German Degrees & Qualifications Vocabulary
This set covers the German words for degrees and the papers that prove you earned them, including der Bachelor, die Dissertation, and der Abschluss. One thing that trips up English speakers: das Diplom looks like "diploma" but in Germany it historically meant a full university degree, not the certificate you get for finishing a short course.
Learn these 17 words
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All 17 words
plural: die Bachelors
bachelor's degree
Sie macht ihren Bachelor in Biologie. — She is doing her bachelor's degree in biology.
plural: die Master
master's degree
Er studiert für seinen Master in Physik. — He is studying for his master's degree in physics.
school-leaving exam
Meine Tochter hat gerade Abitur gemacht. — My daughter has just completed her school-leaving exam.
plural: die Abschlüsse
graduation/completion
Ein guter Schulabschluss ist sehr wichtig. — A good school completion is very important.
plural: die Bachelorarbeiten
bachelor's thesis
Ich reiche morgen meine Bachelorarbeit ein. — I am submitting my bachelor's thesis tomorrow.
plural: die Diplome
diploma
Wo kann ich mein Diplom abholen? — Where can I pick up my diploma?
plural: die Doktortitel
doctoral title
Er hat seinen Doktortitel letztes Jahr erhalten. — He received his doctoral title last year.
plural: die Qualifikationen
qualification
Für diese Arbeit haben Sie gute Qualifikationen. — You have good qualifications for this job.
plural: die Urkunden
certificate, document
Wenn wir das Spiel gewinnen, bekommen wir eine Urkunde. — If we win the game, we'll get a certificate.
plural: die Zertifikate
certificate
Wenn ich die Prüfung schaffe, bekomme ich ein Zertifikat. — If I pass the exam, I'll get a certificate.
plural: die Abschlussarbeiten
thesis / final project
Meine Abschlussarbeit behandelt ein interessantes Thema. — My final thesis addresses an interesting topic.
plural: die Absolventinnen
graduate (female)
Die Absolventin hat ihre Prüfung bestanden. — The graduate passed her exam.
plural: die Dissertationen
dissertation
Er schreibt gerade seine Dissertation über Klimawandel. — He is currently writing his dissertation on climate change.
plural: die Masterarbeiten
master's thesis
Die Masterarbeit muss bis zum Ende des Semesters eingereicht werden. — The master's thesis must be submitted by the end of the semester.
plural: die Promotionen
doctoral studies
Ihre Promotion dauerte fast fünf Jahre. — Her doctoral studies took almost five years.
plural: die Universitätsabschlüsse
university degree
Er erwarb seinen Universitätsabschluss in Informatik vor fünf Jahren. — He obtained his university degree in computer science five years ago.
plural: die Habilitationsschriften
habilitation thesis
Die Habilitationsschrift muss von großem Wert sein. — The habilitation thesis must be of great value.
How to learn this set
Notice how -arbeit shows up as a suffix for written work at every level: die Bachelorarbeit, die Masterarbeit, die Abschlussarbeit, and die Habilitationsschrift (with -schrift instead) all name the paper you actually hand in, separate from the degree itself. It helps to pair each -arbeit word with its matching degree word (Bachelor/Bachelorarbeit, Master/Masterarbeit) so you learn the process and the proof together. Also drill die Promotion against die Dissertation on their own, since one is the process and the other is the document, and that distinction gets mixed up constantly.
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Frequently asked questions
Ist das Diplom the same as an English diploma?
Not quite. In Germany, das Diplom used to be a full university degree (roughly equivalent to a master's), not a short course certificate like a US high-school diploma. For that kind of paper, German uses das Zertifikat or die Urkunde instead.
What is the difference between die Promotion and die Dissertation?
Die Promotion is the whole process of doing a doctorate, and die Dissertation is the written thesis you submit at the end of it. You go through die Promotion and you write die Dissertation.
Why is it der Bachelor and der Master but das Abitur?
Bachelor and Master are borrowed English words and keep der by default for imported nouns, while Abitur is an older German-Latin term that was assigned neuter. There's no rule to derive this, so it's worth just memorizing each article as you learn the word.
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