M'- 



NA TURE 



[Februaky 17, 1910 



ties ; a very large number of the fully qualified students 

 pass the final diploma examinations. 



Xo account has been taken of the non-fully qualified 

 students, who amount to about 10 or 15 per cent. more. 

 A great many of these students also take up technical 

 positions. In a large number of cases they are the sons 

 or relatives of engineers and manufacturers who, before 

 taking over the family works, wish to study a certain 

 amount of technical science without submitting themselves 

 to the drudgery of an examination. 



.Although it is almost a matter of impossibility to com- 

 pare German technical universities with the applied science 

 faculties and departments of English universities and with 

 English polytechnics and technical colleges, an attempt 

 has been made to do so in the tabular statement [here 

 abridged so as to include totals only] given below. The 

 difficulty of comparison arises from the fact that the 

 German technical universities are independent technical 

 institutions, and are organised throughout on a high level 

 and on a uniform scale. 



Technical Education in Germany and Great Britain — 

 Educational Year, 1907-8. 



illi 



IITED Kingdom — 

 fwenty-three Univer- 

 sities and Colleges 

 of University rank 

 Sight London Poly- 

 technics, and I ech- 

 nic.l .Schools at 



Derby and Salford 



11,692 



3.607 

 461 



Some of the points of difference may be mentioned. The 

 matriculation for fully qualified students at German 

 technical universities is the completion of the full nine 

 years' secondary-school course at a classical, semi-classical, 

 or modern secondary school. This practically amounts to a 

 B.A. pass degree, say, at Oxford or Cambridge. There are, 

 however, a few exceptions here and there, but they scarcely 

 affect the almost general rule. At English institutions it 

 is in most cases impossible to get any detailed or uniform 

 information on this point, but it is clear that the standard 

 of previous educational qualifications, even at many institu- 

 tions of university rank, is lower than in Germany. This 

 explains why German students do not commence work at 

 the technical university before eighteen or nineteen, 

 whereas at most English institutions the minimum age 

 limit is sixteen, or there is no limit at all. 



The next striking difference is the fact that there are 

 no evening students at German technical universities, 

 whereas in English institutions there are generally more 

 evening students than day students. 



Another point of difference is the length of the technical 

 courses. As a rule, these last at least four years in 

 Germany, and inost students add one or two additional 

 terms (half-years) to this period. In England the average 

 length of the courses is less in most cases. 



With regard to diplomas and degrees, the German pro- 

 cedure is simple and uniform at all the technical universi- 

 ties. The student who has successfully passed through his 

 course of study and passed the necessary examination is 

 aw^arded a diploma in his special branch. This is sufficient 

 for the needs of the average engineer or manufacturer. 

 If tho diploma holder, however, wishes, he can spend one 



N'O. 2103, yoL. 82] 



or two years more in research work connected with his 

 particular branch, and can then obtain the degree of doctor 

 of engineering by presenting his thesis and passing a 

 further examination. This arrangement is practically 

 uniform at all the technical universities. English scientific 

 degrees and diplomas, however, are so diverse and 

 numerous that it is alrriost useless to try and compare 

 them with the German ones. 



In addition to the simple diplomas and degrees there 

 are other examinations which must be taken into con- 

 sideration in dealing with German technical universities. 

 1 hese are the State examinatioiis for State positions in 

 State railways, mines, forests, canals, domains, smelting 

 works ; Government building, engineering, and surveying ; 

 teaching (secondary schools), post, telegraph, &c.. Customs, 

 shipyards, river and coast regulation, pharmacy, food in- 

 spection, and so forth. All candidates for these examina- 

 tions must, of course, be fully qualified students. 



The majority of high Government technical officials pass 

 through the classical gymnasia before entering the 

 technical university. The Government examination is, as 

 u rule, more severe than the diploma exainination under- 

 taken after a four years' course at some technical universi- 

 ties. The diploma examination is accepted in some parts 

 as equivalent to, or as the first section of, the official 

 State examination for State technical positions. When 

 the numbers of students who pass the diploma and State 

 examinations are compared with the number of students 

 actually at work at a technical university, it will be seen 

 how large a number of German students complete full 

 technical courses and pass the necessary examinations. 

 It should also be mentioned that the majority of German 

 technical universities exact about one year's previous prac- 

 tical work from fully qualified students entering their 

 technical departments. No officials and no persons 

 engaged in the purely commercial aspects of trade may 

 enter as fully qualified or non-fully qualified students. 



The German technical universities differ from English 

 institutions, not only in the quality, variety, and length 

 of their technical courses, but in the time devoted to work 

 per day. It does not appear that the whole day is devoted 

 to work at most English institutions. Whilst some work 

 as much as 1000 hours per year, others work less. A 

 minimum of 300 hours has been set up by the Board of 

 Education for statistical purposes. At German technical 

 universities the whole day is devoted to work, and lectures 

 coiTimence at seven in the summer and at eight in the 

 winter, all the remaining time being devoted to work in 

 drawing offices and laboratories. 



The final point of difference is that the German technical 

 universities only exist for the purpose of teaching applied 

 science, whereas in England departments for this subject 

 have been grafted upon universities with faculties for 

 science, letters, medicine, law, theology, and so forth. 

 Pure science is, of course, taught at all the older 

 German universities in departments of the philosophical 

 faculties. 



No account has been taken in the comparison of the 

 German mono-technical schools — that is to say, technical 

 schools w^hich contain only one, or perhaps two, technical 

 departments, and which admit students about the age of 

 fourteen or si.xteen for technical courses lasting from two 

 to four years. Such schools, which may be termed 

 secondary technical schools, provided with fine buildings, 

 full technical equipment, and properly staffed, number 

 about two hundred. 



A very large number of technical schools for special 

 hr.'-nches of trade exist. Such schools have been estab- 

 lished for milling, boot-making, tanning, musical instru- 

 ment making, toy-making, book-making, photography, &c.' 

 There are also numerous schools for applied art. It is 

 very difficult to get these schools into line for purposes of 

 comparison. They are of two types, higher and lower ; 

 there is a certain amount of overlapping, and the con- 

 ditions are not uniform. They are in extremely close 

 touch with the industries concerned, and have been founded 

 and developed in their midst. The difference between the 

 technical universities and the best of the technical schools 

 mentioned above may be briefly summed up in the follow- 

 ing table of comparison : — 



