PhD accepted as Dr.-title in Germany?

Does anybody have experience, whether a "PhD" is accepted as an official Dr.-title in Germany? Thanks!

 

Probably it would depend on which institution conferred the PhD.

 

Try these links:

Strafgesetzbuch (StGB), Besonderer Teil, Erster Abschnitt , §132a

German federal law on use of academic titles and qualifications - http://bundesrecht.juris.de/bundesrecht/stgb/__132a.html



Handel mit Doktorhüten, Wer bietet mehr?, Spiegel Online  22.02. 03

http://www.spiegel.de/unispiegel/studium/0.1518.237411.00.html (fee required)



Documentation of the Kultusministerkonferenzkonferenz:

Grundsätze für die Regelung der Führung ausländischer Hochschulgrade & (Beschluss der KMK vom 14.04.2000)  KMK decree of 14.04.2000 

http://www.kmk.org/hschule/grundsaetze.htm



Führung ausländischer Hochschulgrade in Deutschland (The Use of Foreign Academic Degrees in Germany) - http://www.kmk.org/zab/grade08.htm



Anabin - Informationsystem zur Anerkennung ausländischer Bildungsabschlüsse

http://www.anabin.de

 

For permanent residents, It needs to be "nostrificated" by the respecting state (!) ministry of education (law!). If you don´t do so, that is considered as illegal ("misuse of degrees"). If you are only a short-time visitor, not permanently living in Germany, you can use your title in any way it is written on your original diploma.

If it´s from a known school (i.e. one that´at least regionally accredited), the result will be that you can lead the title in the way it is written on your diploma (e.g. "Ph.D."), but with the country-code abbreviation in brackets OR as "Dr." with country-code abbreviation in brackets.

Results:
John Doe, Ph.D. (USA)
OR
Dr. (USA) John Doe

All right?
Cheers,
t.

 

This information is outdated! The nostrification process is abolished in all German states. It's replaced by a general permission to use all academic degrees from fully(!) recognised institutions, if the degree is granted on basis of real academic work and examinations. However, the name of the institution and the country must be added.
This means the following is the legal form to use your degree:

John Doe, Ph.D. ,<name of institution> ,<country-code abbreviation>


But there are two exceptions:

The first one is made for Ph.D. degrees from recognised(!) Kanadian and US universities (this means: other doctorates [e.g. DBA] not included!) , all research doctorates from Australia and Israel, and the following degrees from Russia:
kandidat biologiceskich nauk
kandidat chimiceskich nauk
kandidat farmacevticeskich nauk
kandidat filologiceskich nauk
kandidat fiziko-matematiceskich nauk
kandidat geograficeskich nauk
kandidat geologo-mineralogiceskich nauk
kandidat iskusstvovedenija
kandidat medicinskich nauk
kandidat nauk (architektura)
kandidat psichologiceskich nauk
kandidat selskochozjajstvennych nauk
kandidat techniceskich nauk
kandidat veterinarnych nauk

It's also legal to use these degrees in this form:

Dr. (<country-code abbreviation>) John Doe


The second exception is made for research doctorates from all EU and EEA member states.
[ Swiss doctorates are also included in this exception, if the doctorate is from one of these institutions:
University of Basel
University of Berne
University of Fribourg
University of Geneva
University of Neuchâtel
University of Lausanne
University of Lucerne
Università della Svizzera Italiana (Lugano)
University of St. Gallen
University of Zurich
ETH Zurich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich)
EPFL (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne) ]

It's legal to use these degrees equivalent to German doctorates.:
Dr. John Doe


mintaru.

 

By 2009 Bologna begins to apply so all EU degrees will be have to be recognized elsewhere in the Union. That´s only three years from now, but it was about time someone did something about that ..... In Spain nowadays to validate ANY degree whether from the EU or abroad takes years, and tons of paperwork, and an uncertain future since validation is never automatic. In Holland they are a little bit more lineant, but they als orequire The Hague Apostile to ALL diplomas and trancript, plus translations etc... Also a hassle. I am looking forward this Bologna thing begins asap.

 

Hi mintaru.
In theory - yes. You are right.
In practice - no. Not all German states have already implemented this law into state law (I know pretty sure that Northrine-Westphalia has already done so, and Hesse has not... - just as two examples which come to my mind).
Thus, it´s still safest to first contact your respective state minstry of education before leading a title illegaly.
But anyhow, in practice there´s not much of a difference to the information I have given regarding the way of leading a title - just probably a difference in terms of duty of nostrification...

Yep, Switzerland is an exeption because of bilateral agreements (but has already been so since years).

Cheers,
T.

P.S.: Asking my one (Northrine-Westphalia) about my USQ degree, they told me that the name of the university in brackets is enough, and no country abbreviation on top would be necessary - i.e. John Doe, MBA (USQ)