Research

University education in Norway, Belgium, Sweden, and Finland is free. German universities are funded by the Lander, not central government, so it seems some universities are still free whereas others are not. Private universities in Germany have been established to cater for foreign students and they charge the same sort of fees as British universities. I know of cases where students have taken their PhD's in continental Europe entirely in English. I once assisted a Vietnamese student with the oral presentation and defence of her Molecular Biology thesis at the Karolinska Medical University in Stcokholm. She had spent several years researching in Sweden during which she had learnt fluent English not Swedish. An American friend did his PhD in the Netherlands in Political Science without knowing anything but elementary phrases in Dutch. When I did my thesis in German in History my two five supervisors and 5 members of the colloquium panel were chosen for their expertise. It was just assumed they all knew fluent English (they did.) In the case of the Swedish degree she had to publish four scientific papers as well as write a thesis. In the Dutch and German cases we had just to write a thesis. My friend failed, tried Germany, failed again, but then passed a US PhD . He became a lecturer at Hofstra Univeristy and then at the Air Force Academy in Alabama.

If you read various internet postings it seems the days of free education for foreigners in Europe is coming to an end.

 

There is no "Air Force Academy" in Alabama. It is in Colorado Springs, CO.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Air_Force_Academy

 

Perhaps Gideon meant Maxwell Air Force Base in Alabama. Maxwell is home to the Air Force's Professional Military Education program and home to the Air University.

http://www.maxwell.af.mil/au/index.asp

 

Perhaps. You know, just like a news story, when I can see the parts of a burb that I know are incorrect...I have to wonder about the parts I do not know about.

Per the Economist, German Universities (some at least) at NOT "free" - they charge minimal fees. It's an issue under discussion in the Lander and the Federal government.

 

You are right. It is Maxwell, but I didn't want to be that precise. Now I suppose Maxwell will receive all sorts of degree.net enquiries asking about a certain staff member.

 

I don't know why - there is no academy or graduate school there. The military schools are regionally accredited just like the state universities.

 

Tuition fees in Germany.

German universities were free between 1970 and 1997. Fees for studying "too long" were established in some German states in 1997. However, actual tuition fees are a very recent development in Germany. (since 2005, some informations here: http://www.studis-online.de/StudInfo/Gebuehren/tuition_fees.php )

But the original question was about doctorates and that's a special case! The traditional German point of view is that a Doktorant (the German term for a PhD student) is a researcher first, and not necessarily a (registered) student. On campus PhD students generally are registered students, but external PhD students are generally no registered(!) students. The tuition fees apply only to registered students. However, it is possible that this current situation will be changed in the near future, but until now there are no such plans.

mintaru.

 

Actually, Maxwell has the USAF Air Command and Staff College from which officers can receive a masters degree in Military Operational Art and Science. It also has the Air War College which provides students the opportunity to pursue a masters degree in Strategic Studies. These degrees are awarded from Air University which occasionally has ads in the Chronicle for faculty members.