University in Germany
Speyer, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany
University profile
The German University of Administrative Sciences Speyer (Deutsche Universität für Verwaltungswissenschaften Speyer) is a public university in Speyer, Rhineland-Palatinate, and a public-law corporation under the state's DUVwG act. It is unusual in the German system: it is a purely postgraduate institution, open only to people who already hold a university degree. Its subject is public administration, studied through law, economics, political and social science and management.
The university is funded and sustained jointly by the Federal Government and all sixteen federal states under an administrative agreement. It teaches through chairs (Lehrstühle) rather than faculties, covering fields such as public law, European law and international law, finance, public management, political science, digital government and information management, comparative public administration and higher-education and science management. The rector is Prof. Dr. Constanze Janda.
Study programmes include the M.A. Public Administration, the LL.M. Staat und Verwaltung in Europa, the part-time fee-based M.P.A. Wissenschaftsmanagement, the one-year Aufbaustudium leading to Magister rerum publicarum, supplementary studies for legal trainees (Ergänzungsstudium im Rechtsreferendariat), and doctoral degrees (Dr. rer. publ., Dr. iur., Dr. rer. pol.) and habilitation. International and joint options are the European Master of Public Administration (EMPA) semester abroad with partner universities, the Master of European Governance and Administration (MEGA) and the Franco-German M.A. EFA-CECI with the Université de Lorraine and Saarland University.
The campus covers about seven hectares of park-like grounds south-west of Speyer's old town, built around a 1959-60 Bauhaus-tradition ensemble by the architect Sep Ruf. Students from outside the Speyer area (more than 100 km) are offered rooms in the two campus guest houses, there is a private-room agency, and the Hoererschaft (student body) organises sport and cultural activities each semester. The Akademisches Auslandsamt supports international students, Erasmus+ and PROMOS exchanges and visiting researchers.
Applicants to the M.A. Public Administration and the LL.M. need English at B2 level, and applicants without a German entrance qualification or German degree must also show German at DSH-2, TdN 4 or Goethe ZMP level.
Study programmes at Speyer carry no tuition or fees, with the exception of the part-time M.P.A. Wissenschaftsmanagement, which costs EUR 9,920 (payable in four instalments before each semester). Every semester a student-body (Hörerschaft) contribution of EUR 50 is due; it is not tuition and is included in the M.P.A. fee.
Master students may receive BAföG, administered for Speyer by the BAföG office of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz. Legal trainees in the Ergänzungsstudium receive the maintenance allowance (Unterhaltsbeihilfe) set by their federal state. For doctoral candidates, funding comes from the Begabtenförderungswerke, state graduate scholarships, private foundations and DAAD, including DAAD support for research abroad connected to a dissertation.
Exchange mobility through Erasmus+ and PROMOS is coordinated by the Akademisches Auslandsamt. More details: Finanzen, Akademisches Auslandsamt.
Browse the scholarships listed for German University of Administrative Sciences Speyer and check each award’s eligibility.
View scholarships for German University of Administrative Sciences Speyer →The university admits only graduates. There is no Bachelor programme and no Abitur-based entry, so no Studienkolleg or Feststellungsprüfung route applies; applicants need a completed first university degree.
Four semesters, 120 ECTS, starting in the winter semester (lectures from 2 November). Applications are made online through the university's application portal by 1 June. Applicants need a first degree of at least 180 ECTS in social, administrative, legal or economic sciences, or in another field if subject proximity and genuine interest are shown (for example the first state law examination). Advanced English at B2 level is required, usually shown through the school-leaving certificate. Documents uploaded: CV, university entrance qualification, degree certificates, employer references where relevant, a one-to-two-page motivation letter, English proof, rank in the examination year if available, and a profile form. Selection weights degree type and grade 40%, subject knowledge 20%, relevant practical experience 20% and the motivation letter 20%. The next application period closes on 1 June 2027 for winter semester 2027/28.
One year, 60 credit points, starting in the winter or summer semester; applications by 1 June or 1 December. Open to graduates in law with the first state examination or a comparable law degree of at least 240 ECTS, who rank in the top 50 per cent of their graduating group or hold two seminar certificates from Speyer averaging at least 11 points, and who show a public-law or public-administration focus. English B2 is required. Documents include CV, entrance qualification, degree certificates, a one-to-two-page motivation letter, English proof and a profile form.
Part-time, four semesters, 90 ECTS, taught in German, starting 1 October with about 25 places a year. Requires a professional-qualifying degree with at least 210 ECTS (up to 30 ECTS can be credited from further training or professional practice) and at least one year of relevant work experience. Apply by 1 June with CV, certified certificates, a motivation letter and, where applicable, employer support.
One year, starting in the winter semester (2 November, apply by 1 June) or the summer semester (2 May, apply by 1 December).
Applicants without a German university entrance qualification or a degree from a German university must show German through the Goethe-Institut Zentrale Mittelstufenprüfung (ZMP), DSH-2 or TestDaF level TdN 4.
Admission to the doctorate requires a degree qualifying for the higher civil service (state examination, Diplom, Magister or Master), or for Dr. iur. the first law examination or equivalent, with a result in the best third of the graduating group. Applicants must find a professor or Privatdozent at Speyer willing to supervise the dissertation, and the Promotionsordnung governs the procedure. Dr. rer. pol. can be earned by a cumulative dissertation.
Campus Speyer, Freiherr-vom-Stein-Straße 2, 67346 Speyer: the single campus of about seven hectares, south-west of the old town.
Speyer railway station is about 1.5 km away, with S-Bahn links to Mannheim (about 25 minutes) and bus line 569 to the campus.
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