Most German officers study. The Bundeswehr has two universities of its own, in Munich and Hamburg, both founded in 1973. In Hamburg, the first 300 officer candidates started on 1 October 1973. The initiative came from Helmut Schmidt as defense minister. According to the Ministry of Defense, the degree is an integral part of the training of career officers. The academic year has three trimesters of twelve weeks, so a bachelor’s degree takes three years and a master’s four.