Bachelor Graduates

From: Stifterverband für die Deutsche Wissenschaft und Institut der Deutschen Wirtschaft Köln (2014). "Karrierewege für Bachelorabsolventen" Ergebnisbericht zur Unternehmensbefragung 2014.

Companies regard bachelor's degrees as fully-fledged academic qualifications, which is why bachelor's degree graduates generally have the same entry-level opportunities as master's degree graduates.
In recent years, there has been an increase in the number of companies hiring bachelor's degree graduates and university graduates in general. The attitude of companies towards bachelor's degree graduates depends on the number of employees. Companies with more than 250 employees are significantly more willing to offer bachelor's degree graduates a career start than smaller companies.

In terms of salary levels, small companies tend not to differentiate between bachelor's and master's degree graduates. Large companies differentiate between the degrees, but the differences in salary are mostly no more than 10%.

The entry-level positions differ slightly between bachelor's and master's degrees. Rather, the differentiation is based on professional experience. Entry-level positions often involve less responsibility and focus on project or administrative work.

Companies offer a wide range of induction and training programmes for new entrants, with no distinction being made between bachelor's and master's degree holders. The aim is to provide structured support during the induction phase in order to counteract time losses due to orientation problems.
In addition, companies are placing increasing importance on supporting part-time master's programmes. The main reason for this is not professional development, but rather to retain employees.

Advancement within the company ultimately does not depend on academic qualifications, but rather on practical success, motivation and identification with the company.