Courtesy : School of Hospitality and Catering Education

Finland

Historically, the Finnish higher education system is derived from the German system. The current system of higher education comprises two types of higher education institutions, the universities and the polytechnics, many of whom refer to themselves as universities of applied sciences (UAS) With the exception of few fields such as medicine and dentistry, the Finnish system of higher education degrees is in compliance with the Bologna process. Universities award bachelor’s degrees (kandidaatti / kandidat), Master’s degrees (maisteri / magister) and doctoral degrees (lisensiaatin tutkinto / licentiat examen and tohtorin tutkinto / doktorexamen). In most fields, the system of doctoral degrees is two-tier, the degree of licentiate is an independent academic degree but completing the degree of doctor does not require completion of a licentiate degree. The polytechnics (universities of applied sciences) have the right to award bachelor’s and master’s degrees; the degree titles are distinct from the titles used for university degrees.

In general, students who are admitted to bachelor studies at a university have the right to continue to studies at master level. At polytechnics, the right to continue to master-level studies has to be applied for separately and there is also a work experience requirement. The majority of master’s degree holders have graduated from university. # ISO certification in India

The degrees awarded by the universities and polytechnics are at par by law, but the content and orientation of studies is different. A master’s degree obtained at a polytechnic gives the same academic right to continue studies at doctoral level as a master’s degree obtained at a university.

France

The French national education system makes a distinction between a diplôme national (“national degree”) and diplôme universitaire (“university degree”). The former, which are considered higher status, are controlled by the state and issued by universities on behalf of the responsible ministry; the latter are controlled and granted by the universities themselves. Additionally, private universities and schools may be recognised by the state with a diplôme visé (“recognised degree”) and then, after five years of recognition, have their degrees validated by the state, the validation having to be renewed every six years.# ISO certification in India

Historically, academic degrees were orientated towards research and the vocational education system awarded only diplomas. Since the implementation of the Bologna Process in France, things are going towards a simplification: schools continue to deliver their own diplomas, but the State recognition and degree awarding is far more ranged than before.# ISO certification in India

Diploma courses such as the University Bachelor of Technology’s Diploma (bachelor universitaire de technologie; BUT) is recognised as “professionnal bachelor cycle” qualifications worth 180 ECTS credits; the Technologist’s Certificate (brevet de technician supérieur; BTS) is now recognised as “short cycle” qualifications worth 120 ECTS credits, allowing progression from these to academic qualifications. Nonetheless, there are diplomas in France with no degree recognition, e.g. specific diplomas designed by various institutions with no recognition from the Ministry of Education, such as the mastère spécialisé or the Sciences Po Bachelor.# ISO certification in India

The recognised degrees fall in three levels, following the Qualifications Framework of the European Higher Education Area. These are the licence (first cycle), master (second cycle) and doctorat (third cycle). All licence degrees are 3 years (180 ECTS credits) in length and all master’s degrees are 2 years (120 ECTS credits) in length. There are also 5 year (300 ECTS credits) engineer’s degrees, which are master’s degree. In addition to the doctorate, which is always a research degree, the Diplôme d’Etat de docteur en médicine and the Diplôme d’Etat de docteur vétérinaire are also considered third cycle qualifications.# ISO certification in India

Germany

Degree	Diploma
Doctorate	Doctorate’s Diploma
Master	Universities	Écoles supérieures or Grandes écoles
General	Medical and Paramedical	Accounting	Art	Business	Engineering	Military	Public Affairs	Veterinary Science	Others
Master’s Diploma DEA DESS (both diplomas phased out and no longer delivered)	diplôme de formation approfondie (Medicine, Midwifery, Odontology, Pharmacy)	diplôme supérieur de comptabilité et de gestion	Architect State Diploma diplôme national supérieur d’arts plastiques Diploma of the École nationale supérieure des arts décoratifs diplôme national supérieur d’expression plastique Graduate diplomas of the Conservatoire de Paris	Diplomas of the université Paris-Dauphine Diplomas of some Business Schools	Engineer’s degree diplôme de management et contrôle du trafic aérien and diplôme d’ingénierie des systèmes électroniques de la sécurité aérienne of the École nationale de l’aviation civile	Diploma of the École spéciale militaire de Saint-Cyr	Diploma of an Institut d’études politiques	diplôme d’études fondamentales vétérinaires	diplôme viséDiploma of specialized schools (Communication, Journalism, Film…)
Licence and bachelor	Licenciate’s DiplomaUniversity Bachelor of Technology’s Diploma	diplôme de formation générale (Medicine, Midwifery, Odontology, Pharmacy) Nurse State Diploma Ergotherapist State Diploma	diplôme de comptabilité et de gestion	diplôme d’études en architecture Undergraduate diplomas of the Conservatoire de Paris			Diploma of the École militaire interarmes			diplôme viséDiploma of specialized schools (Communication, Journalism, Film…)
Baccalaureate	Baccalauréat‘s Diploma

