunities in Germany.
Since the introduction of the Bachelor/Master system in Germany, it has been far easier for students to transfer from the UK and Ireland to carry out postgraduate study in Germany. There is a database of Master courses available at www.daad.de/deutschland/studienangebote/alle-studiengaenge/06541.en.html. Most Master courses are four semesters long and there are many courses available taught in English.
Germany has a strong history for carrying out research. Today, there are two main routes to attaining a doctorate from a German university. Either the student can research independently and write a dissertation under professional supervision or they can enter a doctoral programme that provides a fixed structure. The most significant of these include: research training groups, graduate schools and international doctoral programmes. Research training groups are university programmes that promote young academics and researchers. These programmes are generally interdisciplinary and are supervised by several academics. Visit the webpage of the German Research Foundation (DFG) for a list of the research training groups which it is currently funding www.dfg.de/gk. More general information on studying for a doctorate in Germany can be found at www.daad.de/promotion.
Look at the website of the individual German institution of higher education to find out whether they have all facilities you require to carry out your research.
