Luncheon Discussion: "Differences between the System of US and German Doctoral Education” April 20, 2010
On April 20, 2010 the German Research Foundation (DFG), hosted a luncheon discussion on the topic "differences between the system of US and German doctoral education“. About 20 participants from the fields of research management and higher education took part in the event at the German Research Foundation’s New York office. Dr. Jürgen Breitkopf, program officer in the department of international research training groups, graduate schools and research careers at the DFG was the guest speaker. Dr. Marion Müller, Director of the DFG – North America Office moderated the discussion following the talk.
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In his presentation, Jürgen Breitkopf explained how doctoral education is carried out in Germany: the system and its general framework. Mr. Breitkopf then described the types of universities and institutions which make up higher education and compared them to the US. He also addressed the order in which one receives degrees in Germany. There, students must first obtain a bachelor’s degree before they are eligible to do a master’s. Only once one has earned their master's do they become eligible to pursue their doctorate, one would then complete yet another dissertation called the "Habilitation" in order to become a professor. However, in the US once one has completed their bachelor's, they become eligible to pursue either a master's or even a PhD depending on their specialty area. A large number of Germans who write their dissertation, do so in order to pursue a position outside of academia that requires a PhD. In contrast in the US, the majority of PhD students plan to remain in academia. As previously stated, both a PhD and a "Habilitation" are required in Germany to become a professor, in the US the only formal criterion for the position is a PhD. Another striking difference is that in Germany the “Doktorvater” model (doctoral father) is prevalent. It allows German PhD students to work alone on their dissertation without the obligation to enrol in a specific program or complete courses. Since they work rather independently, they do not face program limitations such as course size or tuition costs, both of which US doctoral students encounter. Programs for US doctoral students are more structurally embedded within the host institution, they usually required one to enrol in doctoral programs, which often only admit only a certain number of students per year and come with a rather large tuition price tag. Mr. Breitkopf emphasised the growing importance and benefits of alternative models for doctoral education in Germany. Although the traditional Doktorvater model is still the prevalent one, more innovative ways of organising German doctoral education have increasingly been introduced over the past years. Some of the doctoral education models presently gaining popularity can most easily compared to the American system, they are: International Research Training Groups and "Graduiertenschulen" (graduate schools). Dr. Sebastian Fohrbeck, Director of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) in New York, also agreed that the German expression ‘Graduiertenschule’ can be compared well to the doctoral education at an American graduate school. However, American graduate schools host Master students and PhD students, whereas a "Graduiertenschule" is indeed solely intended for PhD students.
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Mr. Breitkopf explained that most German doctoral students financially support themselves by taking on one or more of the following positions: research assistants (wissenschaftliche Mitarbeiter), receiving a fellowship or by having a job(s) outside of academia. In the US, students support themselves in a similar manner by taking on a position as a teaching assistant or research assistant. However, on top of supporting their personal costs, they are also required to pay extremely high tuition fees.
As noted, there are some present tendencies towards change in German doctoral education, but the Doktorvater model will continue to play an important role. In addition to that, the introduction of tuition fees for doctorate students is unlikely in the near future.
In the discussion following the presentation, participants exchanged their first-hand experiences and continued to compare similarities and differences in doctoral education in both countries. (JE)
