Germany
In the German education system, Studienrat is an official title and rank for tenured higher teachers at secondary schools (Gymnasium), tenured higher scientific teachers at vocational schools, technical colleges and further education colleges (Berufsschule, Berufskolleg, Fachschule) teaching at least till Bachelor's level and for Senior lecturers and Assistant professors at universities. Higher scientific teachers at Germany must hold facultas docendis in at least two different subjects. [1] [ not in citation given ]
Gymnasium, in the German education system, is the most advanced of the three types of German secondary schools, the others being Realschule and Hauptschule. Gymnasium strongly emphasizes academic learning, comparable to the British grammar school system or with prep schools in the United States. A student attending Gymnasium is called a Gymnasiast. In 2009/10 there were 3,094 gymnasia in Germany, with c. 2,475,000 students, resulting in an average student number of 800 students per school.
Senior lecturer is an academic rank. In the United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand, Australia, and Switzerland, lecturer is a faculty position at a university or similar institution. The position is tenured and is roughly equivalent to an associate professor in the North American system.
Assistant professor is an academic rank used in universities or colleges in the United States, Canada, and some other countries.
Form of address
In Germany, a holder of the title/rank Studienrat (StR) is typically addressed by his title/rank followed by his other degrees in the same way as a holder of the title/rank of professor is addressed, for instance: "Herr Studienrat Dr. Schmidt" (or abbreviated: "StR Dr. Schmidt").
Professor is an academic rank at universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences, a teacher of the highest rank.
Salary and rank
Like police officers, politicians, judges, members of the administration or military a Studienrat is part of the same salary and ranking system. The rank in the German Beamte System for a Studienrat is A13 [2] which is equivalent to the rank of a Major (Germany) in the German military called Bundeswehr. [3]
Major is the lowest staff officer rank in the German Army (Heer), German Air Force (Luftwaffe). The rank is rated OF-3 in NATO. The rank insignia is a silver oakleaf cluster with a silver pip (star).
The Bundeswehr is the unified armed forces of Germany and their civil administration and procurement authorities. The States of Germany are not allowed to maintain armed forces of their own, since the German Constitution states that matters of defense fall into the sole responsibility of the federal government.
The rank of Studienrat is comparable in salary and level to that of a German junior professor (similar to an assistant professor) and is equal in rank to an Akademischer Rat . [4] [ not in citation given ] The title and rank of Dozent (docent) which was formerly used for the official title and rank below professor was replaced by the ranks of Studienrat and Oberstudienrat by the legislative change of 25 October 1963. [5] [ not in citation given ]
Docent is a title at 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 and equal or above the title "associate professor".
Requirements
Prerequisite for this title/rank is at least the "First State Examination for Teachers" called Staatsexamen (equivalent to Master of Education - EQF-Level 7) called "Erste Staatspruefung fuer Lehramt an Gymnasium" (secondary schools) or "Erste Staatspruefung fuer Lehramt an beruflichen Schulen" (vocational schools/further education colleges) and the "Second State Examination for Teachers" (Master-level + 2 years of intense teacher training). [6] The degree of Master of Education, which was established 2005 under the Bologna Process is accepted as equal to the "First State Examination for Teachers"(1. Staatsexamen) and allows entrance to the second phase of the German teacher education called Referendariat or Vorbereitungsdienst. [7]
The Staatsexamen is a German government licensing examination that future physicians, teachers, pharmacists, food chemists, psychotherapists and jurists as well as surveyors have to pass to be allowed to work in their profession. The examination is generally organized by government examination agencies which are under the authority of the responsible ministry. These agencies create examination commissions which consist of members of the examination agency, university professors and/or representatives from the professions. The Staatsexamen are both legally equivalent to a master's degree in the respective operating ranges.
The Master of Education is a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. This degree in education often includes the following majors: curriculum and instruction, counseling, school psychology, and administration. It is often conferred for educators advancing in their field. Similar degrees include the Master of Arts in Education and the Master of Science in Education. The Master of Arts in Teaching, however, is substantially different.
The European Qualifications Framework (EQF) acts as a translation device to make national qualifications more readable across Europe, promoting workers' and learners' mobility between countries and facilitating their lifelong learning. The EQF aims to relate different countries' national qualifications systems to a common European reference framework. Individuals and employers will be able to use the EQF to better understand and compare the qualifications levels of different countries and different education and training systems. Since 2012, all new qualifications issued in Europe carry a reference to an appropriate EQF level.
The "First State Examination" takes at least 4.5–5 years of studies and finishes with a thesis, a viva voce examination and several written and oral tests. [8] [9]
The oral exam is a practice in many schools and disciplines in which an examiner poses questions to the student in spoken form. The student has to answer the question in such a way as to demonstrate sufficient knowledge of the subject to pass the exam. The oral exam also helps reduce the risk of granting a degree to a candidate who has had the thesis or dissertation ghostwritten by an expert.
Graduates of the "Second State Examination for Teachers" receive the teaching license in at least two subjects and the professional title/degree "Lehrer mit Lehramt fuer..." which stands for "Teacher with teaching license for secondary schools" or "Teacher with teaching license for vocational schools". [10]
Only after passing the "First State Examination" and the "Second State Examination" are German teachers fully qualified. The duration of complete German teacher education is about 7 years of higher education (Master-level + 2 years of postgraduate studies).
Applicants for "State Examination" studies are required to have the German General University Entrance Qualification called Allgemeine Hochschulreife or in other words called Abitur. [11]
For teachers working at universities, the "Second State Examination for Teachers" may be replaced by a doctorate. [12] [13]
Holders of a Magister degree (Master) and a doctorate can be accepted under some circumstances (extensive amount of published work) for the title/rank of Studienrat, too. [14] [15]
The "Second State Examination for Teachers" takes 2 years training at a special teacher academy called Studienseminar. The workload of this so-called Referendariat or Vorbereitungsdienst is 3600 hours (comparable to ~120 ECTS) consisting of at least 1080 hours course work in 12 modules with oral and written tests at the teacher academy, teaching in the two studied subjects in different schools and a thesis in the field of education. [16] In some cases, the second Staatsexamen can be a substitute for a doctorate when it comes to applying for certain jobs at a university (i.e., Akademischer Rat).[ citation needed ]
Appointment and granting of title
The title/rank of Studienrat can be awarded only by the government of one of the states of Germany, for example the state of Hesse. Granting this title/rank makes the holder a Beamter (civil servant having tenure), employed by the German[ clarification needed ] government. [17] [ not in citation given ]
First, the title/rank Studienrat z.A. or Studienrat zur Anstellung is granted for a probation period. After at least three years of probation time and many additional examinations the title/rank Studienrat auf Lebenszeit can be granted by the government giving tenure for lifetime (Beamter auf Lebenszeit).
Notable holders of title
For instance the German politician and Lord Mayor of the city of Marburg Hanno Drechsler, the German mathematician Heinrich Jung, and Gebhard Ludwig Himmler, the elder brother of the Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler all had the title of Studienrat.
