Habilitation

Habilitation is a term used within the university system in Germany, Austria, and some other European countries such as the German-speaking part of Switzerland, in Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Russia, and other countries of former Soviet Union, such as Armenia, Azerbaijan, Moldova, Kirgizstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, etc. It can be used to describe either a qualification, the process of earning that qualification, or - incorrectly - the thesis written as part of that process (which is called Habilitationsschrift). A Habilitation qualifies for being admitted as a professor at a university.

The Debate about the Habilitation

Currently (as of 2004), the Habilitation is subject of a major political debate. The current Federal Minister for Education and Research, Edelgard Buhlman, aims to abolish the system of the Habilitation and replace it by the alternative concept of the Juniorprofessur: A researcher should first be employed for up to six years as a "junior professor" (a non-tenured position roughly equivalent to assistant professor in the United States) and so prove his suitability to hold a tenured professorship.

Related Topics:
2004 - Edelgard Buhlman - Juniorprofessur - Tenure - Assistant professor - United States

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

German academia has split opinions about this change:

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Many, especially researchers in the natural sciences, as well as young researchers, have since long demanded the abandonment of the Habilitation as they felt it an unnecessary and time-consuming obstacle in a scientific career, which contributes to the brain drain of talented young researchers who feel their chances of getting a professorship at a reasonable age to be better abroad and hence move, e.g., to the USA. Also, many feel overly dependent on their superior (the professor heading the research group) as he has the power to delay the process of completing the Habilitation.

Related Topics:
Natural science - Brain drain

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

On the other hand, among senior researchers, especially in the humanities and the social sciences, the Hablitation is regarded as a valuable instrument of quality control before giving somebody a tenured position for life.

Related Topics:
Humanities - Social science

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Three Länder (states) with conservative governments have sued before the German Constitutional Court against the new law replacing the Habilitation with the Juniorprofessur. The Court concurred with their argument that the Bundestag (the federal parliament) cannot pass such a law, because the German constitution explicitly states that affairs of education are the sole responsibility of the Länder and declared in July 2004 the law to be void.

Related Topics:
Länder - German Constitutional Court - Bundestag - German constitution

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

This now leaves the question about the future of the Habilitation, as well as status of the first few Juniorprofessors appointed so far, unclear again.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~