__NOTOC__ The Promotion A ''(Doctor of an academic field)'' was an academic qualification in the DDR. It was introduced in the 3rd higher education reform with the "Regulation of academic grades" of 6 November 1968 and was governed by the doctoral ordinance of 21 January 1969. The qualification required the production of a dissertation. While the faculties of universities and tertiary institutes in

West Germany West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...

each had their own doctoral and habilitation regulations, all doctorates in the DDR were governed by the ''Promotion A regulations''. The award of the promotion was granted to the academic councils of the tertiary institutions. At the same time, the (''Doctor of Science'') was introduced in imitation of the Soviet model, in order to replace the

Habilitation Habilitation is the highest university degree, or the procedure by which it is achieved, in Germany, France, Italy, Poland and some other European and non-English-speaking countries. The candidate fulfills a university's set criteria of excelle ...

. In the DDR, special degrees and training programmes were created systematically and on demand in order to control academically inclined youth. The requirements for the Promotion A were the possession of an academic degree from a university or tertiary institute of the DDR, systematic knowledge of the theoretical underpinnings of the chosen subject and of

Marxism–Leninism Marxism–Leninism () is a communist ideology that became the largest faction of the History of communism, communist movement in the world in the years following the October Revolution. It was the predominant ideology of most communist gov ...

, as well as "active participation in the development of the socialist society." The Promotion A was achieved through work as a

Wissenschaftlicher Assistent Wissenschaftlicher Assistent, often shortened to Assistent, literally "scientific assistant", is an academic position at German universities for researchers with doctoral degrees and additional academic qualifications, who are typically employed ...

, and the ordinary or extraordinary . Work as an assistant at a DDR tertiary institution was professional employment, which was usually combined with further study and, as a rule, was limited to four years. The Forschungsstudium, by contrast, was devoted entirely to study and usually lasted three years. It was devoted exclusively to preparation for the doctorate and was linked to a

stipend A stipend is a regular fixed sum of money paid for services or to defray expenses, such as for scholarship, internship, or apprenticeship. It is often distinct from an income or a salary because it does not necessarily represent payment for work pe ...

. The academic Aspirantur was introduced in 1951 as part of the second education reform. As a postgraduate degree it was intended mainly to meet the need for

officer An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," fro ...

s qualified in economics. The ordinary Aspirantur lasted three years and placed a stipend at the benefit of the student in order to free them from the need for employment. In a single year a partial Aspirantur with stipend could be granted to a student or officer for the accelerated completion of a dissertation. After a positive assessment of the dissertation and a successful thesis defense (which could be waived), the candidate received the ''Promotion A''. The dissertation was assessed not only on subject-based criteria but on "its theoretical substance and its social value." This was judged on the basis of its assumed value for practice and its contribution to the further development of Marxism–Leninism. This often meant that doctoral candidates, even in

medicine Medicine is the science and Praxis (process), practice of caring for patients, managing the Medical diagnosis, diagnosis, prognosis, Preventive medicine, prevention, therapy, treatment, Palliative care, palliation of their injury or disease, ...

and

natural sciences Natural science or empirical science is one of the branches of science concerned with the description, understanding and prediction of natural phenomena, based on empirical evidence from observation and experimentation. Mechanisms such as peer ...

, had to include chapters on Marxism–Leninism in their dissertations. Results which contradicted the official doctrines of the DDR were sometimes suppressed. At any rate, dissertations were not published and a few copies were generally accessible only in university libraries. It is estimated that a total of 101,654 people received the Promotion A between 1951 and 1985 - that is an average of 2,904 per year (compared to 9,420 per year in West Germany between 1950 and 1982). These exclude the so-called "Geheimarbeiten" (secret works), which were not published for political reasons. The value of the "Geheimdissertation" (secret dissertation) was at 30% in the

social sciences Social science (often rendered in the plural as the social sciences) is one of the branches of science, devoted to the study of society, societies and the Social relation, relationships among members within those societies. The term was former ...

and at 10% in the natural scholarship.Quote from Dieter Voigt et al., "Zur Fragwürdigkeit akademischer Grade und Titel in der DDR." "Der Primat der kommunistischen Ideologie von der Wissenschaft. Eine Analyse von Doktorarbeiten und Habilitationsschriften der Jahre 1950 bis 1990." in Heiner Timmermann (ed.): ''DDR-Forschung. Bilanz und Perspektiven.'', p.56ff.

References

Bibliography

* Dieter Voigt et al.: "Zur Fragwürdigkeit akademischer Grade und Titel in der DDR." "Der Primat der kommunistischen Ideologie von der Wissenschaft. Eine Analyse von Doktorarbeiten und Habilitationsschriften der Jahre 1950 bis 1990." in Heiner Timmermann (ed.): ''DDR-Forschung.'' ''Bilanz und Perspektiven.'' Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 1995, {{ISBN, 3-428-08462-4.

External links

Verordnung über die akademischen Grade vom 6. November 1968
on documentarchiv.de

on documentarchiv.de Academic degrees Education in East Germany