Hochschule Für Kirchenmusik Dresden

' (, plural: ') is the generic term in German for institutions of higher education, corresponding to ''universities'' and ''colleges'' in English. The term ''Universität'' (plural: ''Universitäten'') is reserved for institutions with the right to confer doctorates. In contrast, ''Hochschule'' encompasses ''Universitäten'' as well as institutions that are not authorized to confer doctorates.

Roughly equivalent terms to ''Hochschule'' are used in some other European countries, such as '' högskola'' in Sweden and Finland, '' hogeschool'' in the Netherlands and Flanders, and ' (literally "main school") in Hungary, as well as in post-Soviet countries (deriving from высшее учебное заведение) in Central Europe, in Bulgaria ( висше училище) and Romania.

Generic term

The German education system knows two different types of universities, which do not have the same legal status. The term ''Hochschule'' can be used to refer to all institutions of higher education in Germany that confer academic degrees, that is both regular universities (''Universitäten'') and ''Fachhochschulen''.

Specialised term

Rather than as an umbrella term, ''Hochschule'' is also increasingly used as a specialized term, i.e. for institutions that:
* do not cover a large diversity of academic fields, but focus on certain areas;
* do not have the right to award doctorates, but bachelor's degrees and master's degrees.

Institutions that are called ''Hochschule'' meet one or more of these criteria, which differentiate them from an ''Universität''. In recent years, a number of German ''Fachhochschulen'' opted to name themselves ''Hochschule'' or ''Hochschule für angewandte Wissenschaften'' (university of applied sciences) rather than ''Fachhochschule''. Additionally, there are specialized ''Hochschulen'' which focus on a particular set of disciplines, e.g., ''Kunsthochschulen'' (art schools), and share the same legal status as regular universities.

In most German states, a ' is not a ''Hochschule'' by either of the definitions because the bachelor's degrees conferred by such are professional degrees, which are ''de jure'' not academic degrees. However the state of Baden-Württemberg, from where this type of tertiary sector education originally emerged, has recently elevated these institutions to the status of a ''Hochschule'' as Baden-Württemberg Cooperative State University. The degrees awarded by the latter are academic degrees and equivalent to those awarded by ''Fachhochschulen'' and regular universities.

See also

* a , despite its name, is not a as described here

References

{{Authority control

German words and phrases
Higher education in Germany
Types of university or college