Habilitation - Similarities in Other Countries

Similarities in Other Countries

Universities in Sweden and Finland can appoint a researcher with a doctoral degree to an unpaid academic position called Docent ("Dosentti" in Finnish) after an independent scientific and educational review. A docent is allowed to lecture at a university ("venia legendi") and to supervise Ph.D. students at that university. There is no separate notion of habilitation in Finland and Sweden. The status of docent, or an equivalent scientific qualification, is also required to serve on doctoral committees and to serve as an opponent at a dissertation defense. After becoming a docent and continuing to amass qualifications, a Swedish scholar can also apply for a titular professorship.

In Denmark and Norway, the traditional doctoral degrees (that were the same in both countries) including Dr. Phil(os). are viewed as roughly equivalent to and sometimes translated as Habilitation (other translations include "higher doctorate", "grand doctorate" or "classic doctorate").

The degree of Docteur d'État formerly awarded by universities in France had a somewhat similar purpose. It is now replaced by the Habilitation à Diriger des Recherches. The award of the French Habilitation is a strict requirement for supervising PhD students and applying for Professeur position. Depending on the field, it requires consistent research from 3 to 10 years after appointment, and (in the sciences) typically around 15-20 publications in peer reviewed journals. Contributions in administration, course organisation can compensate for a less substantial research dossier in some rare cases as the evaluation is primarily done by external and often foreign referees.

Belgium had a similar degree until 1995: it was called "Aggregatie voor het Hoger Onderwijs" (roughly: Higher Education Faculty Qualification) in Dutch and "Agrégation pour l'Enseignement Supérieur" in French.

In the Netherlands, the University of Utrecht has introduced the "Senior Kwalificatie Onderwijs ( SKO)" which has in 2010 officially become the nation-wide standard for the postdoctoral lecture qualification which builds the basis for a full Professor's position.

Although these awards are at a higher level than the Ph.D., they can only roughly be equated to the higher doctorates awarded by universities in the United Kingdom, and the Commonwealth. They are not actually degrees, but more similar to a post-doctoral position that must yield a specific product.