Habilitation

I. Acceptance as a habilitation candidate (see §§ 4 and 5 of the Habilitation Regulation, [HabilO])

1. Written application to the dean, stating the subject area for which the teaching qualification is to be determined, together with the following documents:

1a. Degree certificate or certificates and final transcript(s)

1b. Doctoral degree certificate

1c. Documentary evidence of having taught a course for at least one full semester (e.g. teaching overview – usually included in item 3)

2. Curriculum vitae (with an emphasis on the education section)

3. Report (or list) of lectures held and research work carried out to date

4. Complete list of publications

5. Proposed members of the group of subject-specific mentors

6. Certificate of good conduct (not required if working in the public sector, e.g. as a graduate teaching and research assistant at the University of Passau)

7. Statement as to whether an application for habilitation has been submitted to a higher education institution and, if so, whether it was successful; you must also indicate if you have had an academic degree revoked.

II. Appointment of the group of subject-specific mentors (see § 7 HabilO)

In the regular meeting following acceptance as a habilitation candidate, the faculty council appoints the subject-specific mentors (Fachmentorat). This group of subject-specific mentors consists of one chairperson and two other mentors. The following conditions must be met:

All members of the group of subject-specific mentors must be university professors.

• At least one subject-specific mentor must represent the habilitation candidate's chosen subject.
• At least two subject-specific mentors must be active professors of the faculty.
• Only one subject-specific mentor can, therefore, belong to another faculty or university.

III. Agreement on objectives (see § 9 HabilO)

This contains information such as:

Duration of the habilitation procedure (see § 8 HabilO: as a rule four years plus the duration of the assessment procedure; an extension by the subject-specific mentors is possible on application if there are special reasons)

• Date of the interim evaluation
• Names of the subject-specific mentors
• Expectations for the entire duration of the habilitation (“Writing a habilitation thesis on the topic of ...”; “Teaching regular classes in the amount of ... contact teaching hours per week (SWS) in the subject of the intended venia legendi” or similar)
• Expectations to be met by the interim evaluation date (e.g. “Habilitation thesis proposal with preliminary outline”, “Report on the state of research”, “Formulation of the research desideratum, the epistemological interest and the methods necessary to achieve the research objective”, “Regular workshop report in the colloquia and advanced seminars of the mentors” or similar)

All subject-specific mentors and the habilitation candidate shall sign the agreement on objectives, and subsequently submit it to the dean (to be kept on file by the faculty).

IV. Interim evaluation (see § 10 HabilO)

After no later than two years, the subject-specific mentors issue a prognosis on the success of the habilitation project.

• Possible modifications to the agreement on objectives
• The interim evaluation is also signed by all subject-specific mentors and the habilitation candidate and then submitted to the dean (to be kept on file by the faculty).

V. Habilitation thesis (see § 9 HabilO)

The habilitation thesis may be in the form of a traditional thesis (monograph) or a number of scientific publications, or papers accepted for publication, carrying a scientific weight equivalent to a habilitation thesis (publication-based thesis).

VI. Establishment of habilitation assessments by the subject-specific mentors (see § 11 HabilO)

Evaluation of the thesis:

• Two external professors are appointed as referees by the dean in consultation with the subject-specific mentors.
• The external referees and those subject mentors who represent the habilitation subject each prepare a written appraisal and propose acceptance or that the teaching qualification not be granted – outlining the reasons for their decision.
• In total, a minimum of three appraisals are required.
• Each referee receives a copy of the written thesis with an affidavit stating that the written habilitation thesis was written independently and that the sources of the material used or quoted has been properly identified.
• The appraisals must be received by the subject-specific mentors no later than three months after submission of the habilitation thesis.

Assessment of pedagogical aptitude on the basis of teaching performance:

The teaching report is to be prepared by the subject-specific mentors; for this the candidate must submit:

• teaching overviews and
• e.g. evaluations and, if applicable, completed training measures in academic teaching.

The recommendation of the subject-specific mentors is to be based on:

• the appraisals and
• the teaching report

The final opinion must be submitted to the dean in writing.

VI. Conclusion of the procedure (see § 12 HabilO)

• Display of the thesis and reports for at least two weeks during the lecture period
• Approval by faculty council resolution

VIII. Licence to teach

• Applications for the licence to teach should be addressed to the university president
• Application from the dean requesting that licence to teach be granted
• Personal application from the habilitation candidate requesting that the licence to teach be granted
• Once candidates are given the licence to teach, venia legendi, they receive the academic title of Privatdozent or, in the feminine form, Privatdozentin; those holding this status are required to teach courses to maintain this status.