Privatdozent

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Caricature of a Privatdozent from German satirical periodical Fliegende Blatter (1848): "A German Privatdozent who, wrapped up in his hopes, turns into a mummy." Karikatur Privatdozent Fliegende Blatter.jpg
Caricature of a Privatdozent from German satirical periodical Fliegende Blätter (1848): "A German Privatdozent who, wrapped up in his hopes, turns into a mummy."

Privatdozent (for men) or Privatdozentin (for women), abbreviated PD, P.D. or Priv.-Doz., is an academic title conferred at some European universities, especially in German-speaking countries, to someone who holds certain formal qualifications that denote an ability (facultas docendi) and permission to teach ( venia legendi ) a designated subject at the highest level. To be granted the title Priv.-Doz. by a university, a recipient has to fulfill the criteria set by the university which usually require excellence in research, teaching, and further education. In its current usage, the title indicates that the holder has completed their habilitation and is therefore granted permission to teach and examine students independently without having a full professorship (chair). With respect to the level of academic achievement, the title of Privatdozent is comparable to that of Associate Professor (North America), Senior Lecturer (United Kingdom), or maître de conférences détenteur de l'habilitation à diriger des recherches (HDR) (France). [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] However, unlike the Associate Professors in North America, PD titles are not always linked to tenured academic positions and do not always imply the role of a Principal Investigator. [3]

Contents

Conferment and roles

A university faculty can confer the title to an academic who has a higher doctoral degree—usually in the form of a habilitation. [6] The title, Privatdozent, as such does not imply a salaried appointment; it merely denotes permission to teach and examine independently at the conferring faculty without a professorial appointment. At German universities, some title holders are appointed as Senior Researchers or Dozent (either on a fee basis or as tenured academic employees), while others are solely supported by externally funded research projects.

Even though many title holders are not employed by the university and do not have remuneration agreements with their conferring institution, depending on local regulations, they may be required to teach in order to maintain their status as Privatdozent. [7] In 2012 more than 5,000 honorarium Privatdozenten worked at German universities without a salary. [6] A Privatdozent ceases to hold the title if appointed at professorial level or if discontinuing lecturing at the faculty. In Germany, the title can be revoked if the holder does not lecture for more than two consecutive semesters. [6]

History and future

The title has its origins in German-speaking countries in Europe before 1800. It referred to a lecturer who received fees from his students rather than a university salary.

In Prussia it started around 1810, and became established around 1860. From 1900 until 1968, most university professors who were appointed were title holders, as they obtained a habilitation and already held a teaching position.[ citation needed ]

Since the end of the 1960s, the requirement of a post-doctoral degree for a professorship in Germany has been questioned and in some cases is not necessary. In 2002, junior professorships were introduced, providing a route to a professorship without habilitation; the habilitation is no longer the gold standard against which other qualifications are measured during the appointment process. This has led to a decline in universities conferring the title Privatdozent in certain academic disciplines. [8]

Related Research Articles

A doctorate or doctoral degree is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism licentia docendi.

Habilitation is the highest university degree, or the procedure by which it is achieved, in Germany, France, Italy and some other European and non-English-speaking countries. The candidate fulfills a university's set criteria of excellence in research, teaching, and further education, which usually includes a dissertation. The degree, sometimes abbreviated Dr. habil., Dr hab., or D.Sc., is often a qualification for full professorship in those countries. In German-speaking countries it allows the degree holder to bear the title PD. In a number of countries there exists an academic post of docent, appointment to which often requires such a qualification. The degree conferral is usually accompanied by a public oral defence event with one or more opponents. Habilitation is usually awarded 5–15 years after a PhD degree or its equivalent. Achieving this academic degree does not automatically give the scientist a paid position, though many people who apply for the degree already have steady university employment.

A Doctor of Science is a science doctorate awarded in a number of countries throughout the world.

The term is derived from the Latin word docēns, which is the present active participle of docēre. Becoming a docent is often referred to as habilitation or doctor of science and is an academic qualification that shows that the holder is qualified to be employed at the level of associate or full professor. The title of docent is conferred by some European universities to denote a specific academic appointment within a set structure of academic ranks at or below the full professor rank, similar to a British readership, a French maître de conférences (MCF), and equal to or above the title of assistant professor.

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Honorary titles in academia may be conferred on persons in recognition of contributions by a non-employee or by an employee beyond regular duties. This practice primarily exists in the UK and Germany, as well as in many of the universities and colleges of the United States, Australia, Hong Kong, Taiwan, China, New Zealand, Japan, Denmark, and Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Doctor of Sciences</span> Soviet and Russian degree

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Professor</span> Academic title at universities and other educational institutions

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Doctor of Law</span> Doctorate in legal studies

A Doctor of Law is a doctorate in legal studies.

Academic staff, also known as faculty or academics, are vague terms that describe teachers or research staff of a school, college, university or research institute.

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Academic ranks in Germany are the titles, relative importance and power of professors, researchers, and administrative personnel held in academia.

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Academic ranks in Norway are the system of merit-based ranks used by academic employees in academia. Similar to the British rank system, the Norwegian rank system is broadly divided into three pathways, a combined research and teaching career pathway, a research career pathway and a teaching career pathway.

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References

  1. Vargas, Nikoletta; Romanos, Georgios E. (June 2022). "Dental Academic Degrees in Germany Compared to the USA". Dentistry Journal. 10 (6): 98. doi: 10.3390/dj10060098 . ISSN   2304-6767. PMC   9221956 . PMID   35735640.
  2. French Ministry of Higher Education and Research (10 February 2011). "Comparaison des carrières des enseignants-chercheurs de pays étrangers" (PDF).
  3. 1 2 "Professorship in Austria". academics.com. 17 August 2023. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
  4. "dict.cc dictionary :: Privatdozent :: German-English translation". www.dict.cc. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
  5. Alawi, Seyed Arash; Luketina, Rosalia; Krezdorn, Nicco; Busch, Lukas Fabian; Limbourg, Anne; Branski, Ludwik; Vogt, Peter M.; Jokuszies, Andreas (1 September 2019). "How to become a medical professor – a comparative analysis of academic requirements in Germany and the United States". Innovative Surgical Sciences. 4 (3): 108–115. doi:10.1515/iss-2019-0011. ISSN   2364-7485. PMC   6817728 . PMID   31709302.
  6. 1 2 3 Laube, Stefan (29 February 2012). "Privatdozenten sind das Uni-Prekariat " [Precarity of Privatdozenten]. FAZ. Retrieved 6 June 2016. (in German).
  7. Pape, Helmut (25 March 2010). "Uni-Sklaven, vereinigt euch! " [University Slaves Unite!]. Die Zeit. Retrieved 6 June 2016. (in German).
  8. "Junior Professors on the Rise". Science | AAAS. 2 August 2002. Retrieved 5 April 2017.