Traditionally in Germany, students graduated after four to six years either with a Magister degree in social sciences, humanities, linguistics and the arts or with a Diplom degree in natural sciences, economics, business administration, political science, sociology, theology and engineering. Those degrees were the first and at the same time highest non-PhD/Doctorate-title in many disciplines before its gradual replacement by other Anglo-Saxon-inspired master’s and bachelor’s degrees under the Bologna process. The Magister and Diplom awarded by universities, both of which require a final thesis, are considered equivalent to a master’s degree, although the Diplom awarded by a Fachhochschule (university of applied sciences) is at bachelor’s degree level.# ISO certification in India

A special kind of examination is the Staatsexamen (State Examination). It is not an academic degree but a government licensing examination that future doctors, dentists, teachers, lawyers (solicitors), judges, public prosecutors, patent attorneys and pharmacists have to pass in order to be eligible to work in their profession. Students usually study at university for three to six years, depending on the field, before they take the first Staatsexamen. While this is normally at master’s level, a few courses (e.g. primary and lower secondary level teaching), which have a standard study period of three years, are assigned to bachelor’s level. After the first Staatsexamen, teachers and lawyers go through a form of pupillage, the Vorbereitungsdienst, for two years, before they are able to take the second Staatsexamen, which tests their practical abilities in their jobs. At some institutions pharmacists and jurists can choose whether to be awarded the first Staatsexamen or a master’s degree (or formerly the Diplom).# ISO certification in India

Since 1999, the traditional degrees have been replaced by bachelor’s (Bachelor) and master’s (Master) degrees as part of the Bologna process. The main reasons for this change are to make degrees internationally comparable and to introduce degrees to the German system which take less time to complete (German students typically took five years or more to earn a Magister or Diplom). Some universities were initially resistant to this change, considering it a displacement of a venerable tradition for the pure sake of globalization. However, universities had to fulfill the new standard by the end of 2007. Enrollment into Diplom and Magister programs is no longer possible at most universities, with a few exceptions. Programs leading to Staatsexamen did usually not make the transition to Bologna degrees.# ISO certification in India

Doctorates are issued with various designations, depending on the faculty: e.g., Doktor der Naturwissenschaften (Doctor of Natural Science); Doktor der Rechtswissenschaften (Doctor of Law); Doktor der Medizin (Doctor of Medicine); Doktor der Philosophie (Doctor of Philosophy), to name just a few. Multiple doctorates and honorary doctorates are often listed and even used in forms of address in German-speaking countries. A Diplom, Magister, Master’s or Staatsexamen student can proceed to a doctorate. Well qualified bachelor’s graduates can also enrol directly into PhD programs after a procedure to determine their aptitude administered by the admitting university. The doctoral degree (e.g., Dr. rer. nat., Dr. phil. and others) is the highest academic degree in Germany and generally a research degree. The degree Dr. med. for medical doctors has to be viewed differently; medical students usually write their doctoral theses right after they have completed studies, without any previous conducted scientific research, just as students in other disciplines write a Diplom, Magister or Master’s thesis Higher doctorates, such as the D.Sc. degree in the UK, are not present in the German system.# ISO certification in India

However, sometimes incorrectly regarded as a degree, the Habilitation is a higher academic qualification in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and the Czech Republic that allows further teaching and research endorsement after a doctorate. It is earned by writing a second thesis (the Habilitationsschrift) or presenting a portfolio of first-author publications in an advanced topic. The exact requirements for satisfying a Habilitation depend on individual universities. The “habil.”, as it is abbreviated to represent that a habilitation has been awarded after the doctorate, was traditionally the conventional qualification for serving at least as a Privatdozent (e.g. “PD Dr. habil.”) (senior lecturer) in an academic professorship. Some German universities no longer require the Habilitation, although preference may still be given to applicants who have this credential, for academic posts in the more traditional fields.# ISO certification in India