Fachhochschule
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A Fachhochschule (plural: Fachhochschulen) or "University of Applied Sciences" in Austria, Germany, Liechtenstein and Switzerland is a vocational university sometimes specialized in certain topical areas (e.g. technology or business) and mostly without postgraduate doctoral programs.
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[edit] Germany
Instead of using a direct translation of the term Fachhochschule, most German Fachhochschulen have decided to denote themselves as University of Applied Sciences in English. The Fachhochschulen were founded in the 1960s, usually by re-arranging pre-existing educational institutes, like schools of engineering, building academies or polytechnicals. The Fachhochschulen's teaching and research focus is, as the English name implies, on the practical application of science, while universities focus on scientific studies. Besides state-owned universities there are also church owned ones following similar principles (the protestant Evangelische Fachhochschule (EFH or EvFH) or the catholic Katholische Fachhochschule).
Since their founding a discussion has been going on on many levels, including politics, academia, but often also between individual teachers and students of traditional universities and universities of applied sciences. The universities of applied sciences seek recognition as being "real" universities, while traditional universities insist on being the only "real" universities. This has resulted in rather strange effects, e.g. that professors at traditional universities have started to use the title Prof. (univ.) to distinguish themselves from professors at universities of applied sciences. Another effect is that the Fachhochschulen are called equal but different in political documents. A remaining distinction between Fachhochschulen and "real" universities is that the latter can grant Ph.D. degrees, whereas the Fachhochschulen can not. To liberate themselves from this exclusion many Fachhochschulen created and maintain doctoral programs in cooperation with foreign, mainly European universities. Given the importance of the doctoral degree and the title Dr. in the German culture, the matter of Ph.D. granting is often hotly debated.
Since the introduction of Bachelor and Master degrees, both types of universities grant both degrees without distinguishing.
In the past, one big obstacle was the German government's hiring and salary policy for civil servants. Two different career paths existed for graduates. However, this has changed. Now, Bachelors from both types of universities join the career path gehobener Dienst (roughly: above average service) and are paid significantly less than graduates with a master degree. The latter follow the höherer Dienst (roughly higher service) career path.
[edit] Bologna process
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Because of the Bologna process the degrees awarded are changing. Once the process is completed there will no longer be a difference between a Bachelor's degree or Master's degree from a University and a Fachhochschule. With a Master's from either it is possible to enter a doctoral degree program, but a graduate with a Bachelor's degree from either is normally unable to proceed directly to a doctoral degree program.
Also with the Master's degree of either of the institutions a graduate can enter the höheren Dienst.
[edit] Austria
The Austrian government decided to establish Fachhochschulen in 1990. In the academic year of 2004/05, there were 18 institutions officially considered as Fachhochschulen plus a number of other providers of Fachhochschulstudiengängen with a total of 25,554 students. About a third of the 136 Fachhochschulstudiengänge are organized as part-time courses of studies.
[edit] See also
- Vocational university
- Polytechnic
- Institute of technology
- Ammattikorkeakoulude:Fachhochschule
es:Fachhochschule fr:Fachhochschule fi:Ammattikorkeakoulu zh:应用技术大学
