FEBRUARY 2, 1912] 
in chemistry and metallurgy. This prac- 
tical experience takes the place of the 
school shop work in our American institu- 
tions. Half of this work may be made up 
in vacations during the course so that the 
whole period of study after the prepara- 
tory school is finished is lengthened only 
six months by this provision. 
The course of the engineering school is 
four years in length and leads up to a final 
examination, the successful completion of 
which entitles one to the degree of Certifi- 
cated Engineer (Diplom-Ingenieur). 
The degree of Doctor of Hngineering 
(Doktor-Ingenieur) may be obtained with- 
out further attendance on systematic 
courses of instruction upon the presenta- 
tion of a satisfactory scientific thesis 
“‘which demonstrates the capacity of the 
candidate for independent scientific work 
in the technical field,’’ and the passing of 
an oral examination. 
As it ordinarily requires several months’ 
hard work to prepare such a thesis, the 
candidate rarely obtains his doctor’s de- 
gree within a shorter time than one year 
aiter his degree of certificated engineer is 
obtained; though the law does not require 
any specified time to elapse between the 
taking of the two degrees. 
The thesis which is required in connec- 
tion with the examination for certificated 
engineer will not be accepted as a doctor’s 
thesis. 
With this brief statement of fact it may 
be interesting to compare the course and 
requirements of the Royal College at Char- 
lottenburg with our own institutions. 
The normal German boy should enter the 
eymnasium, or realschule, at nine years of 
age and complete the course by the time he 
is eighteen. If he then puts in a full year 
in a shop he will be nineteen when he enters 
the Engineering College with his shop 
work completed. By the time he has com- 
SCIENCE 
173 
pleted his four-year engineering course and 
obtained the degree of certificated engineer 
he will be twenty-three. By spending one 
year more he can take his doctor’s degree 
at twenty-four. 
As seen from the above account, he can 
shorten this time materially. First, by 
completing his preparatory course at 17 
instead of 18, which is easy for the capable 
and industrious boy; second, by putting 
half of his practical year into the long va- 
cations, thus saving six months; and, 
third, by completing his thesis for the doc- 
tor’s degree in six months which is also 
thoroughly feasible. A student who pur- 
sues this course could obtain his doctor’s 
degree at twenty-two instead of twenty- 
four. 
On the other hand, the average boy takes 
until he is nineteen to complete his prepara- 
tory course; wastes six months, and often 
a year, in “‘enjoying his academic free- 
dom’’ and takes more than the schedule 
time for the doctor’s degree, arriving at 
that point in his twenty-fifth or twenty- 
sixth year. 
Now, take the American boy who is 
looking forward to the doctor’s degree in 
engineering at, say the University of Illi- 
nois. Suppose he graduates at a good 
Chicago high school. He will be eighteen 
years old if he has pursued the normal 
course, 7. €., enters the primary school at 
six years of age; completes the eight grades 
and enters the high school at fourteen, 
taking the regular time of four years for 
the full course for graduation. 
He must now take four years for the 
ordinary course, leading to the bachelor’s 
degree in engineering. By this time he is 
twenty-two. He must then take three 
years’ graduate work for the degree of doc- 
tor in engineering, making him twenty-five 
years of age—+z. e., one year older than the 
German who takes the normal time. 
