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Purpose
Germany’s traditional system of tertiary education consists of two very different types of institutions: Regular
universities and universities of applied sciences (UAS). The former emphasizes academic education and research,
and the latter focuses on training in specialized technical skills. Originally the difference was quite distinct, but over
time these two types of schools have developed in such a way that it’s now often difficult to see the difference.
Nonetheless, only universities and certain colleges (Hochschule) have the right to award doctorates; UASs can only
offer doctoral degrees in cooperation with a regular university. Many see this monopoly on the conferral of doctoral
degrees as the universities’ final bastion for stemming the advance of UASs into their territory. When in 2013 several
German states, one after another, unexpectedly proposed to extend to UASs the right to independently award doctoral
degrees, this set off a heated controversy throughout German society. In this paper I present the background of this
controversy, discuss related issues, and offer a suggestion for resolving the problem.
Design/methodology/approach
This research was conducted using document analysis.
Findings
In this paper I compare German universities and UASs in terms of educational emphasis (academic/non-academic),
research orientation (theoretical/applied), faculty (qualifications and duties), and resource competition. I conclude
that the differences between these two types of tertiary schools are insignificant and that there is therefore no valid
reason to allow universities to continue to monopolize the conferral of doctoral degrees. Especially with regards to
the changing mode of knowledge production, allowing UASs to award doctorates tallies with the requirements of
scientific development, and would also facilitate graduates of master’s degree programs to enter doctoral programs.
Moreover, no states have proposed allowing all programs at all UASs to award doctorates, but rather only granting the
right to existing programs which emphasize academic research in a particular discipline. Thus no redistribution of
resources for higher education would be required.
Originality/value
I propose that universities set up a vetting process for approving qualified UAS faculty to act as faculty members of
cooperative Ph.D. programs offered by universities, but that the actual conferral of the doctoral degree should still
remain the exclusive right of the university. This way properly qualified UAS faculty can be brought into the Ph.D.
conferral process, increasing the number of doctorates granted while allowing university professors to maintain a
degree of quality control over the process, thereby bringing an early end to the controversy over the conferral of
doctoral degrees.
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APA:
Chang, Y. C., Tseng, D.-C., & Huang, C.-C. (2016). The Final Bastion of German University? The Controversy over The Right of Universities of Applied Sciences to Award Doctoral Degrees. Contemporary Educational Research Quarterly, 24(2), 1-37.
