Professorship
If you would like to become a professor at a German university, you have to use the time after completing your doctorate to attain “eligibility for professorship” (Berufungsfähigkeit). Depending on your subject, research focus and academic interest, this postdoctoral qualification phase can differ considerably.
In a first postdoc phase – as a rule, two to four years after completion of a doctorate – you will gain research and, if necessary, teaching experience at a university or a non-university institute, and possibly in industry. You can also use this time to produce your own publications, engage in further training at congresses and develop your soft skills. International research experience can also be gained during this period of further training and qualification.
Experienced postdocs can then meet the requirements for appointment to a professorship with work on a habilitation treatise, a junior professorship or evidence of other academic accomplishments, such as a leadership position in a junior research group or in industry.
© DAAD/Jan Zappner
Qualifications for a university professorship
The prerequisites for appointment to a professorship at a university are a completed programme of higher education, pedagogical suitability and a special aptitude for academic work (usually an outstanding doctorate). Proof must also be furnished of additional academic achievements. Different paths are possible in Germany:
Most candidates qualify for a university professorship in Germany by means of the habilitation process. Traditionally, habilitation generally includes the production of a habilitation treatise and an examination process that certifies the ability to teach in an academic subject. As a rule, this can also be achieved “cumulatively” – in other words, through the publication of several peer-reviewed essays in prestigious specialist journals.
A junior professorship has meanwhile become an established alternative to habilitation. The focus here is on early independence in research and teaching. Junior professors are allowed to supervise doctorates, have teaching obligations and play an active role in academic administration. These professorships are temporary, are assessed and only some offer a tenure track option. Junior professorships are especially common in law, the economic sciences and social sciences, and in mathematics and the natural sciences.
Junior professorships are increasingly advertised as tenure track positions. After an evaluation that normally takes places after six years at the latest, the tenure track professor is given a tenured position.
These days, roughly one in five junior professorships involve a tenure track. A joint federal and state government programme is providing one billion euros for 1,000 additional appointments until 2032.
Experienced postdocs can also develop their expertise in academic management and independent research and qualify for appointment to a professorship by leading their own junior research group. This is how excellent junior researchers at universities and large non-university research institutions prepare to take on positions of academic leadership. International research experience is a helpful and occasionally even essential requirement – for example, for becoming leader of a Helmholtz Young Investigators Group.
Academic achievement equal to habilitation can also be proven without a formal procedure, for example, through research conducted outside the university. A position in a research-oriented company represents a promising path towards a university professorship in engineering. Traditionally, many appointments here go to engineers with doctorates who research and work in industry. Working for a company is also a good qualification for appointment to a professorship at a university of applied sciences.
Here you will find more information:
Professor at a university of applied sciences
Another career opportunity for postdoctoral or senior researchers is a professorship at a university of applied sciences (Fachhochschule/Hochschule) or other higher education institution. A professorship at a university of applied sciences places special emphasis on practice-oriented teaching. Increasingly, however, it is also focusing on research – especially in the engineering sciences. There is an increasing focus nowadays on research, however – especially in the engineering sciences.
Universities are entitled to award doctorates and habilitation qualifications and focus primarily on academic research and teaching. Additionally, Germany also has universities of applied sciences (Fachhochschulen/Hochschulen), which take a more application-oriented approach. As a rule, a doctorate and several years of relevant practical professional experience outside higher education are required to qualify for a professorship at one of these institutions of higher education.
Qualifications and application
Universities of applied sciences can offer an alternative to a professorship at a general university. However, the required academic profile is different.
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Universities of applied sciences place special emphasis on the teaching of practical and application-oriented knowledge. That is why applicants require several years of relevant practical work experience outside the university.
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The candidate’s academic qualification for a professorship is usually demonstrated by a doctorate.
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Pedagogical experience is also required.
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Candidates must also meet any relevant additional requirements of the respective position.
It is crucial in an application for a professorship at a university of applied sciences that you refer to the requirements outlined in the advertisement. You should pay special attention to the following:
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As a rule, applications for a professorship must be submitted to the respective university of applied sciences.
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In your application you should show that you have the formal and academic qualifications for the position.
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In addition to a covering letter, you will generally be expected to submit a curriculum vitae, a list of publications and previous lectures/courses, as well as testimonials and certificates relating to your education and previous employment.
You will need to complete the relevant appointment procedure to become a professor at a university of applied sciences. The procedure can differ from institution to institution and state to state. Usually, the following steps are followed:
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First, promising candidates are invited to present a test lecture, although the requirements can vary significantly from institution to institution.
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Later, in an interview, candidates are questioned about their reasons for applying and their subject competence.
