Editing Academic degree (section)

==== Germany ====
Traditionally in Germany, students graduated after four-to-six years either with a ''[[Magister degree|Magister]]'' degree in [[social science]]s, [[humanities]], [[linguistics]] or the [[arts]], or with a ''[[Diplom]]'' degree in the [[natural science]]s, [[economics]], [[business administration]], [[political science]], [[sociology]], [[theology]] or [[engineering]]. Those degrees were the first, and at the same time highest, non-[[PhD]]/[[Doctorate]]-titles in many disciplines before their gradual replacement by other Anglo-Saxon-inspired master's and bachelor's degrees under the [[Bologna process]]. The ''Magister'' and ''Diplom'' awarded by universities, both of which require a final thesis, are considered equivalent to a master's degree, although the ''Diplom'' awarded by a [[Fachhochschule|''Fachhochschule'' (university of applied sciences)]] is at bachelor's degree level.<ref name="German education system">{{cite web|url=https://www.kmk.org/fileadmin/Dateien/pdf/Eurydice/Bildungswesen-engl-pdfs/tertiary.pdf|title=Higher education|work=The Education System in the Federal Republic of Germany|author=Secretariat of the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs|pages=171–172 }}</ref>

A special kind of examination is the ''[[Staatsexamen]]'' (State Examination). It is not an academic degree but a government [[licensure|licensing examination]] that future doctors, dentists, teachers, [[lawyer]]s (solicitors), judges, public prosecutors, patent attorneys and [[pharmacist]]s have to pass in order to be eligible to work in their profession. Students usually study at university for three to six years, depending on the field, before they take the first Staatsexamen. While this is normally at the master's level, a few courses (e.g. primary and lower secondary level teaching), which have a standard study period of three years, are assigned to the bachelor's level.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://ec.europa.eu/ploteus/sites/eac-eqf/files/German_EQF_Referencing_Report.pdf|title=German EQF Referencing Report|date=13 June 2013|author=Bundesministerium für Building under Forcing|access-date=14 September 2016|page=216}}</ref> After the first Staatsexamen, teachers and lawyers go through a form of [[pupillage]], the ''Vorbereitungsdienst'', for two years, before they are able to take the second Staatsexamen, which tests their practical abilities in their jobs.<ref name="German education system"/> At some institutions pharmacists and jurists can choose whether to be awarded the first Staatsexamen or a master's degree (or formerly the ''Diplom'').

Since 1999, the traditional degrees have been replaced by [[Bachelor's degree|bachelor's]] (''Bachelor'') and [[Master's degree|master's]] (''Master'') degrees as part of the [[Bologna process#Germany|Bologna process]]. The main reasons for this change are to make degrees internationally comparable and to introduce degrees to the German system that take less time to complete (German students typically took five years or more to earn a ''Magister'' or ''Diplom''). Some universities were initially resistant to this change, considering it a displacement of a venerable tradition for the pure sake of globalization. However, universities had to fulfill the new standard by the end of 2007. Enrollment into ''[[Diplom]]'' and ''[[Magister (degree)|Magister]]'' programs is no longer possible at most universities, with a few exceptions. Programs leading to ''Staatsexamen'' did not usually make the transition to Bologna degrees.

[[Doctorate]]s are issued with various designations, depending on the faculty: e.g., Doktor der Naturwissenschaften (Doctor of Natural Science); Doktor der Rechtswissenschaften (Doctor of Law); Doktor der Medizin (Doctor of Medicine); Doktor der Philosophie (Doctor of Philosophy), to name just a few. Multiple doctorates and [[Honorary degree|honorary doctorates]] are often listed, and even used in forms of address, in German-speaking countries. A Diplom, Magister, Master's or Staatsexamen student can proceed to a doctorate. Well-qualified bachelor's graduates can also enrol directly into PhD programs after a procedure to determine their aptitude is administered by the admitting university.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.kmk.org/fileadmin/Dateien/pdf/Eurydice/Bildungswesen-engl-pdfs/tertiary.pdf|title=Higher education|work=The Education System in the Federal Republic of Germany|author=Secretariat of the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs|pages=173–174 }}</ref> The doctoral degree—such as Dr. rer. nat., Dr. phil. and others—is the highest academic degree in Germany and is generally a research degree. The degree ''Dr. med.'' for [[medical doctor]]s has to be viewed differently; medical students usually write their doctoral theses right after they have completed studies, without any previously conducted scientific research, just as students in other disciplines write a ''Diplom'', ''Magister'' or ''Master's'' thesis.{{Citation needed|date=September 2016}} Higher doctorates, such as the D.Sc. degree in the UK, are not present in the German system.

However, sometimes incorrectly regarded as a degree, the [[Habilitation]] is a higher academic qualification—in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and the Czech Republic—that grants a further teaching and research endorsement after a doctorate. It is earned by writing a second thesis (the ''Habilitationsschrift'') or presenting a portfolio of first-author publications on an advanced topic. The exact requirements for satisfying a Habilitation depend on individual universities. The "habil.", as it is abbreviated, to indicate that a habilitation has been awarded after the doctorate, was traditionally the conventional qualification for serving at least as a ''Privatdozent'' (e.g. "PD Dr. habil.") (senior lecturer) in an academic professorship. Some German universities no longer require the Habilitation, although preference may still be given to applicants who have this credential in securing academic posts in the more traditional fields.