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Whether it’s Digital Film Production or Media Informatics in Game Development, Master’s degrees in Entertainment Producing or Communications Design: education in NRW is as diverse as the media and creative professions themselves. As a metropolitan region and well-connected media hub, North Rhine-Westphalia has a diverse higher education infrastructure and many companies for professional training in the media and creative industries.

Facts and figures

  • around 250 media related courses
  • more than 740,000 students, including almost 89,000 new entrants
  • over 40 training and more than 60 further education programmes
  • the largest number of courses by far on offer in Germany
  • international film school cologne (ifs), Academy of Media Arts Cologne (KHM), Technical University Dortmund, Folkwang University of the Arts, RTL Journalist School, Cologne Game Lab, and others
  • funding and grant programmes: Gerd Ruge Grant, Wim Wenders Grant, Mediengründerzentrum NRW, Creator College NRW
  • journalism: wide range of courses and hands-on training

More information:

Education in NRW
Film- und Medienstiftung NRW grants
Mediengründerzentrum NRW grants

Prof. Kurt Mehnert
Industrial Design | Strategie & Vision at Folkwang Universität der Künste
NRW is a region where some of Europe’s most outstanding challenges are concentrated: migration, structural change, urban development, and not least the creative industries. As a result, it provides a particularly stimulating environment for artistic training.
Volker Weicker
Professor for Live Direction at the Academy for Media Arts Cologne (KHM), director for live entertainment, shows & sports
The studios and, above all, the excellent standard of personnel have kept NRW at the forefront of German TV entertainment for several years.
Michael Steinbrecher
Professor for Television and Cross-Media Journalism, Institute for Journalism, TU Dortmund
North-Rhine Westphalia has major players like WDR and RTL, but also courageous experiments such as the Dortmund-based participation channel nrwision. What's more, there are top-class courses in Journalism and Media Studies. The TV and film industry in NRW deserves to feel self-confident.
Prof. Dr. Andreas Jacob
Rector of the Folkwang University of the Arts
The issues of the future cannot be answered without the arts. That is the great asset of NRW at the heart of Europe: a large number of events, cultural diversity, great academic potential. Our basis for today, tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow
Prof. Dietrich Leder
Professor for Documentary Film/Fictional Forms/Entertainment KHM
With its courses on Feature Film, Documentary and Experimental film, Script, Camera, and TV Formats, the Academy of Media Arts Cologne (KHM) has regarded itself since 1990 as an integrative part of NRW as a media region, yet at the same time constantly taking a critical stance towards cinema and television.
Nadja Radojevic
Chief Executive Director ifs internationale filmschule köln
With its diverse production companies, TV stations and innovative start-ups, the NRW media hotspot offers excellent opportunities for young people - to gain a professional foothold and help shape and sustainably strengthen the location in the future. An optimal win-win situation!
Prof. Mathias Antlfinger
Rector of the KHM
The Federal State of NRW founded the Academy of Media Arts Cologne in 1989 with vision and a spirit of innovation. Several generations of graduates from this academy that is still unique in Europe have already begun enriching the art and media landscape in NRW and around the world - as artists, filmmakers, authors, university lecturers, producers and creative personalities.
Prof. Sibylle Stürmer
Professor Hochschule Macromedia
NRW rocks! This is the place where more broadcast minutes are produced than in Berlin or Munich and more money invested in feature films than in the other federal states. The hotspot of the YouTubers is here – and it‘s also the place for students to get a foot in the door!