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Next, the university of applied sciences compiles a shortlist of the three most promising candidates.
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Then, the relevant committees and/or the responsible ministry usually appoint the person at the top of the list.
Responsibilities and salary
Working as a higher education teacher at a university of applied sciences is an interesting alternative to a career as a professor at a traditional university. You will find more information about what your duties would be and what you would earn as a teacher at a university of applied sciences here:
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The main emphasis of your work as a professor at a university of applied sciences will be on practice-oriented teaching. This kind of professorship is usually linked with an obligation to teach for a specific number of hours.
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In addition, you will also be expected to carry out general university duties and supervise students’ degree assignments or practical courses/internships.
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At art colleges, master classes are supervised by the responsible professors who determine the content and extent of the instruction.
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German universities of applied sciences are increasingly becoming involved in – usually industry-oriented – research. You should therefore take a closer look at the profile of the institution.
In Germany, professors are remunerated in accordance with what is known as W-Besoldung, a salary scale for scholars (W stands for “Wissenschaft”, which means scholarship or science). Germany is a federation in which the individual states (Länder) have jurisdiction over their civil servants’ basic pay. As a result, salaries vary depending on the state in which the higher education institution is based and whether the researcher is employed by the Federal Government.
In concrete terms, this means:
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Professors at universities of applied sciences are normally paid according to the civil service W2 pay scale. Initially, the monthly gross basic salary is between approximately 5,300 euros and 6,600 euros.
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Some higher professorships at universities of applied sciences are also paid according to the W3 scale. The monthly gross basic salary of a W3 professor is between roughly 6,300 euros and 7,500 euros.
- The basic salary can also be supplemented by special performance-related payments and other allowances.
Please bear in mind that deductions are made from your gross monthly salary to cover taxes and possibly also social contributions for medical, unemployment and retirement pension insurance. These contributions enable you to acquire rights to the excellent benefits of the German social security system.
In most cases, as a professor at a university of applied sciences you will be appointed with civil servant status on a temporary or lifelong basis. Many professors at universities of applied sciences also work as regular employees. Their net salaries are far lower than those of lifelong professors.
The German Association of University Professors and Lecturers (DHV) presents information about the academic salary scales of the individual states (Länder) and the Federal Government on a special W-Portal (only in German).
Professorship at a university
As a professor at a German university you will be able to research and teach independently with a good team of staff and good equipment – either as a junior professor, W2 professor or as a university professor with your own professorial chair.
As a rule, professorships are advertised internationally.
If you are aiming for a professorship at a university in Germany, you will want answers to some important questions. Here you will find useful information:
Qualifications and application
Would you like to know whether you meet the requirements for a professorship and how you can apply? You will find the most important information here:
The formal requirements for appointment as a professor at a university are:
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special qualification for academic work (as a rule, an excellent doctorate)
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pedagogical suitability (e.g. teaching assignments, interim professorships)
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further academic achievements, which can be demonstrated either by
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a (cumulative) habilitation degree or
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similar academic qualifications, such as employment as a junior professor or a junior research group leader, or
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without formal procedures: outstanding academic work within the framework of a job as a research associate or a job outside higher education
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In addition to this, as a rule it is also necessary to demonstrate proven knowledge of the subject, relevant publications and experience of research and teaching.
As a rule, the appointment procedure involves a number of steps and can differ from institution to institution and state to state. Usually, the following steps are followed:
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A university appointments committee (Berufungskommission) is specially established for the purpose. It selects the most promising applicants and invites them to an interview and a test lecture.
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The best candidates (generally, three) are put on a recommended list (appointments list).
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References relating to the academic and personal suitability of these applicants are requested from professors at other universities.
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The final decision about the appointment is made by the department and – depending on the state concerned – the university administration and possibly the responsible state ministry or senator.
A successful appointment is followed by crucial negotiations, in which the candidate explains his or her teaching and research concept and the resulting requirements for the chair with regard to space, funding and human resources. The professor’s own remuneration is also negotiated at this point and dual career issues discussed.
Responsibilities and salary
Not all professorships are equally funded. Basically, holders of professorial chairs manage their own budgets and several employees, while other professors tend to have fewer staff and a lower level of funding. There are also considerable differences in professors’ remuneration.
As a professor at a German university you will
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enjoy independence in research and teaching and represent your department as a holder of a professorial chair,
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support new academic talent, carry out examinations and perform teaching duties,
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be involved in the self-government of the university,
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be able to apply to funding organisations for research funding and initiate research projects or international partnerships and
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have human resources responsibility for your team. Depending on the form of the professorship, you will have control over staff, rooms and equipment. These are usually the subject of the appointment negotiations.
In Germany, professors are remunerated in accordance with what is known as W-Besoldung, a salary scale for scholars (W stands for “Wissenschaft”, which means scholarship or science).
Germany is a federation in which the individual states (Länder) have jurisdiction over their civil servants’ basic pay. As a result, salaries vary depending on the state in which the university is based and whether the researcher is employed by the Federal Government.
As a rule, professors are paid according to the W3 or W2 salary scales, junior professors according to the W1 scale. The remuneration of of (W2/W3) university professors (who normally have civil servant status with lifelong tenure) differs depending on their grouping and the state in which they are based.
The designation of a professorship as W3, W2 or a junior professorship is determined by the employing university. In concrete terms, you can expect the following:
- W3 professorships are usually higher positions that involve, for example, responsibility for a professorial chair or managing an institute. The monthly gross basic salary of a W3 professor is between roughly 6,300 euros and 7,500 euros. In addition to this, there are appointment and retention payments, special performance-related payments, functional performance payments and so-called teaching and research allowances and family allowances.
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W2 professorships are regular positions for researchers who independently carry out research and teaching. Initially, the monthly gross basic salary is between approximately 5,300 euros and 6,600 euros. Here, too, salaries can be increased by family, appointment/retention and performance-related payments.
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Junior professors are grouped as university teachers. As a rule, they are paid according to the W1 salary scale. Depending on the state in which the junior professorship is based (or whether it is remunerated on the basis of the pay agreement with the Federal Government), the monthly gross basic salary is between 4,500 euros and 5,200 euros.
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The budget of the professorship and the level of additional payments depend to a large extent on the appointment negotiations and the specific situation of the university and the department.
You should bear in mind that deductions are made from the respective gross monthly salary to cover taxes and possibly also social contributions for medical, unemployment and retirement pension insurance. These contributions enable you to acquire rights to the excellent benefits of the German social security system.
Professors are usually civil servants (probationary, temporary or permanent) and do not need to pay social insurance contributions. However, professorships can also be awarded with employee status. This means the net salary is far lower than that of a professor with civil servant status.
The German Association of University Professors and Lecturers (DHV) presents information about the academic salary scales of the individual states (Länder) and the Federal Government on a special W-Portal (only in German).
Junior professor
If your ultimate goal is to become a professor at a German university, then a junior professorship is an interesting career step after completing your doctorate.
A junior professorship enables young junior researchers to engage in research and teaching early in their careers. Unlike research associates, who are bound by the instructions of their superiors, junior professors are on equal terms with other university teachers.
A successfully completed junior professorship will enable you to meet an important precondition for appointment to a professorship – and habilitation is then no longer required.
Employment
As a rule, junior professorships are advertised by universities, sometimes jointly with non-university research institutes. The focus here is on early independence in research and teaching. Junior professors are allowed to supervise doctorates, have teaching obligations and play an active role in academic administration. However, additional conditions also apply:
Junior professors are initially appointed for three or four years. If junior professors prove their worth – as a rule, this is determined by an evaluation – the professorship can be extended to a total of six years.
If the junior professorship has a tenure track option, it offers the possibility of a subsequent permanent professorship. The precondition for this is the successful completion of the junior professorship.
As a rule, the requirements for appointment to a junior professorship include an outstanding doctorate, a special capacity for research work and pedagogical aptitude.
Junior professors are considered especially highly qualified postdoctoral scholars. After the first two or three years the vast majority have their contracts extended to six years.
A successful junior professorship meets the requirements for appointment to a university professorship – in the same way as the habilitation process. If the junior professorship has a tenure track option, its successful completion immediately leads to a tenured professorship.
Appointment and salary
At most universities the appointment of a junior professor follows the same rules as those governing the appointment of professors. Read more:
Usually a university appointments committee (Berufungskommission) selects the most promising applicants and invites them to an interview and a trial lecture (open to members of the university). The best candidates are shortlisted. References are sought from professors at other universities concerning the applicants’ academic and personal suitability for the position.
There is no single set of rules covering the whole of Germany because education falls under the jurisdiction of the respective state. In most states, however, universities make their own autonomous decisions on appointments, otherwise the relevant state ministry is also involved in the appointment process.
As a rule, junior professors are paid in accordance with the W1 remuneration scale, a salary scale for scholars. (More information: Professorship at a university > Salary). Depending on the state in which the junior professorship is based (or whether it is paid in accordance with the collective agreement for federal employees), the gross monthly basic salary is between roughly 4,500 and 5,200 euros.
You should bear in mind that monthly deductions are taken from this total to cover taxes and possibly also social contributions for medical, unemployment and retirement pension insurance. These contributions enable you acquire rights to the excellent benefits of the German social security system.